Northwestern @ Penn St. preview

Northwestern at Penn St.

Last Meeting ( Dec 27, 2016 ) Northwestern 87, Penn St. 77

Northwestern hoped to get back in the NCAA Tournament picture with a strong performance when they re-entered Big Ten play after the New Year but failed to provide much offense against Nebraska with its best player, point guard Bryant McIntosh, on the sidelines due to a knee injury. With their floor leader hopefully available Friday, the Wildcats visit Happy Valley looking to regain momentum and make some history against the Nittany Lions.

Northwestern will be attempting a fifth consecutive road victory when playing against Penn State, which would be a school first against any member of the Big Ten. However, the Wildcats will have to play better than Tuesday when they trailed by a point with eight minutes left but fell 70-55 at home against Nebraska after shooting 29 percent from the floor. “It was like a slugfest grinder game. We knew we were going to have to play a game like that when you don’t have McIntosh (13.3 points, 5.5 assists),” Northwestern coach Chris Collins said. “It was just one of those nights when we didn’t shoot the ball very well.” With a trio of talented sophomores, Penn State was hoping to make a deep run in March, but the Nittany Lions split two winnable games to start conference play in early December and dropped a 75-69 decision at undermanned Maryland on Tuesday.

TV: 8 p.m. ET, Fox Sports 1

ABOUT NORTHWESTERN (10-6, 1-2 Big Ten): Dererk Pardon (12.4 points, 6.9 rebounds) had 17 points and a season-high 15 rebounds - 11 on the offensive glass - for the Wildcats against Nebraska, but the junior center was 6-of-18 from the floor. Still, Pardon, who is Northwestern's all-time leader with a 61.4 percent career field-goal percentage, has really picked up his play over the last three games, averaging 17.3 points and 10.7 rebounds. Leading scorer Scottie Lindsey (14.6 points) tallied 12 points but shot just 4-of-14 from the floor against the Huskers.

ABOUT PENN STATE (11-5, 1-2): Mike Watkins had 17 points and a career-high 17 rebounds, while fellow sophomore Tony Carr added 16 points and eight assists, but the Nittany Lions couldn’t hold a five-point lead with 6:22 left and were outscored 23-2 at the free-throw line. “You’ve got a home-court advantage here,” Penn State coach Patrick Chambers told the media in College Park. “I don’t know if that influenced (them) at all, but 34 free throws versus four is tough to swallow because we played some really good basketball.” Carr is second in the conference in scoring (18.7 points) and is shooting 50.8 percent from the 3-point line, while Watkins (12.7 points, 9.0 rebounds, 3.4 blocks) has been playing great of late, averaging 15 points and 10.3 rebounds over his last eight games.

TIP-INS

1. Lindsey scored a career-high 31 points and dropped five 3-pointers last season when the Wildcats topped the Lions 87-77 in their only meeting last season.

2. Pardon's 11 offensive rebounds are the second most by a Division I player this season, trailing only the 12 posted by Rokas Gustys of Hofstra against Siena on Nov. 25.

3. Watkins is second in the league in rebounds, blocks and field-goal percentage (67.5).

PREDICTION: Penn State 75, Northwestern 72