Where Penn State basketball stands in March Madness bracket predictions
Today is one of the most celebrated days on the calendar for college basketball fans, but Penn State fans will once again be missing out on all of the fun. Selection Sunday is here and will set the field for this year's men's NCAA basketball tournament. Unfortunately, despite ending the regular season with a winning record following an upset of Wisconsin in Madison, Penn State will have to hold out hope for an invite to one of the other basketball tournaments going on.
Penn State did not qualify to compete in the Big Ten men's basketball tournament after finishing the regular season in 17th place in the 18-team conference. Despite a strong start to the season with a good amount of success in non-conference play and an early upset of Purdue, the second half of the season was rough on the Nittany Lions with a number of close losses.
This year's NCAA men's basketball tournament bracket will be revealed beginning at 6 p.m. ET on Sunday, March 16.
Penn State will miss the NCAA tournament for a second straight season under head coach Mike Rhoades. The Nittany Lions have played in the NCAA tournament just once since 2011, although they likely would have been seeded in the 2020 tournament before it was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic's impact on the sports calendar. Since joining the Big Ten, Penn State has participated in the NCAA tournament four times. So a Selection Sunday tradition has never really had a chance to materialize in Happy Valley.
But could the Nittany Lions still be playing some postseason basketball? There is a chance.
Penn State could be a candidate to fill a spot in the NIT, and having a winning record overall makes them a potentially attractive candidate for a bid. One Big Ten team is guaranteed to play in the NIT, although Penn State will have a handful of Big Ten teams sitting ahead of them in the pecking order, it should be assumed.
There are also two spots in the inaugural College Basketball Crown tournament in Las Vegas that will be reserved for Big Ten teams. If Penn State does not make the reserved spots for Big Ten teams in either tournament, they could still be invited as an at-large option once automatic spots are filled.
So Penn State will not be among the 69 teams in the big dance, but they could still find a spot in the 48 other slots available in the NIT (32) or College Basketball Crown (16).
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This article originally appeared on Nittany Lions Wire: Penn State March Madness bracket predictions for 2025 NCAA Tournament
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