Penn State men’s basketball will face Illinois to open the 2023 Big Ten Tournament, the team announced Sunday night.

Tip-off is set for 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 9, at the United Center in Chicago. After upsetting a ranked-Maryland squad Sunday afternoon, the Nittany Lions received a first-round bye and will meet the Illini in the second round.

Penn State landed the No. 10 seed in the tournament, and Illinois secured the No. 7 seed. The winner of the matchup will face No. 2 Northwestern at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, March 10.

While Illinois is 3-0 against Penn State historically in the Big Ten Tournament, the Nittany Lions are 2-0 against the Illini this season and picked up statement wins in December and February. In the teams’ first meeting of the season, Penn State captured its first of two top-25 wins and topped the 17th-ranked Illinois squad 74-59 on December 10 in Champaign. Just over two months later, Micah Shrewsberry’s lineup remained victorious and walked away with a 93-81 win at home on February 14.

Last season, the No. 11-seeded Nittany Lions beat Minnesota in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament and upset Ohio State for a spot in the quarterfinals. Purdue ultimately ended Penn State’s run in a close 67-61 season finale of Shrewsberry’s first year in Happy Valley.

About the Author

Keeley Lamm

Keeley was Onward State’s managing editor and social media manager in another life. She was also the host of Onward State’s podcast, Podward State. Hopefully she's sitting on a porch somewhere, and you can reach her at keeleylamm@gmail.com.

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