Penn St. @ Wisconsin preview
Lucas Oil Stadium
Last Meeting ( Feb 2, 2021 ) Penn St. 56, Wisconsin 72
Point guard D'Mitrik Trice has something to prove on Thursday.
Trice's sixth-seeded Wisconsin Badgers (16-11) are set to play the 11th-seeded Penn State Nittany Lions (11-13) on Thursday in the second round of the Big Ten tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
Penn State advanced with a 72-66 win over Nebraska on Wednesday night. Wisconsin had a first-round bye.
The Badgers and Lions split two matchups this year, and Trice -- Wisconsin's leading scorer -- didn't play up to his standard in either contest.
On Jan. 30, host Penn State beat Wisconsin 81-71, scoring 50 points in the second half. Trice was held to six points in that game.
Three days later, host Wisconsin returned the favor, winning 72-56. This time, Wisconsin had the better second half, putting together a 19-4 run.
But, despite the win, Trice was held down even more, going scoreless on five shots. For the two games, Trice went 2-for-14 from the floor, including 0-for-7 on 3-pointers.
For the season, the fifth-year senior is averaging 13.7, and he has earned praise from Badgers coach Greg Gard, especially after earning third-team All-Big Ten honors.
Indeed, he is the only Wisconsin player to make any of the top three teams this year.
"Every year, parts of his game improve," Gard said. "I'm really proud of him (making third-team Big Ten). He's put a lot of work in, and he has had people around him who have helped him through his journey."
Trice, a 6-footer, also leads Wisconsin in assists (3.9). Micah Potter is second on the Badgers in scoring (12.9) and first in rebounds (5.9).
The Badgers ended the regular season in a slump, losing three straight games, all to ranked teams. Trice was held to a combined 18 points in Wisconsin's two most recent games.
His last big game was on Feb. 27, when he scored a game-high 29 points in a 74-69 loss to Illinois.
But even with some struggles for Trice and the Badgers, Penn State interim coach Jim Ferry knows the brand of basketball Wisconsin is capable of playing.
"I have the ultimate respect for Wisconsin," Ferry said. "I respect the way they do things and the way they play. They are difficult to beat."
Penn State, which has won three straight games, can be hard to play, too. The Lions rallied from a 15-point, first-half deficit on Wednesday, outscoring Nebraska 23-9 from the foul line.
The Lions shot poorly -- 35.6 percent from the floor and 7-for-27 on 3-pointers (25.9 percent). But Penn State had a 43-27 rebounding advantage, including 14-7 on the offensive boards.
John Harrar, a burly 6-9, 240-pounder who had a game-high 14 rebounds on Wednesday, will be a challenge for Wisconsin.
Two other Lions to watch are Jamari Wheeler and Myreon Jones. Wheeler is a two-time member of the Big Ten's All-Defense team, and he had 19 points on Wednesday. Jones is Penn State's leading scorer this season (15.5 points per game).
--Field Level Media