Penn State Basketball Looks to Play Spoiler vs. Ohio State

Penn State takes another swing at a two-game Big Ten win streak Wednesday night, hosting Ohio State at the Bryce Jordan Center. The Nittany Lions certainly aren't headed to the NCAA Tournament but have a chance to keep the Buckeyes worrying on the bubble before the Big Ten tournament starts.

Asked if there's "juice" to playing spoiler in March, Penn State coach Mike Rhoades said, "absolutely."

"If you're a competitive dude, absolutely, right?" Rhoades told reporters in State College this week. "If it's wreak havoc on other teams' journey down the road or whatever, yeah. As a coach, we all try to find angles and edges to motivate and get guys fired up. And the other side of it is, when you're playing for that, you're trying to find an edge and bring your team great awareness on what needs to be done so you can go achieve your goals."

That's Ohio State, which sits squarely on the NCAA tournament bubble, according to ESPN's Joe Lunardi. Here's what to know about the Penn State-Ohio State game.

How to watch Penn State vs. Ohio State

The Penn State-Ohio State game tips off at 7:30 p.m. ET from the Bryce Jordan Center in State College. This is another Peacock-only game, with Jason Knapp and Brendan Haywood on the call.

Can't watch? Listen to Steve Jones and Dick Jerardi on the Penn State Sports Network.

What is the Penn State-Ohio State betting line?

FanDuel lists Ohio State as a 7.5-point favorite and sets the over/under at 154.5. The Buckeyes might wonder why they're not bigger favorites, considering the ratings disparities. Ohio State is 34th in the NCAA NET rankings and 35th according to the KenPom ratings. Penn State is 125th and 129th.

About the Penn State Nittany Lions

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As he said, Rhoades has opened the whatever-it-takes file for Wednesday's game. Penn State (3-15 Big Ten) hasn't won consecutive conference games all season and is the likely 18th seed for the upcoming Big Ten tournament. So why not take out its frustrations on Ohio State's NCAA hopes?

Penn State is coming off one of its better performances of the season, a 71-69 win over Iowa in which the team lost guard Kayden Mingo and committed 15 turnovers but nevertheless hung on. Josh Reed scored 25 points on a vintage night during which the Nittany Lions needed their only starting senior.

"The game we played on Saturday to beat Iowa, we've shown that [kind of performance]," Rhoades said. "Not over a 40-minute game, but I thought, even though we turned over the ball, we were playing the right way and together, and our young guys didn't look like young guys. I thought we grinded out a Big Ten win."

Does Penn State have another grind in it? Ohio State won the first meeting 84-78 in Columbus. That game was more on brand for the Nittany Lions, who fell behind by 18 points in the first half, clawed their way to within one in the second and ultimately fell by six. Penn State is 2-15 when trailing at halftime this season.

Rhoades listed Mingo as "day-to-day," meaning the Nittany Lions once again will rely on Reed if the point guard doesn't play. Reed has found a stride in the season's second half and brings a 13-game, double-digit scoring streak into Wednesday's game. He transferred to Penn State from Cincinnati with seven career games of 10+ points.

About the Ohio State Buckeyes

Ohio State Buckeyes guard Bruce Thornton controls the ball as Purdue Boilermakers guard Gicarri Harris defends. — Ohio State Buckeyes guard Bruce Thornton controls the ball as Purdue Boilermakers guard Gicarri Harris (24) defends during the second half at Value City Arena. | Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images

According to ESPN's Joe Lunardi. the Buckeyes are sweating out an NCAA Tournament bid. Lunardi has Ohio State among his last four teams in and looking at a No. 11 seed. The Buckeyes might be able to afford a Quad 2 loss to Penn State ahead of the Big Ten Tournament, though it would stress them further next week.

Ohio State lost two straight games and three of four before defeating No. 8 Purdue 82-74 last Saturday. That was a consequential win for the Buckeyes, who are 4-5 in Big Ten road games. Guard Bruce Thornton has been an ironman, averaging 36.4 minutes and 20 points per game.

Penn State held Thornton to nine points in January, but John Mobley Jr. compensated by scoring 25. The Buckeyes gave Penn State some comeback room by missing 10 of 12 3-pointers in the second half.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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