UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. (WTAJ) — It’s do or die season for Penn State as they get ready to head to Chicago for the Big Ten Tournament. The Nittany Lions have been hit with the 10th seed in the tournament and will take on Illinois in their first match.

Penn State defeated the Illini in convincing fashion in both regular season meetings. In the first match the Nittany Lions shot the daylights out of the ball while last month Jalen Pickett dropped 41 points on Illinois at the Bryce Jordan Center.

“In both games that we’ve played, and we’ve rebounded the ball really well. On the defensive glass we’ve done a good job of keeping them off, not giving them extra opportunities,” said Head Coach Micah Shrewsberry. “The more opportunities they get, the more they’re going to score.”

Despite the regular season success against the Illini, Micah Shrewsberry knows it’s difficult to continue beating the same team multiple times.

“They’re one of the most talented teams in our league. They just they cause problems in a lot of different ways. They can do it defensively and they can do it offensively,” Shrewsberry said. “So, they’re not like, they’re not sitting there like, oh man, we got to play Penn State. Like, they’re, they’re here’s probably on fire getting ready to come play us.”

CBS Sports has Penn State listed among the last four in for the NCAA Tournament, so a win over Illinois should solidify their standing and clinch a berth into March Madness.