The Big Ten Tournament Championship takes place on Sunday when the 10-seed Penn State Nittany Lions (22-12, 19-13-2, 13-10 Big Ten) take on the 1-seed Purdue Boilermakers (28-5, 13-18-2 ATS, 17-5 Big Ten). Penn State defeated the 3-seed Indiana to get here, winning 77-73 as 3-point underdogs. Purdue defeated the 13-seed Ohio State in the semifinals, winning 80-66 as 7.5-point dogs. The teams met twice in the regular season with Purdue winning both games, they won by 13 on the road, and 20 at home. Tipoff is scheduled for 3:30 from the United Center in Chicago and can be found on CBS.
Penn State came into the Big Ten Tournament as only the 10-seed and a team that was on the bubble for the NCAA Tournament. After running off three straight wins, Penn State has seemingly locked up their spot in the Big Dance. In their last game Penn State led for the majority of the game and were led by Jalen Pickett with 28 points and 8 rebounds in the win over Indiana.
“We felt like it was another road game for us.” ??@tracywolfson caught up with @Coach_Shrews and @JalenPickett7 after their #B1GMBBT semifinal win? pic.twitter.com/uVf5Xgx8j8
— Penn State On BTN (@PennStateOnBTN) March 11, 2023
Pickett was named First Team All-Big Ten by the coaches after leading the team with 18.1 PPG, 7.4 RPG and 6.8 APG. Pickett was dominant last round against Indiana and help carry the team to the final. He was 9-10 from the free throw line which helped seal the win late. Seth Lundy is a 6'6 outside shooter, he had 16 in the game against Indiana and averages 14.2 PPG and 6.3 RPG for the Nittany Lions. Andrew Funk is another wing shooter, he leads the conference in made threes and averages 12.2 PPG.
Penn State is ranked 43rd overall by KenPom, which is 9th in the Big Ten. They rank 16th in adjusted offensive efficiency and 111th in defensive efficiency. Penn State is currently projected to be a 10-seed by Joe Lunardi in his Bracketology.
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