WHTM) – Penn State has reached the second round in the NCAA Tournament and will face Texas on Saturday, March 18 in Des Moines, Iowa. The Nittany Lions are playing in the championship for the first time since 2011.
Here are live updates from abc27 sports and the Penn State men’s basketball team from their second-round game against Texas.
The Nittany Lions are ranked No. 10 in the Midwest region and will face No. 2-ranked Texas in the second round.
Penn State (23-13) is one of the teams most headed to the tournament. The Nittany Lions hit three close games in the Big Ten Tournament to reach the championship game. They fell to Purdue 67-65 in the final on Sunday as the last game to end before the NCAA Selection Show.
The #10-ranked Nittany Lions defeated #7-ranked Texas A&M 76-59 on Thursday to advance to the second round.
How did Texas advance to the Round of 32?
No. 2 Texas dismantled No. 15 Colgate, 81-61, in the first round of the Midwest Regional on Thursday night. The Longhorns defense shut out the nation’s most efficient 3-point shooting team, and Colgate held shooting 3-for-15 from three-point range.
Jabari Rice scored 23 points off the bench to lead all scorers in the Texans victory.
How did Penn State advance to the Round of 32?
The Nittany Lions built a 38-22 halftime lead over the Aggies on an impressive three-point shot from Grad Andrewunk transfer. The goalkeeper shot 4-for-5 from three in the first half, with 15 points. He was leading all scorers with 27 points at the end of the game.
Jalen Pickett scored 19 points, 7 rebounds and 8 assists.
Penn State was about to start the NCAA Tournament in March, but six four-game wins and a run to the Big Ten Conference Championship forced the selection committee to put the Nittany Lions into the Big Dance.
Now the Nittany Lions will take on the Texans on Saturday, March 18th at 7:45 p.m. inside Wellsargo Arena in Des Moines, Iowa.
https://www.abc27.com/sports/local-sports/live-updates-ncaa-tournament-penn-state-vs-texas/
