Could we get a Penn State vs. Pitt Sweet 16 matchup?
Penn State’s men’s basketball has not been to the Sweet 16 since 2001, but it is now one win away from advancing to the second week of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. Penn State faces Big 12 champion and 2-seed Texas on Saturday evening with an opportunity to keep its momentum going into the next round. Winners of six of their last seven games against NCAA tournament teams, Penn State is playing with the kind of confidence you need to succeed this time of the year. The Nittany Lions will be an underdog against Texas, which is nothing new for the Nittany Lions, but their first-round victory over Texas A&M put many on notice of just how dangerous they can actually be.
And think about this. There is a possibility Penn State could play Pitt in the Sweet 16. Penn State already trashed the expectation for a Texas-Texas A&M matchup many were looking forward to when the bracket was initially released. Now, the possibility of an in-state battle between the Nittany Lions and Panthers is sitting right there.
— Kevin McGuire (@KevinOnCFB) March 18, 2023
Penn State has its own difficult task of knocking off the Longhorns, of course. Pittsburgh also has a tall order in front of it with a matchup against Big East tournament runner-up Xavier. The Musketeers had to turn on the jets in their first-round matchup with Kennesaw State though, so they could be vulnerable.
Pitt advanced to the first round with an opening-round game over Mississippi State that went down to the wire. Pitt then pulled away from Iowa State in the first round for a 59-41 victory over the Cyclones to reach the second round.
The rivalry between Penn State and Pitt is much more well-known on the football field, of course. Unfortunately, there are no signs of an eventual renewal of the long-standing in-state rivalry in football on the horizon, so a clash in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament may have to suffice for now. But in order to make that happen, Jalen Pickett, Andrew Funk and the rest of the Nittany Lions have work to do Saturday night against Texas.
