Whether or not it was enough to assure themselves of a spot in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament remains to be seen, but Penn State’s victory over Illinois was certainly worth remembering fondly. Jalen Pickett and the Nittany Lions battled Illinois in a back-and-forth second half before finding a run to put the Illini in the rearview mirror. The win moved Penn State onto the Big Ten quarterfinals and gave them one more good win to add to their tournament push with Selection Sunday looming.
Penn State will face Northwestern on Friday evening in the United Center in Chicago. For the second game in a row, the Nittany Lions will take on a team that is already tournament bound with a likely partisan crowd in its favor. Penn State will be in for another tough battle, as every game should be at this point in the season.
Here are some of the best photos from Penn State’s victory over Illinois.