The Quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament continue on Friday when the 10-seed Penn State Nittany Lions (20-12, 17-13-2 ATS, 11-10 Big Ten) take on the 2-seed Northwestern Wildcats (21-10, 19-12 ATS, 12-8 Big Ten). Penn State won their second round matchup against 7-seed Illinois to get here, advancing with a 79-76 win as 2.5-point underdogs. Northwestern finished their regular season with a 65-53 road win over Rutgers as 5-point underdogs. These teams met once in the regular season, with Penn State winning on the road by 3. Tipoff is scheduled for 6:30 ET from the United Center in Chicago and can be found on the Big Ten Network.
Penn State has one of the best players in the conference with Jalen Pickett who was just named First Team All-Big Ten. Pickett only shot 4 of 10 in their first round matchup against Illinois for 12 points, but the role players were able to step up. Sharpshooter Andrew Funk hit 6 threes on his way to a game high 20 points. Guard Camryn Winter added 18 and Seth Lundy had 17 for the Nittany Lions as they advance to face Northwestern.
WHO ELSE?! ????@andrewfunk11 gives @PennStateMBB their largest lead of the night ?? pic.twitter.com/xzSWLkYBom
— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) March 10, 2023
Pickett has had an incredible season for Penn State, the 6'4 senior averages 18.0 PPG, 7.3 RPG, and 7.0 APG. He is one of the best players in the conference and can take over games in multiple ways. Pickett only had 12 points against Illinois, but he grabbed 8 rebounds and dished out 8 assists in the win. Andrew Funk and Seth Lundy were 1st and 2nd in the conference in made threes this season. Lundy is their 2nd leading scorer with 14.0 PPG and Funk adds 12.0 PPG. Both players play off Pickett well, as he can draw in defenses and create open looks for the shooters.
Penn State ranks 51st overall according to KenPom, which is 10th out of 14 teams in the Big Ten. The Nittany Lions rank 16th in adjusted offensive efficiency and 122nd in defensive efficiency. They are currently projected to be an 11-seed in the NCAA Tournament by Joe Lunardi.
No House Advantage: Bet on player over/unders VS THE HOUSE to 21x your bet OR play in PICK 'EM contests against other people! Click here to get a 1st deposit match up to $100 1st w/ promocode WandW!