Penn State at Northwestern basketball: Stream, injury report, broadcast info for Wednesday
To say Penn State is in need of a big win is a bit of an understatement. With their tournament hopes hanging on the fence, things seemed to tip the wrong way in Penn State’s last game out, a home loss to Rutgers in which the Nittany Lions blew a big lead in the second half in a must-win game. Bouncing back may not come easily as Penn State travels to Northwestern, a program that is much more in line for an at-large spot in this year’s big dance with the Big Ten tournament looming next week.
Penn State and Northwestern are meeting for the first and only time during this regular season, although a possible second meeting could come up in the Big Ten tournament next week. But the Nittany Lions have struggled on the road in Big Ten play this season and a win would be a big way to dig out of the hole it dug following its recent loss to the Scarlet Knights.
Here is how to catch Jalen Pickett and the Nittany Lions on Wednesday evening from Evanston, Illinois on TV or live stream.
Broadcast and stream info
Date: Wednesday, March 1, 2023
Time: 9:00 p.m. ET
TV Channel: Big Ten Network
Live Stream: fuboTV (watch here)
Penn State vs. Northwestern injury report
Matthew O’Haren-USA TODAY Sports
As has been the case for a while now, Penn State is likely to be without the services of forward [autotag]Caleb Dorsey[/autotag]. Dorsey has been out indefinitely with an undisclosed injury and there has been no confirmation of if or when he may return to the lineup for the Nittany Lions.
In addition to not having forward Like Hunger due to a season-ending foot injury since January, the Wildcats are also likely to be without guard Julian Roper II. Roper is out indefinitely with an ankle injury, and no timetable has been set for his possible return for the Wildcats.
Updated college basketball injury updates can be found on the USA TODAY Sports injury report.
Stat leaders
Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports
POINTS
Jalen Pickett, Penn State: 18.5 ppg
Boo Buie, Northwestern: 17.2 ppg
REBOUNDS
Jalen Pickett, Penn State: 7.3 rpg
Matthew Nicholson, Northwestern: 5.6 rpg
ASSISTS
Jalen Pickett, Penn State: 6.8 apg
Boo Buie, Northwestern: 4.5 apg
ESPN BPI Outlook
Joseph Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports
Perhaps not surprisingly, there is a lack of confidence in Penn State’s chances to score a road win against the Wildcats. Penn State may have won its last two games on the road in the Big Ten, against Minnesota and Ohio State, but the Nittany Lions have had plenty of struggles on the road in conference play this season. Those woes are expected to continue Wednesday evening according to the matchup predictor from ESPN’s Basketball Power Index.
A look at the ESPN BPI figures for this matchup reveals Penn State with just a 26.5% chance of getting a major road win. That gives Northwestern a decided edge with a 73.5% chance of winning on their home court after falling out of the top 25.
Other Big Ten games on the schedule
There is just one other game on the Big Ten card for Wednesday night. Maryland, Penn State’s next and final opponent of the regular season, is in Columbus to take on Ohio State. Maryland is holding a top 25 ranking going into the final couple of games of the regular season and is looking like a lock for the NCAA Tournament. Ohio State, on the other hand, is just about ready to pack things up for the year and focus on next season.
It’s a doubleheader on Big Ten Network tonight as the Maryland-Ohio State game will start the night off before the Nittany Lions tip off with Northwestern in Evanston.
Maryland (20-9, 11-7 Big Ten) at Ohio State (12-17, 4-14 Big Ten)
7:00 p.m. ET, Big Ten Network
