Well, here we are.
If Northwestern is to extend its incredibly disappointing season, it will have to snap a six-game losing streak, without its best two-way player, against one of the conference’s most athletic teams. The 10th-seeded Wildcats (15-16, 6-12 Big Ten) are set to face off against 7-seed Penn State (19-12, 9-9) in the second round of the Big Ten Tournament at Madison Square Garden on Thursday evening.
The teams have already met twice this season. Back in early January, the Nittany Lions cruised to an easy 78-63 win behind 30 points from wing Lamar Stevens and 64 percent shooting on two-pointers.