NCAA Tournament March Madness

#96 Penn St

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Projection: likely out

Penn St’s profile reads like a team that has cleared lesser opposition but not yet collected the kind of road or neutral wins that committees prize, with routine victories over programs such as Fairfield, New Haven, Harvard and Boston University standing in contrast to a neutral-site loss to Providence. The real question mark is performance away from home against quality opponents, and the remaining slate includes multiple high-pressure road tests at the league’s toughest arenas and neutral challenges against established league foes that are the only clear paths to a resume-changing victory. Home dates against marquee nonconference and conference opponents offer help, but until Penn St proves it can win in hostile environments against top-tier competition the overall body of work will feel solid yet short on the signature moments that separate an intriguing case from a comfortably safe one.

Date Opponent Ranking Outcome
11/3Fairfield293W76-68
11/8@New Haven351W87-43
11/11Navy191W80-71
11/15(N)La Salle252W83-69
11/19Harvard201W84-80
11/22(N)Providence71L77-65
11/25Boston Univ249W96-87
11/29Sacred Heart275W90-59
12/2Campbell215W87-76
12/9@Indiana2414%
12/13Michigan St1117%
12/21(N)Pittsburgh9550%
12/29NC Central34597%
1/3(N)Illinois1714%
1/6Michigan17%
1/10@Purdue55%
1/14UCLA3333%
1/18@Maryland9037%
1/22Wisconsin2731%
1/26@Ohio St3617%
1/29@Northwestern5625%
2/1Minnesota10864%
2/5@Michigan12%
2/8USC2831%
2/11@Washington5925%
2/14@Oregon8335%
2/18Rutgers12871%
2/21@Nebraska4822%
2/28Iowa3132%
3/4Ohio St3635%
3/8@Rutgers12849%