How to Watch Penn State-Northwestern in the Big Ten Tournament: Time, TV, Preview

The Nittany Lions look to make some unexpected noise in the Big Ten Tournament.

Penn State Nittany Lions basketball oach Mike Rhoades looks back toward the bench during the second half against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Bryce Jordan Center. | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

Penn State's reward for a dismal regular season is an opening-night game at the Big Ten Basketball Tournament against a team to which it already has lost by 21 points. So be it, Penn State basketball coach Mike Rhoades said.

"As I told the guys [Sunday], it's do or die here," Rhoades said Monday before practice. "So let's see what we can do. ... Just let our hair down, go into the conference tournment and see what happens."

Penn State opens the Big Ten Basketball Tournament on Tuesday night against Northwestern hoping to delay the inevitable end to its season. The Nittany Lions would not have made the conference tournament had the Big Ten retained its 15-team format from last year. However, all 18 teams qualified this year, even Penn State, which finished last with a 3-17 conference record.

Of course, hope always springs, so here's what to watch, and how to watch, as Penn State opens the Big Ten Basketball Tournament on Tuesday at the United Center in Chicago.

How to watch, stream Penn State vs. Northwestern

The Penn State-Northwestern game is scheduled to tip off 25 minutes following Game 1 between Maryland and Oregon, which starts at 4 p.m. ET. That should be close to a 7:30 p.m start for the Nittany Lions and Wildcats. Peacock will stream both first-round games. The winner faces tenth-seeded Indiana on Wednesday.

Can't watch? Listen to Steve Jones and Dick Jerardi call the action live from the United Center on the Penn State Sports Network.

What is the Penn State-Northwestern betting line?

Northwestern is a 6.5-point favorite, according to DraftKings, which set the over/under at 149.5 points. The Wildcats enter the game ranked 66th nationally, according to KenPom, while the Nittany Lions dropped to 138th after their 85-72 loss to Rutgers on Sunday.

About the Penn State Nittany Lions

Penn State Nittany Lions head coach Mike Rhoades shares a moment with guard Kayden Mingo (4) and forward Josh Reed (10) following the game against the Iowa Hawkeyes at Bryce Jordan Center. | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

Penn State arrives in Chicago following a disappointing finish to the regular season. The Nittany Lions scored just 21 first-half points in back-to-back losses to Ohio State and Rutgers, falling behind by 20+ at halftime in both games.

That continued a chronic theme of Penn State's season. The Nittany Lions have trailed by 18 or more points at halftime 10 times this season. That includes 30-point deficits to Indiana, Maryland and Michigan.

"It's something that's kept me up all night a lot this year," Rhoades said of the deficits. "You watch tape, you go through the analytics and have some deep discussions with people who are in your program and even outside your program. Some of it is just the makeup of the team, and some of it is, we really have compounded mistakes this year that really put us in a hole."

Rhoades said he believes he's still the right coach for Penn State despite the wayward season. Penn State went winless in January and has not won consecutive Big Ten games all year. The Nittany Lions also rank last in the Big Ten in scoring defense, allowing 79.5 points per game.

"I’m going to fight," Rhoades said after Penn State's 94-62 loss to Ohio State. "There’s some things you have to deal with, and we’ll deal with them, try to keep building the program. It's a different landscape than it has ever been before, so you’ve got to just continue to respond in different ways to it and fight for your program and keep pushing."

About the Northwestern Wildcats

Northwestern Wildcats forward Nick Martinelli (2) shoots over Minnesota Golden Gophers forward Grayson Grove (2) during the second half at Williams Arena. | Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

Northwestern cruised past Penn State 94-73 in Evanston in January, led by Nick Martinelli's 34-point performance. Martinelli, the Big Ten's leading scorer made 13 of 19 shots and went 4-for-7 from 3-point range. Tre Singleton, who averages 4.9 rebounds per game, added 17 points and 18 rebounds (5 on defense) against the Nittany Lions.

Martinelli recorded game-highs in points (23) and rebounds (nine) in Northwestern's 67-66 loss ot Minnesota to close the regular season. Martinelli broke his single-season Northwestern scoring record with 682 points.

Northwestern (5-15 Big Ten) also enters the tournament on a two-game losing streak, including a four-point loss to 15th-ranked Purdue. Northwestern is seeded 15th for the Big Ten Tournament

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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