Indiana, Penn State ride win streaks into clash at Philadelphia

Penn State and Indiana convene at one of the meccas of college basketball Sunday when the Big Ten rivals square off at the Palestra in Philadelphia.The Nittany Lions (12-2, 2-1) have won four in a row, while the Hoosiers (11-3, 2-1) carry a three-game winning streak into this matchup. The Palestra, which opened in 1927, is known as “the cathedral of college basketball.””I think (playing at the Palestra) is huge because you hear about so many historic games that have been played there,” said Zach Hicks, who played high school and college ball in the Philadelphia area before transferring to Penn State.”Obviously, I went to Temple, so a lot of Big 5 games were played there, even if it wasn’t just playing (against) Penn,” Hicks added. “Just being there and my family being able to come, playing at that historic building, and hopefully coming out with a win would be great for me.”Hicks scored 20 points in Thursday’s 84-80 win over Northwestern, while Ace Baldwin Jr. chipped in 17 points, seven assists and five steals. That tandem, along with Yanic Konan Niederhauser (nine points, nine rebounds, three blocks) will certainly be a focus of Indiana’s defensive gameplan.The Hoosiers topped Rutgers 84-74 on Thursday as Myles Rice scored 21 points and reserve Oumar Ballo added 17 points and 12 rebounds.