Bracketology: Penn State Basketball Moves up After Win Against Rutgers

Originally posted on Nittany Sports Now
By Brennan Valladares | Last updated Jan 21, 2025 2:26 PM ET

After snapping its four-game losing streak against Rutgers on Monday, Penn State has moved up on Joe Lunardi’s “Bracketology”, but the Nittany Lions remain on the wrong side of the bubble.

As part of the next four out, Penn State joins Iowa, Xavier and VCU as the teams to barely miss the field of 68 in March.

After a one-game absence, Ace Baldwin Jr. returned on Wednesday against No. 12 Michigan State, scoring 20 points and dealing nine assists in 40 minutes. On Monday, the fifth-year senior played the entirety of the game again, tallying a team-high 22 points (eight assists and five steals) in the 80-72 win over the Scarlet Knights. As a team, PSU had its best shooting night (percentage wise) going 10-of-21 from deep, as Freddie Dilione tied his career high with four 3-pointers.

Penn State Basketball Takeaways: What Four Straight Losses Can Show a Team

Penn State is now 13-6 (3-5) overall and is tied for 12th place in the Big Ten. The nine teams PSU is yet to play on its schedule have a combined 31-40 record in conference play, much different than the 33-20 record the teams the Nittany Lions have already played. However, Penn State’s next two games will be on the road at Iowa (12-6, 3-4) and No. 21 Michigan (14-4, 6-1). Both teams will be Quad 1 opponents, which Penn State has gone 1-4 against.

In Lunardi’s updated “Bracketology”, the SEC (12) and the Big Ten (10) continue to lead the projected bid count. Here are the updated seedings for the Big Ten: