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The B1G announced their home and away pairings for the 2016 season this afternoon. Here's what Penn State has to look forward to, with some thoughts on the schedule below.
Home Only:
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Minnesota
- Wisconsin
Road Only:
- Maryland
- Ohio State
- Purdue
- Big Ten Powerhouse Rutgers
Home & Away:
- Iowa
- Michigan**
- Michigan State
- Nebraska
- Northwestern
**The Michigan home game will be played in Madison Square Garden, as part of a Basketball/Hockey doubleheader on Saturday, Jan 30
Thoughts:
- The doubleheader is great. It should draw a decent Penn State crowd and it's another example of Pat Chambers being willing to try anything to manufacture a home court advantage, because God knows he's not getting one at the BJC. Would be more ideal if the game took place during the students' winter break, but it's probably still an upgrade over any State College crowd.
- Guess the B1G doesn't believe Maryland or Rutgers are PSU's rivals, either.
- The home-only single plays are ideal. Wisconsin probably won't be *quite* the juggernaut they are right now, with Frank Kaminsky graduating and Sam Dekker likely to turn pro, but they'll be a tough out as usual. Indiana and Illinois will likely be among the conference's top 5 teams, and The Barn hasn't been kind to Chambers' teams, so avoiding a trip to Minnesota is probably a good thing no matter how good the Gophers will be next year.
- The double plays are tough, but hey, it is the B1G after all.