The underdog hat fits nicely on Penn State. The Nittany Lions have covered in two-thirds of their games on the receiving end, which mirrors a three-season pattern. They have swept their last three outright as 'dogs. In the first meeting, Penn State led by eight in the second half before fading to a defeat. Northwestern likely will have a key vacancy to fill, with G Ty Berry ailing. Lions G Kanye Clary, who blitzed N'western for 25 points, is working his way back after missing games with a facial injury.

Penn State is starting to make some noise in the Big Ten, winning three in a row in impressive fashion, including a pair of successes on the road at Rutgers and Indiana. First-year HC Mike Rhoades has been getting some very good mileage out of various portal adds including a few who followed him from VCU; ex-Rams G Ace Baldwin (14 ppg) ahs scored 22 in each of the past two games, while leading scorer Kanye Cleary (17.9 ppg) returned to active duty in the Thursday win over Iowa. Lots of close games for Northwestern, including the first meeting Jan 10 at Happy Valley when the Cats squeezed out a 76-72 decision, before the Nittany Lions caught their updraft. Play Penn State