Penn State upsets No. 8 Ohio State for the second time this season

Ohio State wouldn’t have any problems in the Big Ten if it weren’t for Penn State.

The Nittany Lions got the better of the eighth-ranked Buckeyes for the second time this season, earning a 79-56 win Thursday at the Bryce Jordan Center. The loss dropped OSU to 13-2 in conference play.

For Penn State, the victory improved the team’s increasingly strong case to make the NCAA tournament. The Nittany Lions don’t have a quality nonconference win on their resume but caught many people by surprise when they upset then-No. 13 Ohio State on the road on Jan. 25. The win was sealed by a game-winning bank shot three-pointer by sophomore guard Tony Carr.

Fast forward to Thursday night where Penn State got off to a fantastic start and never looked back.

The Nittany Lions led by as many as 30 points as OSU had no answer for Carr. The electric guard had 19 points in the first half and finished with 30. His night was highlighted by a ridiculous three-point play to end the first half.

The Nittany Lions continued to pour it on after halftime, much to the delight of Flavor Flav, who was in attendance. The rap legend is the cousin of Penn State senior guard Shep Garner, who killed the Buckeyes from deep, connecting on 4-of-7 attempts and scoring 13 points.

Ohio State struggled, and so did their outstanding junior forward Keita Bates-Diop. Coming into Thursday night’s game, he was averaging 19.9 points and nine rebounds per game. Against Penn State, the All-American candidate was held to 10 points on 4-of-11 shooting from the field.

With the victory, Penn State now has two quality wins on its tournament resume, both courtesy of Ohio State. The Nittany Lions could pick up a much-needed third resume win on Sunday when they go on the road to face No. 6 Purdue. The Boilermakers will be looking to break a three-game losing streak after taking an upset loss to Wisconsin Thursday night.