INDIANAPOLIS -- The one thing Thad Matta wanted from his Ohio State basketball team was to not let one bad thing boil over and become a bad loss. That's how you get ousted early from the Big Ten Tournament.
In the end, the Buckeyes didn't let that happen. But that didn't mean Ohio State didn't have to sweat one out.
The seventh-seeded Buckeyes held on for a 79-75 win over No. 10 Penn State on Thursday in the second round of the conference tournament. Ohio State's reward for holding off the Nittany Lions is a date with Michigan State in Friday's quarterfinals.