NCAA Tournament March Madness

#125 Penn St

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Projection: need to automatically qualify

Penn State’s body of work shows flashes that will catch a committee’s eye but also glaring weaknesses that undercut an at‑large case. The Nittany Lions have earned respect in tight showings against Michigan and Michigan State and have been competitive in other tough matchups, yet those positives are swamped by lopsided losses at Indiana, at Maryland and a neutral defeat to Pittsburgh that highlight ongoing defensive breakdowns. Most wins have come against lesser nonconference opponents rather than top opponents who build a resume cushion, so the remaining slate — home chances against Minnesota and Rutgers and road tests at Northwestern, Oregon and Washington along with stiff games against Ohio State and Iowa — are the only realistic ways to improve the resume. With signature victories lacking and several damaging defeats already on the ledger, the surest way for Penn State to guarantee its place is to secure the conference’s automatic bid.

Date Opponent Ranking Outcome
11/3Fairfield268W76-68
11/8@New Haven338W87-43
11/11Navy178W80-71
11/15(N)La Salle222W83-69
11/19Harvard183W84-80
11/22(N)Providence71L77-65
11/25Boston Univ292W96-87
11/29Sacred Heart286W90-59
12/2Campbell205W87-76
12/9@Indiana31L113-72
12/13Michigan St7L76-72
12/21(N)Pittsburgh100L80-46
12/29NC Central347W90-67
1/3Illinois4L73-65
1/6Michigan2L74-72
1/10@Purdue9L93-85
1/14UCLA39L71-60
1/18@Maryland122L96-73
1/22Wisconsin41L98-71
1/26@Ohio St40L84-78
1/29@Northwestern6220%
2/1Minnesota8246%
2/5@Michigan21%
2/8USC4731%
2/11@Washington4815%
2/14@Oregon9830%
2/18Rutgers15568%
2/21@Nebraska113%
2/28Iowa2317%
3/4Ohio St4026%
3/8@Rutgers15546%