Preview: Penn State at Northwestern in Big Ten Men’s Basketball

EVANSTON, Ill. (Interstat) — Two teams mired in nearly identical slumps will meet Thursday night when Penn State visits Northwestern in a Big Ten Conference men’s basketball game at Welsh-Ryan Arena.

Both the Nittany Lions and Wildcats enter with 9-11 overall records and are seeking to halt extended losing streaks within conference play. Penn State has lost seven straight games, all in the Big Ten, since a nonconference win over North Carolina Central on Dec. 29. Northwestern has dropped six of its last seven, with its lone win in that stretch coming at Southern California on Jan. 21.

The matchup features two of the league’s most consistent scorers in recent weeks. Northwestern will lean on forward Nick Martinelli, who has been a bright spot during the team’s struggles. He is averaging 24.7 points over his last seven games, including a 34-point effort in an overtime loss at Rutgers on Jan. 11. Martinelli is coming off a 20-point performance in a 71-64 loss at UCLA last Saturday.

For Penn State, guard Eli Rice has provided offensive punch. He scored a team-high 20 points in the Nittany Lions’ most recent outing, an 84-78 loss at Ohio State on Monday. Over his last seven games, Rice is averaging 11.3 points.

Both teams are coming off road losses in their last contest. Following its defeat at Ohio State, Penn State’s losing streak reached seven games. Josh Reed and Melih Tunca joined Rice in double figures with 13 points each. Northwestern fell at UCLA 71-64 last Saturday, with Martinelli’s 20 points leading the way. Tre Singleton added 12 points for the Wildcats.

The game is the only scheduled meeting between the programs this season. Penn State’s next game is at home against Minnesota on Sunday. Northwestern will host Washington on Saturday.

Tip-off is set for 9 p.m. EST Thursday.