Penn State will face Maryland at home on Sunday afternoon in its final game of the regular season on senior day, in which seven players will suit up for the final time in front of the Penn State faithful.
Sunday’s game is consequential because a win over Maryland nets them its fifth quad-one victory of the season. In ESPN’s latest bracketology, Joe Lunardi has Penn State as the last team in the field of 68.
Also, Penn State must win to avoid playing on the first day of the Big Ten tournament that starts Wednesday at the United Center in Chicago.
Six Big Ten Conference games will be played on Sunday:
Maryland at Penn State at noon on the Big Ten Network
Illinois at Purdue at 12:30 p.m. Eastern on Fox
Nebraska at Iowa at 2:00 p.m. Eastern on the Big Ten Network
Michigan at Indiana at 4:30 p.m. Eastern on CBS
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.Northwestern at Rutgers at 7:30 p.m. Eastern on the Big Ten Network
Wisconsin at Minnesota at 7:30 p.m. Eastern on FS1
Penn State currently sits at tenth in the Big Ten standings and can’t do any better, however, they could drop to twelfth with a loss on Sunday. Penn State is 9-10 in conference play ahead of both Nebraska and Wisconsin, which sits at 8-11 in conference play. With a loss on Sunday and a Wisconsin victory over last place, Minnesota, Penn State will finish 11th in the Big Ten standings.
With a loss and wins by Nebraska and Wisconsin Penn State will finish 12th in the Big Ten standings and would probably need three victories in the Big Ten Tournament to get an at-large bid in the NCAA tournament. That would require defeating Ohio State then playing potentially Iowa, Maryland,
Northwestern, Illinois, or Michigan who all sit at 11-8 in the conference, and then Purdue in the quarterfinals.
Penn State’s best path to the NCAA tournament is a win against Maryland and at least one win in the Big Ten tournament, but two victories would help them not play in Dayton.
Twitter: @bwalkerdadon
