Penn State men’s basketball (23-13, 11-10 Big Ten) has been on a run in the NIT after defeating Temple and Notre Dame. Now, the only thing in the Nittany Lions’ way from a spot in the semifinals at Madison Square Garden is a matchup against No. 2 seed Marquette. Marquette (21-13, 9-9 Big East) will host the Nittany Lions after defeating Harvard and Oregon in the first two rounds of the tournament. Coach Pat Chambers says Mike Watkins remains out for the NIT, but Nazeer Bostick will travel with the team, though his playing status is still undetermined after his suspension.

Zeroing In On Marquette

The Golden Eagles are led by two twenty-point scorers in Markus Howard and Andrew Rowsey, putting up 20.4 and 20.2 points per game, respectively. Both guards are listed at 5’11”, so it should be interesting to see if Coach Chambers uses Josh Reaves to guard one of the two, since he normally defends the top scoring threat on the opposing team. Both players are also shooting above 90 percent from the free throw line, so it is imperative the Nittany Lions avoid trailing late in the game and running into a situation where they are forced to foul Marquette.

Sam Hauser is the only other Golden Eagle averaging double figures, scoring 14.8 points per game and leading the team with 5.8 rebounds per game. Hauser is shooting 49.2 percent on three-point shot attempts, another factor that the Nittany Lions will need to defend.

Last Meeting

The last time Penn State and Marquette played was March 7, 1995. The Nittany Lions lost 79-87 at home. Penn State will look to avenge that loss from over 23 years ago.

Prediction

The Nittany Lions have been on a great stretch since the end of the regular season, winning four of the last five games in the Big Ten Tournament and NIT. All five games have come without Mike Watkins, and now Bostick’s status is uncertain. Penn State didn’t look like it missed a beat against a Notre Dame team that many expected to be selected into the NCAA tournament, though.

Between missing Reaves for a portion of the regular season and missing Watkins for a tough stretch, this squad could be getting used to playing without a key component. Even without Bostick, the Nittany Lions could be just fine.

If Penn State can continue to get good contributions from Shep Garner and Josh Reaves, and Tony Carr continues his bounce back play that he displayed against the Irish, Penn State should be able to win this game and advance to the semifinals in New York City.

Penn State-Marquette tips off at 7 p.m. Tuesday in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The game will be aired on ESPN.