What Happens If the Buckeyes Lose Tonight Against Penn State

Not worried about tonight? You already know that the Buckeyes have beaten Penn State 10 consecutives times, or if you don’t know that exact number you know that you can’t remember the last time the Buckeyes dropped a game against the Nittany Lions. Well, I think you need to start worry. For two reasons:

 

1)      This ain’t your great-grandpa Demaree’s Penn State basketball team. This Nittant Lion team is coming off of a victory over Illinois, where they held the Illini to only 33 points. They’ve also beaten Georgia Tech, Seton Hall, Purdue, Michigan, and Minnesota. At 19-8, 8-6 in the Big Ten the Nittany Lions are a team that could possibly get into the Big Dance before the Buckeyes. If they beat the Buckeyes tonight, won’t that cement that case? With this being the only meeting between these two teams, one of them needs to make a statement.

2)      Last year the Buckeyes were held out of the National Tournament with a winning record.  They were 10-9. This years team is 7-7, with this game, and games left in Purdue, in Iowa, and against a Northwestern team they’ve already lost to. 10-9 might be a best case scenario if they lose tonight. 11-8 in the Big Ten locks you in, 10-9 makes it a maybe. If they drop to 9-10, forget it.

 

So, it’s the fourth to last game of the regular season. However, the Buckeyes now have no choice to play every game like it might be their last. That possibility is looming dangerously large now.