SB Nation - Stanley Pringle

Penn State Basketball Preview - Part I

BSD — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 12:15:11 -0000

More photos » by Frank Franklin II - AP

8 months ago: Penn State's Jamelle Cornley (2) drives past Notre Dame's Zach Hillesland (33) during the first half of the NIT semifinal college basketball game on Tuesday, March 31, 2009 in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

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Who knew they played college basketball in November? It's true. I looked it up.

You have to forgive me. I'm just not used to this whole "basketball success" thing. Normally we don't pick up the basketball team until after the bowl season. And usually by that time we're already out of contention for any kind of post season play, so who cares anyway? But this year is different. This year the team is coming off of a thrilling NIT championship. Season ticket sales are at an all time high. We're in uncharted waters here as a program. I don't want to completely ignore the basketball team until January like years past. So this week I'm going to try to roll out a few preview posts. Today we'll start with going over what we have to replace. Then we will go into what is returning. Then I'll try to do a lengthier post on the new faces on the team. Maybe if I get some time next week we'll go into the schedule and I'll make an attempt to make some kind of prediction. So with that...

What Penn State Has To Replace

Jamelle Cornley

No Penn State player played with more heart and guts over the past four years than Jamelle Cornley. Always fighting sore knees or separated shoulders, Cornley left it all out on the court and he was adored by his fans and teammates for it. The leadership will be difficult to replace. And then there is the production.

			FG			3PT			FT			Rebounds			Misc
	G	M	M	A	Pct	M	A	Pct	M	A	Pct	Off	Def	Tot	Ast	TO	Stl	Blk	PF	PPG
2008 - Jamelle Cornley	37	34.8	5.9	11.5	51.3	0.5	1.4	38.0	1.9	3.5	53.8	2.0	4.4	6.4	1.2	1.8	0.4	0.1	1.6	14.4

Cornley was the one player Penn State could count on when they needed a basket. When the momentum was getting away from them, and they needed somebody to stop the bleeding by pounding it in the paint and getting a hard earned bucket, Cornley was their man despite the fact he was only 6'5" tall. Replacing that big time inside presence will be the biggest challenge for Ed DeChellis.

Stanley Pringle

			FG			3PT			FT			Rebounds			Misc
	G	M	M	A	Pct	M	A	Pct	M	A	Pct	Off	Def	Tot	Ast	TO	Stl	Blk	PF	PPG
2008 - Stanley Pringle	37	30.8	4.5	10.0	45.3	1.9	4.3	45.0	1.8	2.5	72.5	0.6	2.6	3.1	2.8	1.7	1.3	0.2	2.2	12.8

When paired with Talor Battle, Stanley Pringle was one half of the fastest backcourt in the Big Ten. He played good defense, pushed the fast breaks, and had a killer three point shot. But he had a tendency to disappear at times.

Danny Morrissey

			FG			3PT			FT			Rebounds			Misc
	G	M	M	A	Pct	M	A	Pct	M	A	Pct	Off	Def	Tot	Ast	TO	Stl	Blk	PF	PPG
2008 - Danny Morrissey	36	20.3	1.7	4.6	37.6	1.3	3.6	35.7	0.6	0.9	68.8	0.3	1.4	1.7	1.5	0.9	0.4	0.1	1.5	5.3

I always had a special appreciation for Danny Morrissey. He played for some of the worst teams in Penn State history, but he was a starter on those teams. Then Battle and Pringle came along and Danny was asked to swallow his pride and take a seat on the bench. He attacked his new role like a loose ball going out of bounds. He gave it his all and never once complained. Give me a team of Danny Morrissey's any day. We may not be great, but we would win a few games, and I guarantee we would be fun to watch.

He wasn't the best defender in the world, but nobody could match Morrissey's toughness or hustle. A rebound here, a charge drawn there. Hitting a clutch three, or coming up with an improbable block against a guy six inches taller than him. He always had a knack for finding a way to contribute.

So if you're keeping score at home, that's two guards and a forward. It's 34.5 points, 11.2 rebounds, and 85 minutes per game. These three guys represented 47% of Penn State's scoring and 35% of their rebounds last year. Plus they all had years of experience. Replacing them will be no small task.

BtB 2009-10 Big Ten Preview

Chris Dobbertean — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 18:44:34 -0000

For all of the beating that the Big Ten took during a particularly rough and tumble regular season, the conference really validated itself in the postseason. Those March and April performances bode well for this season, especially considering that the Big Ten's main contenders didn't lose as much as the contenders in other conferences. For example, all five players on the coaches' All-Big Ten team from last season are back.

The two teams who progressed furthest in the NCAAs, national runner-up Michigan State and regional semifinalist Purdue are the clear favorites in the league, and both teams could make a serious run at a MIdwestern Final Four. Penn State, the NIT champions, will look to improve their standing enough to get into the Big Dance this time around. And of course, Northwestern will look to really shake things up in the league and make it to the NCAAs for the first time. In between, the Big Ten's other five NCAA entrants will attempt to stay in the field. The biggest thing for the conference this year is separating itself from the other BCS leagues, especially in non-conference play. With the Big Ten being hyper-competitive this year, its members really need to distinguish themselves during the early part of the season. Otherwise, teams will be clumped together on lines 8 through 12 of the bracket like last year, which doesn't bode well for sustained tourney runs. More on all 11 teams after the jump.

To refresh your memory, let's take a look at how the Big Ten standings looked at the end of the 2008-09 regular season.

Big Ten Conference Standings

(updated 4.7.2009 at 12:23 AM EDT)

	Conf		Overall
	W	L	W	L
Michigan St. Spartans	15	3	31	7
Purdue Boilermakers	11	7	27	10
Illinois Fighting Illini	11	7	24	10
Penn St. Nittany Lions	10	8	27	11
Ohio St. Buckeyes	10	8	22	11
Wisconsin Badgers	10	8	20	13
Minnesota Golden Gophers	9	9	22	11
Michigan Wolverines	9	9	21	14
Northwestern Wildcats	8	10	17	14
Iowa Hawkeyes	5	13	15	17
Indiana Hoosiers	1	17	6	25

Now, here are my picks for 2009-10, presented in reverse order. If a school's name appears in red, that's a link to its SBNation site. You can go there for more detailed analysis throughout the season.

Iowa (last NCAA: 2006) The long rebuilding process continues for Todd Lickliter. It looks to be another long year in Iowa City, especially since the Hawkeyes have real point guard issues after Jake Kelly (transfer to Indiana State for family reasons) and Jeff Peterson (transfer to Arkansas) left the program. 6-1 frosh Cully Payne will have to adjust to the Big Ten game fast, as he will have to be the main option. If he doesn't, expect sophomore Anthony Tucker (10.4 ppg, 0.6 apg) to move over from shooting guard. The team's only other returning double-digit scorer, Matt Gatens (10.8 ppg), will be a force as he can really shoot the ball (40.3 % from the perimeter and 90.4 % from the free throw line). The Hawkeyes really need more contributions inside, where Jarryd Cole has battled injuries and struggled offensively, which has also been a problem for the rest of Iowa's frontline players.

Indiana (last NCAA: 2008) Tom Crean is also in a rebuilding situation, but he loaded up on recruits this offseason, something Lickliter couldn't quite do. Jeremiah Rivers, son of Boston Celtics coach Doc and a Georgetown transfer, is now eligible and will run the offense. Rivers' steady hand should improve a team that rated near the bottom of Division I in assist/turnover ratio. Meanwhile, the incoming freshmen are so highly regarded that last year's leaders may see reduced playing time. Rivers' arrival, and that of freshman Jordan Hulls, will eat into Verdell Jones' playing time (11 ppg, 3,6 apg). 6-5 Maurice Creek will take time away from Devan Dumes (12.7 ppg). In the frontcourt, Tom Pritchard (9.7 ppg, 6.4 rpg) will still see significant time, and he'll be joined by freshmen Bobby Capobianco, Derek Elston, Bawa Muniru, and Christian Watford. Considering that Crean's returning frontcourt players not named Tom Pritchard only average 0.8 ppg, they should see plenty of action. If they adjust to the Big Ten quickly, the Hoosiers may win some of those close games they tended to lose in 2008-09.

Penn State (last NCAA: 2001) You rarely see teams as happy about winning the NIT than the Nittany Lions last year. PSU had a real case for an NCAA bid, thanks to 10 league wins, but a non-conference schedule full of cupcakes cost them. On that front, the Lions hope they can get some big wins in the Charleston Classic to help their case this time around. In terms of personnel, the good news is that all-Big Ten first teamer Talor Battle (16.7 ppg, 5 apg) is back. The bad news is that his backcourt mates, Stanley Pringle (12.8 ppg) and Danny Morrissey (5.3 ppg) are gone and so is star forward Jamelle Cornley (14.4 ppg, 6.3 rpg). The effectiveness of their replacements will dictate the Nittany Lions' chances of moving up. Sophomores Chris Babb (2.8 ppg) and Cammeron Woodyard (2.2 ppg) will have to step it up to replace Pringle, but incoming freshman Tim Frazier will also play a big role in the backcourt. In the frontcourt, 6-9 Andrew Jones (6.2 ppg, 5.7 rpg) is expected to increase his production to make up for Cornley's graduation, so will David Jackson. Both Jones and Jackson played key roles in PSU's NIT run. Serbian freshman Sasa Borovnjak and redshirt frosh Billy Oliver will also see lots of time inside.

Wisconsin (last NCAA: 2009) The Badgers struggled on offense and defense last year. However, Bo Ryan's team was able to right the ship after dropping six in a row in January to sneak into the tournament and grab a first round win over Florida State. However, Ryan lost two key performers off that team, swingman Joe Krabbenhoft and F Marcus Landry. Jason Bohannon (10.3 ppg, 1.7 apg) and Trevon Hughes (12.1 ppg, 2.8 apg) are back, however, so the backcourt remains in good shape, typical of a Ryan-coached team. The returning frontcourt players, led by 6-10 F Jon Leuer (8.8 ppg, 3.8 ppg) and 6-8 Keaton Nankivil (4.5 ppg, 2.5 rpg) will have to be tougher to adequately replace Landry and Krabbenhoft. Look out for the Badgers' two redshirt freshmen, Jared Berggren and Ryan Evans, as they should see significant frontcourt time as well. If the frontline improves significantly, the Badgers could go dancing for the 12th straight year.

Northwestern (last NCAA: None) While Wisconsin (and the rest of the league) has become a consistent NCAA performer, the Wildcats are the complete opposite. Once again, NU is the only team in a BCS conference to fail to qualify for a single NCAA tournament. On March 4, the men from Evanston stood at 17-11, after winning at Indiana, against Iowa at home, and at Purdue. They then managed to lose at Ohio State by 5 to finish 8-10 in the conference. If that wasn't bad enough, they then fell to Minnesota by 13 in the opening round of the conference tournament. The Wildcats cannot let something similar happen this season. Personnel-wise, the Wildcats bring back nearly everyone from last year, most importantly all-Big Ten second teamer Kevin Coble (15.5 ppg, 4.8 apg) and point guard Michael Thompson (9.9 ppg, 3.7 apg), a deadly three-point shooter (41.7%). The major loss is guard Craig Moore (14.3 ppg, 2.7 apg) who graduated. Incoming frosh Drew Crawford could slide into Moore's slot on the roster. He's the son of NBA referee Danny Crawford. If coach Bill Carmody can squeeze a little more from his returnees, who provided solid, if unspectacular and inconsistent performances throughout last season, the Wildcats will finally make the field of 65.

Minnesota (last NCAA: 2009) Expectations are high for Tubby Smith's third season in the Twin Cities. The Gophers will have to find a way to play Michigan State and Michigan better, as they didn't manage to win a single game against those two teams (0-5). The Gophers return all of their key performers from last season, including leading scorer Lawrence Westbrook (12.6 ppg), second leading scorer Damian Johnson (9.8 ppg), point guard Al Nolen (6.5 ppg, 4.3 apg), and big men Ralph Sampson III (6.3 ppg, 4.2 rpg) and Colton Iverson (5.4 ppg, 3.6 rpg). Sampson and Iverson should see more time at center thanks to the arrival of 6-7 freshman Royce White and JC transfer Trevor Mbakwe, if he's ever cleared to play. Mbakwe is due to go on trial for assault in South Florida in December. Nolen could also see the bench if he's as inconsistent as he was during Big Ten play, thanks to the arrival of freshman PG Justin Cobbs. The Gophers are drawn against Butler in the 76 Classic in Anaheim, which should be a good indicator of how well this team will perform in 2009-10.

Michigan (last NCAA: 2009) Much like with Tubby Smith's Minnesota team. great things are expected in Ann Arbor during John Beilein's third season. Beilein's offensive and defensive philosophies usually take consistent hold in that third season, and the team's performance improves as a result. One of the Wolverines' biggest needs is in the frontcourt, where DeShawn Sims (15.4 ppg, 6.8 rpg) was often left on an island last season. Seven-foot, redshirt freshman Ben Cronin should provide some help, as should 6-8 frosh Jordan Morgan, if he plays. Beilein may redshirt him depending on how well he's recovered from offseason knee surgery. 6-10 frosh Blake McLimans and 6-6 junior Anthony Wright may be called into duty frequently. The backcourt is the strength of this UM squad, led by all-Big Ten performer Manny Harris (16.9 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 4.4 apg). Harris should get more time to drive to the hoop (and get to the foul line), thanks to the arrival of freshman Darius Morris, who is expected to take over at the point. The reserve backcourt players need to show more consistency, as none averaged more than 6.7 ppg, despite some impressive shooting nights.

Illinois (last NCAA: 2009) While the Illini lost guards Chester Frazier and Trent Meacham, the returnees and Bruce Weber's best ever recruiting class should keep the squad near the top of the Big Ten. Demetri McCarney (11.5 ppg, 4.6 apg) already has plenty of experience at the point to replace Frazier. Incoming freshman D.J. Richardson will be called on to replace Meacham, especially from the defensive perspective. Brandon Paul, another heralded recruit, will be an inside-outside threat. In the frontcourt, Mike Davis very nearly averaged a double-double last season (11.3 ppg, 8.1 rpg), so he'll continue to be a force. Mike Tisdale could be a star if he's more aggressive. He has plenty of room to improve on the 10 points and 4 boards he averaged last season.

Ohio State (last NCAA: 2009) The Buckeyes did pretty well last season, winning 22 games and making the Big Ten title game despite losing G/F David Lighty in the seventh game of the year. With Lighty back and all-Big Ten selection/jack-of-all-trades Evan Turner still around, the Buckeyes should be even better this time around. Joining Turner as offensive forces are guards William Buford and Jon Diebler who both averaged a little more than 11 points a game. While Thad Matta has a lot of guys who can shoot, he doesn't have a true point guard. Not that this issue really stopped the Buckeyes last year. Jeremie Simmons (6.8 ppg, 2.5 apg) and P.J. Hill (3.2 ppg, 1.9 apg) saw some time at the point after Anthony Crater's departure for South Florida, with Hill making more of an impact. If the two have issues, Turner, who averaged 4 assists per game last year, could spend some time running the offense. Turner will also see time in the frontcourt, where Lighty will serve as OSU's power forward (9.7 ppg, 5.7 rpg). 6-8 junior Dallas Lauderdale and 7-foot UAB transfer Zisis Sarikopoulos will occupy the post. OSU will be tested early, thanks to a matchup with defending National Champion North Carolina at the Coaches vs. Cancer event in New York, followed by a game with either California or Syracuse.

Purdue (last NCAA: 2009) The Boilermakers bring back nearly everyone from last season's team, which fell to UConn in the West regional semifinals. Thanks to the graduation of Nemanja Calasan, Matt Painter has only two returning post players. However, they're two good ones. Robbie Hummel (12.5 ppg, 7 rpg) should be fully recovered from a stress fracture in his back that cost him five games last season. Meanwhile, 6-10 junior JaJuan Johnson (13.4 ppg, 5.6 rpg) is one of the most electrifying players in the country. They'll be backed up by a crop of freshmen, led by 6-10 Croatian C Sandi Marcius. Purdue's backcourt remains intact. Chris Kramer will provide the defense, E'Twaun Moore the scoring--and some assists (13.8 ppg, 3.0 apg), while Lewis Jackson (5.9 ppg, 3.3 apg) will run the show. The Boilermakers' commitment to defense, led by Kramer, Johnson, and Jackson, is a major reason why they will seriously threaten to make the short trip to Indy this season. If they avoid the health issues of last season, they should get a seed that will help their path.

Michigan State (last NCAA: 2009) While the Boilermakers will attempt to do what the Spartans did last year, make a short trip in state to play in the season's final weekend, don't discount MSU, a team that has plenty of history of its own in Indianapolis. Tom Izzo has a team that may be able repeat Sparty's 2000 triumph. Kalin Lucas, the Big Ten Player of the Year is back at the point. Raymar Morgan is back in the frontcourt. But the biggest questions are how well the Spartan frontcourt plays without Goran Suton and who replaces Travis Walton's defensive prowess in the backcourt. Junior Tom Herzog and incoming freshmen Derrick Nix and Garrick Sherman will be given every chance to fill Suton's shoes. Meanwhile, Lucas will have to play more of a defensive role this season than in the past, to make up for Walton's absence. While Lucas is the unquestioned star of the team, he'll need lots of support from players like guards Chris Allen (8.4 ppg) and Durrell Summers (8.6 ppg), and F Delvon Roe (5.6 ppg, 5.2 rpg) to make a second straight Final Four run.

So, the Spartans will hold the Big Ten's auto bid in my 2009-10 Final Preseason Bracket, which I will release on November 9. Check in then to see what other teams from the conference I've penciled in at the start of the season. To wrap up this preview, here is my preseason All-Big Ten team, featuring the best returning players from last season.

Preseason All-Big Ten Team

Player of the Year: Evan Turner, 6-7 G/F, Jr. (Ohio State)

Remainder of the Team
Talor Battle, 5-11 G, Jr. (Penn State)
Manny Harris, 6-5 G, Jr. (Michigan)
JaJuan Johnson, 6-10 F, Jr. (Purdue)
Kalin Lucas, 6-0 G, Jr. (Michigan State)

Poll

Who is your pick to win the Big Ten this season?

Illinois

72 votes

Indiana

4 votes

Iowa

5 votes

Michigan

12 votes

Michigan State

106 votes

Minnesota

9 votes

Northwestern

5 votes

Ohio State

14 votes

Penn State

20 votes

Purdue

49 votes

Wisconsin

4 votes

300 votes | Poll has closed

Penn State Wins the NIT Championship

BSD — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 01:45:53 -0000

More photos » by Frank Franklin II - AP

8 months ago: Baylor's Curtis Jerrells (0) drives past Penn State's Stanley Pringle (11) during the first half of the NIT championship college basketball game Thursday, April 2, 2009, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

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I never thought I would see the day when Penn State would ever win any kind of championship in men's basketball. I still can't believe it.

All of the hardships. The losses. The injuries. The transfers. They are all part of the past now. Penn State basketball has officially turned the corner, and we are blowing down the back stretch. I'm not foolish enough to say Penn State is a national powerhouse, but today they took a huge step in standing up in front of the nation and putting everyone on notice that the days of Penn State basketball as a national punchline are over.

Thank you to Jamelle Cornley, Stanley Pringle, and Danny Morrissey, three seniors that will always be remembered for their contributions during this great season and their overall careers. Morrissey deserves special recognition as his Penn State career came to a premature end late in the second half when he suffered a mouth injury while diving to prevent the ball from going out of bounds. His final play symbolized the very effort he gave throughout his entire career. While his play was often the scorn of Penn State fans, his heart and hustle could never be denied, and the Penn State family owes him a tremendous thank you. And maybe some new front teeth.

How wonderful is it to see Jamelle Cornley walk off a winner in Madison Square Garden. He injured his shoulder just moments after Morrissey's injury. But in typical Cornley fashion, he played through it. What a warrior. After the game he embraced Battle and the cameras caught him saying something to the effect of "This is your team now. It's your job to keep this going."

And as Penn State fans, it's our job to keep this going as well. Over the past several years I've heard a lot of people say they'll become Penn State basketball fans when the team starts winning. Well, the team just won. They did their part. Now it's time for us to do ours. Penn State fans filled 36 busses to drive six hours to support their team on a work/school night. There is no reason why the Jordan Center can't be sold out for every home game next year. None. Do your jobs.

Congrats to Ed and team. The 2009 NIT Champions. WE ARE!!!

Penn State Advances to NIT Third Round

BSD — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 14:00:26 -0000

Final - 3.19.2009	1	2	Total
Rhode Island Rams	29	43	72
Penn St. Nittany Lions	42	41	83

Complete Coverage >

On a night when Penn State was playing without their gutsy senior forward Jamelle Cornley, the Nittany Lions rallied with a total team effort to avenge the earlier season loss to the Rhode Island Rams. I didn't get to see the game, so all observations are just coming from the boxscore and game reviews I've read.

The Good

Andrew Jones stepped up big time with a double-double scoring 14 points and 10 rebounds. I've noticed the trend all season long that when he gets the ball in the post good things tend to happen. He's developed a nice baby hook shot and he's good at kicking the ball out when a shooter pops open. I'm particularly encouraged by the ten rebounds. He's bulked up nicely the past two seasons and if he can learn to throw that weight around he can do some serious damage for us next year. But he has to learn to pick his spots better. Last night he fouled out of the game.

Stanley Pringle had the hot hand scoring 19 points in the game.

Chris Babb has really come on in the past month. Last night he scored 13 points in 20 minutes. I've really been impressed with his tenacity on defense all season long and last night he had another steal. He's going to be a nice compliment to Talor Battle next season.

The Jackson/Brooks platoon netted 13 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals. That is just awesome production from these two guys.

As a team the Nittany Lions shot 87.1% from the free throw line hitting 27-of-31 shots. Where was that all season? The precision shooting was what won the game as Penn State didn't score a field goal in the final 8:53.

Penn State out rebounded Rhode Island 37-26.

The Bad

Talor Battle sat out the final three minutes after reaggravating a hip pointer that has been bothering him all season. Ed seems to think he'll be good to go by Wednesday, but he's not going to practice between now and then.

Though the production from the younger players is encouraging, Penn State still needed 19 points from Stanley Pringle to win the game. That's production they won't have next year. But I'm feeling much better about this with Babb coming on late in the season.

The Ugly

Penn State failed to score a field goal after Stanley Pringle hit a jumper with 8:53 left in the game. Fortunately they got it done from the free throw line scoring their final 17 points from the charity stripe.

Final Thoughts

It's amazing to see this team really can score when they get away from the suffocating defenses and possession offenses of the Big Ten. The contributions of the younger players were particularly encouraging in this game. A few months ago I was really sweating over how we were going to survive next year without Cornley and Pringle. But now I feel Battle, Jackson, Jones, Brooks, and Babb in the starting lineup along with Woodyard, Frazier, Marshall, Ott, Oliver, and Borovnjak coming off the bench will give us a nice nucleus to be competitive.

Penn State will have to await tonight's game against Florida and Miami to determine their next opponent. If Florida wins, the Nittany Lions will travel to Gainesville next Wednesday. If Miami wins, they will host the Hurricanes in the Jordan Center.

Nittany Lions Left in the Cold

BSD — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 02:37:49 -0000

Pretty much sums it up

Twenty-two wins. A 10-8 record in the conference with the second highest RPI. Road wins over Michigan State and Illinois. Home wins over Illinois, Purdue, Michigan, and Minnesota. The blood, the sweat, the tears from decades of despair. It wasn't enough.

Though most of us saw this coming, it's still a bitter pill to swallow. Selection Sunday came and went, and Penn State finds itelf sitting out in the cold once again. You would think we would be used to this by now, but we've never been shut out like this before.

We could sit here and point fingers all night. Maybe if we had beaten Iowa at the end of the season. Maybe if we had beaten Temple or Rhode Island. Maybe if we had played better against Purdue. Maybe things would be different right now. But the simple fact is there's two people to blame for this. Ed DeChellis and Tim Curley are to blame for putting together our sorry out of conference schedule that didn't even give these terrific kids a chance to compete. New Jersey Institute of Technology is a joke, and right now nobody is laughing.

Let this be a valuable lesson to Curley and DeChellis. The NCAA selection committee will punish you for trying to get an easy ten wins out of your conference. Just playing in the Big Ten isn't good enough. Just participating in the Big Ten-ACC Challenge isn't good enough. You need to schedule decent competition in the regular season if you want to play the best in the post season. There's no excuse for a Big Ten team to play anyone with an RPI over 200. None. My God, we weren't even good enough to get a #1 seed in the NIT for goodness sakes.

It's going to mean giving up two or three home games. Deal with it. I still maintain it's better to pack the Jordan Center with 13,000 fans for one game against Pitt or Syracsue than to draw 4,000 in two home games against St. Francis and Bucknell. Trust me when I say the fans will come out to see their Nittany Lions play good competition.

Mostly, I feel bad for Jamelle Cornley and Stanley Pringle. This was the last chance those guys had to play in the NCAA tournament. They did their part and busted their butts and won a bunch of games leaving it all out on the court every single time. But the people in charge of making sure they have a competitive schedule capable of earning an NCAA tournament bid let them down. Sadly, next year we will certainly take a step backward as a program with Cornley and Pringle leaving. The Big Ten will be even stronger next year than it was this season. It may be 2011 until we get another shot at the tournament again. Hopefully DeChellis and Curley will have things figured out by then.

Now bring on the Patriots.

Threadageddon Second Half Forecast: Mostly Gloating

Run Up The Score — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 21:56:23 -0000

The Lions lead Indiana at half, 38-25. Jamelle Cornley and Stanley Pringle combined for 29 of Penn State's first half points.

The threadiness continues...now.

Big Ten Tournament Preview: Day 1

BoilerTMill — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 16:40:43 -0000

As many of you know, I am a basketball freak. If it wasn't for work tomorrow and the fact I need to take what I can get at this point my butt would be a few blocks from my apartment at Conseco Fieldhouse. Since tickets for Friday's Purdue game are ungodly expensive I was hoping to take advantage of some really cheap tickets for Thursday's contests. I will have to work instead, which is bad because this could be the best opening day ever in the history of the Big Ten Tournament.

What if God built a basketball arena, then put absolute morons in charge of running it...

Last year was just the opposite. There were almost no storylines on day one as Minnesota, Illinois, Northwestern, Iowa, Michigan, and Penn State had little to no chance of getting an at large bid. Minnesota was probably the closest, but they came up short against Illinois in an unexpected semifinal. The Illini nearly ran the table and stole the automatic bid as a 10 seed, but didn't even have enough of a profile for the NIT. Of the six day 1 teams last year only Minnesota played in the NIT. The difference between the good and the bad in the conference last year was just that pronounced.

This year it is different. Penn State, Minnesota, and Michigan desperately need wins to help secure at large berths. Northwestern could make a deep tournament run to get right back into the picture. Iowa can play spoiler, and with 2 wins would claw their way into the NIT or CIB. Indiana is a wild card that can play only to piss on everyone else's parade. They won't go anywhere without four wins in four days, but they can sure hurt some other teams along the way.

#8 Minnesota (21-9) vs. #9 Northwestern (17-12) Noon - As far as competitiveness goes, this may be the closest game of the day. Minnesota has the conference's best out of conference win with a victory over Big East champ Louisville. I think the Gophers are in, but losing to Northwestern won't be a great way to finish the season. That would mean a loss to the Wildcats in 2 of 3 games. Minnesota won convincingly in Minneapolis.

I wouldn't give up on Northwestern's hopes just yet. They have proven they can beat anybody in this conference and they already have wins over the first two teams they would face in Indy. I think getting to the semifinals would possibly put them into the tournament for the first time ever, so they still have a lot to play for. Even one win would give them the most victories over top 50 opponents of anyone in the league. Depending on what happens elsewhere around the country they would at least be in the discussion.

The key to this game will be defense and tempo. If Northwestern can control the pace and force turnovers they will be right there. They have to prevent Al Nolen from running the Gopher offense and distributing the ball. When teams do that the Gophers grind to a halt and cannot get their size involved. Northwestern has to shoot better as well. They shot just 30% in a 72-45 loss in Minneapolis three weeks ago. Northwestern won three straight after that and has held each opponent since to less than 61 points. Minnesota has exactly been lighting the scoreboard up recently either.

If Northwestern can stop Nolen from distributing and make sure that Lawrence Westbrook doesn't get hot they have an excellent chance of moving on. They played determined basketball against Ohio State Sunday but just couldn't get the one break they needed in the final minutes. They still have a ton to play for and I think they will get this game. Northwestern 61, Minnesota 58

#7 Michigan (19-12) vs. #10 Iowa (15-16) 2:30pm - This is the first of two very straightforward games for Big Ten bubble teams. If the Wolverines win they are likely into the tournament. A loss means they are NIT bound. They simply cannot afford a second loss to the Hawkeyes in 3 weeks.

When Iowa won in Iowa City on February 22^nd it was mostly because of a strange decision to bench Manny Harris in overtime. We never found out why, either. Michigan won the game in Ann Arbor by 15, but completely fell apart in overtime in Iowa City.

The biggest question heading into this game is how well the Hawkeyes will play away from home. In conference play they did very well at home, going 5-4. Three of the losses were by 3 points or less to Minnesota, Purdue, and Ohio State. On the road they were 0-9 and had the stigma of being the only team to lose to Indiana. Iowa currently has four players averaging in double figures while Michigan has only Manny Harris and DeShawn Sims.

It is no secret as to why the Wolverines are so up and down. Their fortunes absolutely hinge on the play of Harris and Sims. When those two are on they can play with anyone. If they are off Michigan looks real ugly. They have needed overtime to beat Indiana and Savannah State this season. Laval Lucas-Perry is a wild card too. He had 19 in the huge win at Minnesota last weekend. That was a season high, topping the 18 he had at Indiana, but it was only the second time in 16 games that he has been in double figures.

I just don't think Iowa has it in them to get a win away from Iowa City just yet. This is a rematch of last year's 8/9 game. I have some friends that are Iowa fans that worked with me at the NCAA. They took the day off to watch this game last year and the 55-47 result in favor of Michigan almost made their eyes bleed. If Harris and Sims are on this day I think Michigan wins in a walk. If they are off Iowa can absolutely pull the upset and move on. Michigan 65, Iowa 55

#6 Penn State (21-10) vs. #11 Indiana (6-24) - Penn State has Iowa to thank for playing on Thursday. On paper it looks like they get a free win, but in reality they could have used the bye much more. Had the Nittany Lions not blown their chance in Iowa City they would be sitting as the #2 seed right now and they would feel a lot better about their NCAA chances. Instead, they are the #6 and if Indiana pulls the upset it may knock them out of the tournament.

Indiana is certainly playing better than many people have expected. For a team that has lost 21 of 22 I am sure Penn State isn't treating them like their record reflects. Part of that reason is because the Nittany Lions barely escaped with a home win over the Hoosiers a few weeks ago. This is also a virtual home game for Indiana, and the Hoosiers were much better at home. They play hard and absolutely have a chance in this one.

Indiana was able to stay close to Penn State a few weeks ago because Devan Dumes was shooting well and they limited their turnovers. Indiana essentially played with a six man rotation in that game and may have just run out of gas at the end. They actually led for a good portion of the game but couldn't close the deal.

Honestly, Penn State needs to let their big three of Cornley, Battle, and Pringle dominate. That is one of the best trios in the league. When the Nittany Lions won in Bloomington they combined for 48 of 65 points. As long as those numbers are similar we can expect to see Penn State facing us Friday night. Penn state 70, Indiana 61

Big Ten Hoops Day 5k

I am still looking for people who are interested in joining me for Sunday's Big Ten Hoops Day 5k. The weather on Sunday is supposed to be 54 degrees and rainy, but I am still planning on running if anyone is interested. Afterwards I wouldn't mind scalping some tickets to go see Purdue play in the championship. The run starts at 11am on Sunday morning.

Baseball update:

The baseball team plays its first game in the state of Indiana this season when it plays Butler in Indianapolis this afternoon. The Bulldogs are 1-8 on the year with their only win coming at Marian College in the season opener. I'm sure that cross-town rivalry is heated, but Bulldogs have been awful since. They dropped a game to Taylor University on March 3^rd and got swept in four games at UNLV last weekend by a combined score of 66-19. If Purdue can't win this game it has no business going to the NCAA Tournament or even entering Big Ten play really.

Purdue is currently 2-7 after getting swept at Texas State and will play in the Dunn Hospitality Diamond Classic in Evansville this weekend against Mississippi Valley State (5-5), Evansville (3-8), and IPFW (2-6). It is clear that now is the time that Purdue needs to win some games against opponents it should beat and start building for the conference season. The home opener is March 24^th against IPFW.

Saturday Distraction:

Onward, Kokomo. Beat the Giants (and yes, the guy in the middle is our head coach and not a player since 1996) - Courtesy of my friends at the Kokomo Tribune

Should Purdue win Friday night against either Penn State or Indiana I will be slightly distracted for our Saturday quarterfinal. It is regional Saturday here in Indiana, making it the only real day of the year that it feels like we still have a good high school basketball tournament. My beloved Kokomo Wildkats (15-7) are taking on the evil Marion Giants in the Marion Regional, so I'll have a chance to see some solid talent among all four teams involved. Marion (20-3) and Ft. Wayne Snider (22-1) are solid teams while Anderson (20-4) could surprise. I saw the Kokomo-Anderson game earlier this year and Troy Taylor (a potential Ohio State recruit) dropped 30 in an overtime win for the Indians.

I'll be paying attention to what D.J. Byrd (North Montgomery vs. New Palestine at Shelbyville), Jeff Robinson (Lawrence North vs. Hamilton Southeastern at Hinkle), and Patrick Bade (Franklin Central vs. Pike also at Hinkle) do. Should Kokomo lose and Bade takes on Robinson in the championship at Hinkle that night I may drop in on that game. I don't want to be there though. 11 years ago Marion beat us to end my senior year on our floor in the regional 71-67 in overtime. I have waited since then to return the favor on their floor. This is a bitter rivalry that I know I am not rational about, but I don't care. I'd rather watch Indiana beat us a hundred times than watch the Giants succeed at anything basketball-related.

If Kokomo does win I will likely take the laptop with me and try to do a liveblog of our semifinal at Buffalo Wild Wings.

Shiny Little Trophies For Everyone

Run Up The Score — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 13:02:15 -0000

The awards are rolling in for the Penn State men's basketball team:

Talor Battle - First team all-conference (coaches and media)

Jamelle Cornley - Second team by media, third team by coaches

Stanley Pringle - Honorable mention

Ed DeChellis - Coach of the year (media, Tim Izzo received the coaches' award)

Battle became just the fifth Nittany Lion to earn first-team All-Big Ten honors and the first since Joe Crispin in 2001. He joins Jarrett Stephens (2000) as just the second Lion to earn the honor from both the media and coaches. John Amaechi (1995) and Matt Gaudio (1996) have also earned first-team honors from Penn State.

Sadly, Andrew Ott will just have to wait until next year. Congratulations to everyone on a great season. Please don't blow it by being timid against Indiana.

Penn State Falls in Iowa

BSD — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 14:16:25 -0000

Final - 3.7.2009	1	2	OT	2OT	Total
Penn St. Nittany Lions	24	32	8	3	67
Iowa Hawkeyes	24	32	8	11	75

Complete Coverage >

It was a valiant effort by our cardiac kids. They trailed by nine points with 2:23 to go in regulation. I was just about to turn it off but decided not to. I'm a masochist who believes you have to suffer through the bad games if you want to truly enjoy the good ones. I started getting that tingly feeling inside when Talor Battle rattled off 11 straight points. Then David Jackson poked a ball loose and Stanley Pringle raced the length of the court for a layup and drew a foul. And before we knew it we were back in the game and going to overtime.

But ultimately a double overtime game after an emotional game less than two days earlier was too much, and Penn State just ran out of gas. Much like this recap.

The Good

I'm so impressed with the way this team closes out their games. How many times have they overcome deficits late in the game to pull out a win? When they get inside of five minutes they make every possession count and do what they need to do to get back in the game and win. If they could just play with that level of focus and intensity for 40 minutes they would be unstoppable.

Penn State shot 10-of-12 from the free throw line. Most of that was Talor Battle who shot 9-of-11.

The Bad

In a game that went into two overtimes, the bench only played a combined 62 minutes. By comparison, the starters played a total of 198 minutes. Is anyone surprised we ran out of gas at the end? All they could do is pass it around and throw up desperation threes.

Speaking of which, Talor Battle has seriously lost his outside touch. He only made one of eight attempts, and some of those attempts made you scratch your head. It's almost like he was getting so tired he didn't want to exert the effort to drive to the net or even run the offense.

Jake Kelly killed us. The guy was running a 102 fever and lit us up for 22 points. We couldn't stop him. Of course he was also extremely lucky banking in two three pointers. When crap like that is going down on the road it's always an uphill battle.

The Ugly

The Iowa fans crying and bellyaching after every little whistle that didn't go their way. There was a string where Penn State was getting a lot of calls, but they were good calls. Shut up.

What was with Ed not calling a timeout with ten seconds to go in regulation? Instead the let Battle take the inbound pass and dribble up the court where he threw up an uneccessary three point shot from way too deep. Why didn't he drive the lane like he did against Illinois on Thursday night? Maybe he was too tired to finish, but he could have drawn the defense and probably found Jones wide open underneath or something.

Ed did the same thing last week. I'm not talking about the drive where Battle made the game winning shot. I'm talking about the possession before that. Down by one inside of 30 seconds Ed opted to run the offense instead of using his timeout. The result was a careless turnover by Battle that nearly cost us the game. Use your damn timeouts and draw up a play, Ed. You don't get to carry them over to the next game.

On to the Big Ten Tournament

So we went into Saturday with a chance for a #2 seed in the conference tournament. Instead we end up with the #6 seed and a dreaded rematch with Indiana. Yay tie breaker rules! Here's a game where we have nothing to gain. Just playing the Hoosiers is going to drag down our RPI. Lose and we are probably looking at the NIT. Beating them will do nothing except drain our weary legs so we're nice and soft for Purdue in the next round. We may up playing both Indiana teams in Indianapolis. Talk about a lousy draw.

But I don't feel good about playing Indiana. Beating the same team three times in one season is difficult. Last year we choked against an inferior Illinois team we beat twice in the regular season. And the Hoosiers are showing signs of putting things together. They played us tough in the Jordan Center last week and they gave Michigan State a run for their money after that. Right now our team just seems completely beaten down and running on empty. Indiana has nothing to play for so they'll be loose and aggressive. I don't have a good feeling about this game at all.

Penn State Defeats Illinois - Moves One Step Closer to the NCAA Tournament

BSD — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 15:51:55 -0000

Final - 3.5.2009	1	2	Total
Illinois Fighting Illini	34	29	63
Penn St. Nittany Lions	32	32	64

Complete Coverage >

When they were down by ten points midway through the second half it looked like Illinois was going to run away with it. But Penn State hung in there.

When Illinois was awarded a basket after the shot clock expired to take a ten point lead with five minutes to go, and Jamelle Cornley was rolling around on the baseline with a separated shoulder, it looked like the game was over and Penn State was destined for the NIT. But they didn't give up. In the huddle during the timeout Talor Battle told his team, "We're not losing."

When down by one with ten seconds to go, Talor Battle tried to split two defenders to drive to the basket, but he turned the ball over. It seemed like all was lost at that point. Timeout was called, and in the huddle Battle told his teammates, "I'm going to make it up to you. I promise."

After the timeout, Mike Davis missed the front end of the 1-and-1. Cornley used his one good arm to pull down the rebound. He tossed the outlet to Battle who raced up the left sideline. He went around a defender. He cut to the middle to avoid a charge. He tossed up a prayer that kissed off the glass, bounced off the front of the rim, tapped the glass again, and fell softly into the net. And then...

Pandemonium

The Good

Though Talor Battle is getting all the praise for his last second heroics, Stanley Pringle was the MVP of the game. Every time it looked like Illinois was about to put the Nitts away, Pringle stepped up with a key bucket or a three pointer. He finished the game with 20 points on 8-of-11 shooting and a perfect 4-for-4 from the arc. He also finished with five rebounds, two steals, a block and an assist. Then he felt hungry and walked up to the concourse to get a hot dog. Hey, they were only a buck!

The free throw shooting was good all night, but it was superb down the stretch. Inside the last five minutes Penn State went a perfect 7-for-7 from the stripe. Danny Morrissey was particularly clutch hitting all three attempts when he was fouled on a three point shot. That cut the ten point lead down to seven and really sparked the frantic late run.

Jamelle Cornley was a warrior. He only scored seven points and seven rebounds, but he had to leave the game with five minutes to go due to a separated shoulder. He came back in after Andrew Jones fouled out and pulled down two crucial rebounds and played some monster defense against Tisdale in the final minutes even though you could tell he had no use of his left arm. There was no way he was going to watch the end of that game, his last game on his home court, from the bench.

The Bad

The last minute heroics shine up the turd that was another lackluster game from Battle. He shot a horrible 1-for-8 from the arc, and there were several instances when he drove the lane and should have kicked it out to an open man instead of throwing up a desperation shot.

Andrew Jones fouled out with about four minutes to go in the game. I think three of his fouls were bumping fouls out away from the basket. It was a huge event because it forced Cornley to come back in the game. There was no way David Jackson or Jeff Brooks were going to stop Mike Tisdale down low.

The referees weren't giving Penn State much to work with in the second half. On one set of possessions, Ott appeared on replay to grab a rebound and dunk it home, but the refs ruled he grabbed the ball while it was on the rim and waved off the basket. Then on the ensuing Illinois possession Tisdale threw up a desperation baseline shot at the buzzer. It completely missed the rim, but Calvin Brock caught the airball and put it back up for a basket. Replay clearly showed the shot clock had expired while the ball was still in Brocks hands. This was a four point turn of events against Penn State.

The Ugly

My God the announcers were annoying. We were constantly reminded about how bad the first game between these two teams sucked. After each basket they had to express shock that these two teams are actually capable of scoring. And we were constantly reminded about Penn State's poor strength of schedule, and I can recall only once or twice where anyone with the WWL mentioned we have road wins at Michigan State and Illinois with a home win over Purdue.

What does it all mean?

Obviously this was a huge boost for Penn State's tournament chances. The general consensus among the talking heads is that if the season ended right now we're in. Joe Lunardi has us in as a #12 seed in the Midwest right now.

Obviously a lot can happen between now and Selection Sunday. First and foremost we have to keep winning, and that starts with Iowa at 2 PM this Saturday. Then we get the conference tournament next week. If we beat Iowa, and Michigan State beats Purdue, Penn State will unbelievably be the #2 seed in the conference tournament by virtue of the fact that we swept Illinois and have a win over Michigan State. In fact, let's just take a moment and enjoy this right here.

Big Ten Conference Standings

(updated 3.6.2009 at 4:55 AM EST)

	Conf		Overall
	W	L	W	L
Michigan St. Spartans	14	3	24	5
Purdue Boilermakers	11	6	22	8
Illinois Fighting Illini	11	7	23	8
Penn St. Nittany Lions	10	7	21	9
Minnesota Golden Gophers	9	8	21	8
Ohio St. Buckeyes	9	8	19	9
Wisconsin Badgers	9	8	18	11
Michigan Wolverines	8	9	18	12
Northwestern Wildcats	8	9	17	11
Iowa Hawkeyes	4	13	14	16
Indiana Hoosiers	1	16	6	23

With ten wins, Penn State has clinched their first ever winning conference record in Big Ten play. For the first time in eight years, Penn State basketball is relevant in March. We're actually being discussed on ESPN, and it's not in reference to another horrid season.

This is the best Penn State basketball team EVER since we joined the Big Ten. Whether we make the tournament or not, this has been a special season for Penn State basketball.