SB Nation - Andrew Jones III

Penn State Basketball Preview - Part II

BSD — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 01:56:42 -0000

Earlier this week we talked about what Penn State has to replace this year. We'll get into the new faces Ed DeChellis will ask to fill those minutes. But first, let's talk about what Penn State has coming back this year.

22 - Andrew Jones III (6-10, 245)

			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 - Andrew Jones III	38	25.8	2.3	4.0	57.9	0.0	0.0	0.0	1.6	2.2	69.4	2.2	3.6	5.8	0.4	1.1	0.5	0.3	2.4	6.2

The evolution of Andrew Jones was a fun thing to watch last year. He started out with a rather insignificant stat line for a starter only managing five or six points and three or four rebounds per game. But by the time the NIT came around he was a dominating force on the hardwood. During the tournament he averaged 10 points and 8.2 rebounds per game. Here is what I had to say after the Indiana game.

Andrew Jones has become a really solid player. He had a couple of boneheaded turnovers, but for the most part when he gets the ball in the low post good things happen. He finished the night 4-for-4 from the field, and get this: over his last eight games Jones has shot 21-of-27 (77%) from the field. He has shown a nice mid-range jumper to go along with the baby hook he's developing. And when an outside shooter pops open he's good at getting them the ball. I'm starting to think he may turn into a significant scoring threat next season when he gets some of Cornley's touches.

Penn State will look to Jones and his 6'10" 245 lb frame to provide a big presence in the paint this year.

15 - David "D.J." Jackson (6-7, 210)

			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 - David Jackson	38	20.8	1.5	3.5	42.9	0.2	1.0	20.5	1.3	1.6	79.0	1.3	1.8	3.1	0.6	1.1	0.5	0.2	1.9	4.5

He was expected to be a major contributor last season, but David Jackson suffered through one of the most horrendous sophomore slumps this blogger has ever seen. Here is just one example of a review of one of his performances.

I hate to keep harping on the kid, but David Jackson is a complete liability. He only saw six minutes of play last night to close out the first half. He was completely ineffective against covering his man through the screen and Michigan State went on a 15-2 run during that stretch to close out the half. He had one scoring chance where he was standing all alone under the basket, and he traveled. Like I said, I really hate to talk down on college kids, but he shouldn't see the floor until garbage time for the rest of the season. And he better hit the gym and training table hard this summer. He looks scrawny against his competition and needs to put on 25 or 30 pounds.

That was after the Michigan game. I'm usually not one to rag on kids like that, but there was no other way to describe Jackson's performance. Every time he got the ball it ended in disaster. Passes were going right through his hands. He would get the ball all alone under the basket and travel. He looked completely lost on defense. He was nothing short of a liability to the team, and Ed eventually had no choice but to remove him from the starting lineup.

But, this story has a happy ending. Something clicked and Jackson managed to score in double figures in four of his last seven games of the season. I'm hoping he put on a few pounds in the weight room this summer and he can ride that momentum from the end of the season into this fall.

25 - Jeff Brooks (6-8, 200)

			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 - Jeff Brooks	37	16.2	1.3	3.6	36.6	0.3	1.1	25.6	0.4	0.8	50.0	1.1	2.0	3.1	0.8	0.8	0.3	0.3	1.6	3.3

Jeff Brooks has been an enigma his first two years at Penn State. He came from Kentucky full of athleticism and promise, but he has yet to live up to the hype. As a freshman he looked completely lost on the floor. As a sophomore, he didn't look lost, but he didn't play with confidence or control. He would often pull down an impressive rebound on the defensive end only to dribble down the court and bounce it off his foot out of bounds. If he can put it all together and average seven or eight points and six or seven rebounds it will be a tremendous improvement.

10 - Chris Babb (6-5, 215)

			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 - Chris Babb	32	10.1	0.9	2.6	33.7	0.7	2.0	34.9	0.4	0.7	61.9	0.4	0.7	1.1	0.5	0.5	0.3	0.1	0.3	2.8

Babb was one of two true freshmen to see the court in 2008-2009. He's a tenacious defender with a pretty jump shot. Ed played him sparingly in the early part of the season and it was readily apparent he was only a freshman. His minutes diminished significantly during the thick of the Big Ten season, but toward the end an ankle injury to Stanley Pringle and the fatigue of the Big Ten season wearing on Talor Battle forced Ed to put him on the court. By the end of the year he was providing solid minutes and scored double digits against George Mason and Rhode Island in the NIT. This year Babb will most likely be starting in the backcourt along with Talor Battle.

24 - Cammeron Woodyard (6-5, 210)

			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 - Cammeron Woodyard	24	6.7	0.8	1.7	43.9	0.5	1.1	44.4	0.2	0.3	66.7	0.2	0.7	0.9	0.3	0.4	0.2	0.0	0.3	2.2

One thing Cammeron Woodyard did not lack when he stepped foot on the floor as a true freshman was confidence. He proved early on he was not timid about putting up a shot from anywhere on the court. Unfortunately, this can often come across as being a player who "doesn't play in the system". As the season wore on, Woodyard's minutes dwindled and dwindled to the point he didn't even see the court during the NIT.

This year I think Ed will experiment with Woodyard by plugging his big body in the two, three, and maybe even the four position. The hope will be to create a mismatch somewhere with his size against smaller guards and swingmen. The hope will be for him to be a solid player off the bench averaging maybe eight minutes, four points, and two or three rebounds per game.

54 - Andrew Ott (6-10, 240)

			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 - Andrew Ott	25	7.0	0.5	1.0	48.0	0.0	0.1	0.0	0.4	0.9	50.0	0.6	1.0	1.6	0.1	0.4	0.2	0.4	1.0	1.4

When Ott joined the floor after sitting out the first month of the season due to transfer rules, the hope was that he could just provide five or ten solid minutes per night to give Andrew Jones a break in the middle. I don't think Ed really expected him to do a lot of scoring. If he could just play good defense and pull down some rebounds everyone would have been thrilled with that.

But Ott was somewhat of a disappointment. As expected, he wasn't really a scoring threat. But his defense wasn't much to speak of either. He was a big man who didn't pull down rebounds, and wasn't blocking many shots. And so his minutes dwindled as the season progressed.

This year Penn State will hope he has improved over the summer. Ott will be counted on to provide a solid five or ten minutes per game to give Andrew Jones and occasional rest.

#12 - Talor Battle (6-0, 170)

			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 - Talor Battle	38	37.4	5.2	13.0	40.2	2.4	7.1	33.9	3.9	5.5	70.0	0.9	4.4	5.3	5.0	2.4	1.2	0.1	2.1	16.7

You may remember Talor Battle from such movies as...

Talor Battle Scores the Game Winning Basket PSU Bests Illinois (via pickletoon)

I don't have to tell you how good Talor Battle is. You already know that. And you probably already know that he is the unquestioned leader of this team. He will be asked to mentor the younger players while running the offense to get the ball in the hands of guys that can score.

The question for Talor Battle will be how well he can hold up. Last year he started off on a tear and he peaked during the amazing upset of Michigan State in East Lansing when he scored 29 points. After that it was obvious the wear and tear of playing 40 minutes per game through the tough Big Ten schedule was starting to get to him. He lost some of his zip. The jump shots stopped falling, and he struggled to score. This year, Penn State will need some of the new faces to reduce his minutes. If Ed doesn't feel comfortable in any of his freshman guards by the time conference play starts, it's going to be a long season for Talor Battle.

Nitt Picks Vaguely Remembers Some Other Sport They Play On Campus In The Winter

BSD — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 15:18:13 -0000

More photos » by Ralph Wilson - AP

about 1 month ago: Tim Frazier looks to pass during practice at the Penn State preseason men's NCAA college basketball media day in State College, Pa. on Monday Oct. 19, 2009. (AP Photo/Ralph Wilson)

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Though we're in the thick of football season with big games against Michigan and Ohio State coming up, let's not forget about the other team that won our hearts last spring with an improbable run through the NIT tournament, the Nittany Lion men's basketball team. Yesterday was media day at the Bryce Jordan Center, so there is a lot to talk about the team today. Next week I plan on rolling out some preview posts of the team. It seems like a good time to do it since we're playing justNorthwestern. But for today here is a little basketball flavored Nitt Picks to get your mind thinking ahead.

The first thing you need to know is that thanks to the NIT run last spring, Ed DeChellis is rocking a three-year contract extension this fall. Cue the generic quote of endorsement from Athletic Department official.

"We are very excited about the significant progress our men's basketball program has made under Coach DeChellis and are thrilled that he will continue to lead the program into the future," athletic director Tim Curley said in a press release. "Ed and his staff have brought tremendous work ethic, passion and energy to the program and the Penn State basketball community."

There is no doubt that the excitement level for this team is higher than I have ever seen it in the preseason. Ticket sales are at an all-time high. But some people debate whether Ed earned this extension. Afterall, in six years he has yet to take a Penn State team to the NCAA tournament. On the other hand, anyone can see that progress has been made and winning the NIT is more than anyone could have dreamed just three or four years ago. But this much is known: In order for Ed to get another extension in 2012, he will have to take this team to the next level. Now that he won the NIT, just going to the NIT isn't going to cut it anymore.

But enough about nasty details of money and contracts. Let's talk about the team. Talor Battle will be the unquestioned leader of the team, and it's a role he is embracing.

Battle said being the leader is still a work in progress, and every day things get better for him as he adjusts. Aside from being a good communicator, the junior said keeping the energy high is something else he wants to do.

"All of the guys are looking up to me," Battle said. "So it's my job to try stay positive as much as I can even if my shot's not falling. That's been the toughest adjustment."

Battle played a lot of minutes last year, and now with Stanley Pringle gone one would think those minutes may go up. Which is why it's important true freshman Tim Frazier is (cue cheesy pun) ready for battle.

"Tim (Frazier) is exciting," Battle said Monday at the team’s media day. "Super-athletic and really quick. In some ways it’ll be similar to playing with Stan. He doesn’t shoot as well as Stanley right now but as far as getting out in transition and baskets and someone running with me, he’ll be right there."

The other big loss is Jamelle Cornley who served as the heart and soul of the team the past two years. Billy Oliver will hope to take over a lot of Mel's vacated minutes. Though he can't repace Cornley's heart, he might be able to replace some of his production.

The forgotten man in the Penn State lineup, redshirt freshman Billy Oliver, reported to the season's first practice Friday and showed coaches and teammates signs of the player he could be when healthy.

"He was tremendous," Penn State coach Ed DeChellis said. "He was very, very good."

Finally, last Saturday the team put on a fun exhibition that featured a three-point shooting and dunk contest.

Cammeron Woodyard defeated Edwards in the final round to win the 3-point shooting contest and Frazier narrowly edged Jones in the dunk contest. The 6-foot-1 freshman, who threw down a two-handed jam on a breakaway in the scrimmage, windmilled home a ball that he caught off the bounce to earn a score of 36 from the judges. The 6-foot-10 Jones drew points for dressing up as football coach Joe Paterno but his bland final-round dunk couldn’t score enough points to pass Frazier.

We'll leave it at that for now. Like I said, I plan to do a few more in depth posts next week so I'll save some for that. For now just click on the media day link in the opening paragraph. There's lots of good reading there.

Looking Ahead To 2009-2010

BSD — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 14:00:15 -0000

More photos » by Frank Franklin II - AP

Penn State will need Jeff Brooks to step up if they hope to continue their success. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

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It was mid-February when Penn State had dropped their third straight game with a 47-61 defeat against Purdue. Talor Battle was held scoreless for the third time in his career. Jamelle Cornley had 16 points, but nobody else stepped up. Through much of the season Penn State was depending on Stanley Pringle, Talor Battle, and Jamelle Cornley to do the bulk of the scoring. If one or two of those three guys failed to score in double digits, it pretty much meant Penn State lost. Even during the thrill of the hunt for the NCAA tournament, I couldn't help thinking next year would be a major drop off when Cornley and Pringle are gone. But as the season wore on, some of the role players began to come around. Late season injuries to Battle and Cornley forced many role players to step up their games, and by the time the NIT came to an end, Andrew Jones, David Jackson, Jeff Brooks, and Chris Babb were playing their best basketball of the season, giving us hope that maybe next year won't be so bad after all. Let's look at each member of the team returning next year. We'll discuss what they need to focus on during the summer and take an overall look at what the team will look like.

Talor Battle

The 2009-2010 Nittany Lions will undoubtedly be Talor Battle's team. Without the emotional Jamelle Cornley, the team will take their cues from the fiesty point guard.

It's hard to think of any way Battle could improve his game, but he's certainly not perfect. He was called on to share the load of carrying the team with Pringle and Cornley, but next year he's going to put even more weight on his shoulders. By the midway point in the season, he was visibly gassed and his scoring average dropped considerably. His jump shot also suffered as his legs went soft.

Summer Homework: Battle has to improve his strength and conditioning to better endure the rigors of the Big Ten season. He also needs to work on perfecting his jump shot and foul shooting.

David Jackson

After playing well in the first few games, Jackson went into a major sophomore slump. It got so bad that disaster struck nearly every time he touched the ball. He had simple passes go through his hands out of bounds. Or he would get the ball all alone under the basket and travel. At one point he scored only five points over a ten-game stretch, and against Ohio State he only logged three insignificant minutes of play. It was obvious he confidence was in complete shambles.

But once the Big Ten tournament started, Jackson became a new player. Showing improved confidence and aggressiveness, Jackson scored in double digits four times in seven games and became a lot more aggressive in his rebounding.

Summer Homework: Hit the gym and eat a lot of cheeseburgers. Jackson routinely gives up 30-40 lbs to the guys he's battling inside.

Jeff Brooks

There probably isn't a player on the team as physically gifted as Jeff Brooks, but in two seasons he hasn't been able to put it all together. He shows flashes here and there, but so far he hasn't been able to put two consistent games together back-to-back. At times, he has looked downright horrible in turning the ball over and playing out of control.

Most disheartening with Jeff is his obvious lack of confidence. He beats himself up after every little mistake. At one point in the season the camera zoomed in on his face as he was about to attempt a foul shot. He had a look on his face like a gambler who had lost everything he owned and was betting his last chip on one last desperation spin at the roulette wheel. He knew he was going to miss it, and he did.

Brooks scored his first double digit game against George Mason with 13 points in 29 minutes. After hitting a few shots you could tell his confidence was sky high and his play reflected it. Penn State will need him to be a factor next year.

Summer Homework: Work on the ball handling and cut down on the turnovers. And, I dunno, see a psychologist?

Andrew Jones III

No player showed more improvement this season than Andrew Jones. Something happened midway through the year where his confidence went up and he became a lot more aggressive. At the same time he began playing with control allowing him to stay on the court instead of sitting on the bench in foul trouble. By the time the NIT came around Jones was playing his best basketball of the season. In seven games he scored in double digits four times and registered two double-doubles.

Jones has shown to be deadly with his mid range jumper, and he has developed a nice baby hook shot from the low post. If he can develop a little drop step move or a turnaround fade away shot with his back to the basket...lookout.

Summer Homework: Keep hitting the gym and putting on the muscle. Try to develop a second post up move to compliment the baby hook. Also work on his defense, playing under control to avoid silly fouls and work on becoming a shot blocker.

Chris Babb

Babb played well for a kid in his true freshman year. He was obviously lost early in the year and didn't know what he was supposed to be doing on offense. But even then I could tell he was a good defender. He often got out of position as he adjusted to the speed of the game, but when he was asked to guard someone one-on-one, I liked his footwork and hands.

As the season wore on his play and numbers improved. He scored 11 points against George Mason and 13 points against Rhode Island in the NIT. With Stanley Pringle leaving, Babb will competing to be the guy starting with Battle in the backcourt.

Summer Homework: Babb already has a quick release and pretty jump shot. He has to work on his ball handling and defense if he hopes to claim Pringle's spot.

Cammeron Woodyard

Woodyard showed confidence and aggressiveness from the moment he stepped on the court. Maybe too much so, as he often launched some ill-advised shots. Evidently, Ed became tired of his inability to play within the system, because his minutes diminished as the season wore on, and he didn't log a single minute during the NIT.

Summer Homework: Learn the system, and learn to play within that system. Maybe slim down a bit to pick up some quickness.

Andrew Ott

Ott had one good game where he scored eight points against Michigan. Other than that he was a disappointment. But Penn State didn't really need Ott to be a scorer. They just needed a big body that could pull down rebounds and provide a big defensive presence in the middle. At times he would show flashes with a key block ro rebound, but then he would give it back by losing his man or giving up position for an easy basket.

Summer Homework: Show up in Lewis Preston's office every day with a roll of tape. Then go out and battle Andrew Jones one-on-one for two hours. Bulk up, play some tough defense, and rebound.

The Other Guys

So let's look at what the team is losing this year. We lose a good inside presence in Cornley. We lose a terrific guard in Pringle who can play defense, shoot the long ball, and drive the hoop and finish. And we lose Morrissey, a non-athletic three-point shooter with poor ball handling skills.

What are we picking up? Tim Frazier supposedly possesses tremendous ball handling skills, so maybe he can replace Pringle's driving ability while Babb replaces his three-point shooting.

By all accounts, Sasa Borovanjak is an excellent low post scorer, so maybe he can eventually replace Cornley in that area. If he can rebound, that would be great.

Billy Oliver is somewhat of a mystery to me. From what I've read and heard about his high school career he likes to work the perimeter on offense which is not ideal in my mind for a guy who is 6'8" tall. But then he also blocked 144 shots his junior year, so maybe he can provide another interior defensive presence.

Jermaine Marshall, I know nothing about. Maybe he's good, or maybe he's not. But I expect he's at least as good as Danny Morrissey.

So overall we lose three bodies, but we pick up four. Sasa and Marshall may redshirt, but I would expect Frazier to play right away. Oliver will take off his redshirt. Babb and Woodyard should be better. Jones has been steadily improving. Jackson seems to be out of his slump. So we lose a lot, but it's not like the crappy years where we're holding tryouts for a walk-on to start at shooting guard in September. There will undoubtedly be a drop-off. You don't replace guys like Pringle and Cornley with freshmen without some decline, but I don't think we'll see a slip back into the basement of the conference.

Penn State Downs Notre Dame - Advances to NIT Finals

BSD — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 12:05:07 -0000

More photos » by Frank Franklin II - AP

Andrew Jones is on the verge of beast status. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

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Penn State dominated most of the game last night leading by double digits most of the way. Notre Dame made a late rally on the shoulders of All American Luke Harangody pulling to within four points, but Penn State pushed back the rally and soldiered on to a comfortable 67-59 win.

Andrew Jones continued his strong play scoring his third career double-double with 16 points and 15 rebounds. I keep saying good things happen when he gets the ball, and last night he shot 5-of-6 from the field. Most impressively, he was tasked with containing Harangody and he did so quite well holding him scoreless through much of the first half. He grabbed five more rebounds than Harangody and did so with only two personal fouls. I definitely noticed his control when he was beat for position on a few shots. The old Andrew Jones would have jumped over the back and got a silly foul. This one layed off and got back on defense. He's learning to play with control, and now he is approaching beast status.

How can anyone not feel good for Jamelle Cornley right now? For all of the disappointing losses, the injuries, the pain, the rehab, to see him go out and end his Penn State career in Madison Square Garden in the NIT final in front of thousands adoring fans dressed in white. I can think of a few better things, like playing for the NCAA Championship, but this is just something special kind of like throwing our own private party for him.

Also, do you think Lewis Preston is smiling this morning? Penn State has beaten two of his former teams in the last two games. I suspected he was a great hire when it was announced after last season, and I'm still convinced of that. His specialty is developing post players, and the progress made by Andrew Jones this season cannot be denied. I give a ton of that credit to Preston.

So now we'll face Baylor in the NIT Final on Thursday. With Michigan State in the NCAA Final Four, how great would it be for the Big Ten to claim both National Tournament Championships? But win or lose, this has been an awesome season as we've all come to love these kids and cheer for this team. I'm convinced under the leadership of Ed DeChellis this Penn State program is destined to go on to do greater things, but this team will always be special to me.

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.

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.

Penn State Defeats Indiana...Barely

BSD — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 19:28:39 -0000

Final - 2.28.2009	1	2	Total
Indiana Hoosiers	28	30	58
Penn St. Nittany Lions	29	32	61

Complete Coverage >

This one had trap game written all over it. Penn State was coming off a brutal February schedule. After this game they get Illinois later in the week. It would have been easy to look past the 6-21 Hoosiers and think this was an easy win. But Penn State isn't yet at the point where they can win by just showing up. And the Hoosiers gave them everything they could handle.

The Good

The 15,000 in attendance at the Bryce Jordan Center was the biggest crowd in eight years. But they were pretty quiet the whole game until the final minutes.

Andrew Jones has become a really solid player. He had a couple of boneheaded turnovers, but for the most part when he gets the ball in the low post good things happen. He finished the night 4-for-4 from the field, and get this: over his last eight games Jones has shot 21-of-27 (77%) from the field. He has shown a nice mid-range jumper to go along with the baby hook he's developing. And when an outside shooter pops open he's good at getting them the ball. I'm starting to think he may turn into a significant scoring threat next season when he gets some of Cornley's touches.

It was great to see Will Leiner get the start on senior day and play well. He played seven minutes and pulled down a rebound, dished two assists, and had a nice cut to the lane with a pretty up and under finish.

Chris Babb is coming along nicely in his development. He's looking very confident out there. He got a few open looks, but only one of his four attempts went in. I'm particularly impressed with his defense. He's really good at deflecting passes and poking the ball away if his man leaves it out there.

I'm really impressed with how this team has learned to close out games. They were trailing by four points with 5:26 to go in the game. in years past we would have panicked and thrown up some bad shots or turned the ball over. But this team closed out on an 8-1 run scoring on each of their final five possessions. They also got two steals without turning the ball over themselves. It's play like this that has allowed them to get away with their horrible free throw shooting all season.

It was nice to see a game where the officials were not the big story. For the most part I thought they called a really good game keeping things clean while also just letting them play.

The Bad

It's never a good feeling when you let a poor team hang around when you should have run them out of your own building. Indiana is not a good team, and I would have preferred to make a statement by beating them badly. But they say there is no such thing as a bad win. I'll chalk this up to being emotionally drained from running the February gauntlet and make a little looking ahead to Illinois.

Jeff Brooks only played eight minutes. His lone basket came on an offensive rebound tip in. The ball was bouncing around a lot and I think he got three of his four rebounds just on that play. I hope this kid can put all that athletic talent together some day.

Andrew Ott was a complete non-factor. He played just three minutes. He pulled down a rebound and turned the ball over and then he went back to the bench. Next week he'll probably come out and get eight rebounds and ten points. I can't figure him out and I don't think Ed can either.

The Ugly

After a string of a few pretty good games, free throw shooting rears its ugly head again. The Lions shot an atrocious 7-of-17 (41%) from the stripe. Talor Battle is back to fading away from the shot. He hit just 2-of-6 attempts. Danny Morrissey is just consistently crappy at the line. Last night he shot 2-for-5. For the season he is now 13-for-23 (56.5%). Only Cornley (51.8%) and Ott (52.9%) are shooting worse.

Wisconsin Wins Most Boring Game Ever

BSD — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 23:28:49 -0000

Final - 2.8.2009	1	2	Total
Wisconsin Badgers	28	26	54
Penn St. Nittany Lions	21	23	44

Complete Coverage >

If I were one of the 14,686 fans in attendence at the Bryce Jordan Center, I would ask for my money back. In fact, I'm thinking about calling my satelite television provider and demanding a discount on my monthly bill. The biggest travesty of this game is that none of us will get that two hours of our lives back. This rivals the infamous 6-4 football game against Iowa as the worst sporting event ever.

You have to suck pretty bad to hold your opponent to just 54 points and still feel like you lost in a blowout. But that's exactly what Penn State did. They started off well working out to a 20-16 lead midway through the first half. But then Wisconsin went on a 12-1 run to take a seven point lead into the break. In the second half Penn State would pull within four or six points, but Wisconsin would answer and keep the Nittany Lions at arms length.

The Good

Not much. Andrew Jones chipped in with nine points and D.J. Jackson added six. Jeff Brooks even contributed four points. Usually when we get contributions from these guys you can count on Penn State winning pretty comfortably. Hopefully they can keep contributing like this down the road.

Overall Penn State played a pretty smart game only turning the ball over seven times. Too bad Wisconsin only turned the ball over six times.

Penn State was respectable from the free throw line hitting 10-of-14 shots. Talor Battle seems to have fixed his free throw motion. I noticed he used his legs and didn't fade away on his two attempts. And he made them both.

The Bad

There were entirely too many defensive lapses in the half court. Marcus Landry and Jon Leuer had several wide open layups under the rim. And too many guys were getting wide open cuts through the lane for easy points.

Jamell Cornley only had four points on seven shots in 39 minutes. At one point he looked like he injured his hand. He was also wearing a protective sleeve on one leg. On Thursday night they said he partially dislocated his left shoulder.

Talor Battle was getting destroyed every time he drove to the net and went down hard. (And yet he only got two free throw attempts!) One time he layed on the court for an extended period of time and got up holding his lower back. Another time he had to come out of the game and get his right arm looked at. At first I thought they were looking at his shoulder. But then the trainers were asking him to flex his fingers which makes me think it's a hand or wrist problem. The toll of the Big Ten season is really taking its toll on Battle and Cornley. Ed is starting to pay the price for playing these guys 38 minutes every night.

The Ugly

Penn State went 0-for-14 from three point range. Wow. You're not going to win any games like that.

Add that to the fact that Penn State didn't pull down an offensive rebound until midway through the second half and you have a recipe for disaster.

This entire game was ugly. It was slow, methodical, and just unbearable to watch. It's pretty sad when our football team scored more points against Wisconsin than our basketball team did.

Next Up

This was a game we needed to win. Wisconsin is a team that has been struggling, and if you want to be a tournament team you have to win these games at home. A week ago we were riding sky high thinking we could beat anyone in the nation. Right now I don't think there is another team in the Big Ten other than Indiana playing as poorly as we are.

We let two winnable games get away from us. Now we play three ranked teams in the next three games with Purdue, Minnesota, and Illinois. Two of those games are on the road, and then we travel to Ohio State after that. So at this point I have to say our tournament chances are not looking good unless we get things turned around quick.

Lions Upset Spartans on the Road

BSD — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 15:28:19 -0000

Final - 2.1.2009	1	2	Total
Penn St. Nittany Lions	38	34	72
Michigan St. Spartans	37	31	68

Complete Coverage >

It looked like Penn State was destined for another embarassing 37 point loss in the Breslin center like last year. After jumping out to a 9-2 lead in the early minutes the shooters went cold and Michigan State went on a run. Late in the first half the Spartans led 29-16 by rebounding, forcing turnovers, and hitting their shots. Penn State was on the ropes, and then Talor Battle went off.

He quickly drained two three pointers to cut the lead to seven. Then a three and a dunk by Cornley cut the lead to six. A layup by Andrew Jones accompanied with a free throw to complete a three point play cut it to five. Then Battle banked home a ridiculous three point shot at the top of the key from about six feet behind the line. He hit Cameroon Woodyard for an open three and then hit another three himself and to the shock of the nearly 15,000 Spartan fans in attendance Penn State held a one point lead at the half.

The second half started out rolling just like the first half did. Penn State hit their first nine field goals of the half while Michigan State couldn't find the gas pedal on the struggle bus. And with under seven minutes to go Penn State led by 12 points seemingly having their first ever win at Michigan State in hand.

But then it was Penn State's turn to ride the struggle bus. With four minutes to go Izzo instructed his team to foul Penn State on every possession and put them on the free throw line. The strategy almost worked to perfection. Danny Morrissey missed the front end of a one-and-one. Then Andrew Jones missed his front end chance. Then Jamelle Cornley missed one, but he got his own rebound and was instantly fouled again. This time he made the first shot and missed the second. Battle then had two shots on the line and missed them both. Meanwhile the lead shrank until with just 0:12 to go Penn State's lead was only one point.

Then it was Andrew Jones' turn to be the hero. With a chance to tie it on the line, Kalin Lucas missed the free throw. Jones pulled down the rebound and was fouled. He made one shot to extend the lead to two points. On the other end Lucas missed a jumper, and once again Jones got the rebound and was fouled. This time he made both free throws to give Penn State a four point lead with under two seconds to go and Penn State escaped the Breslin Center with a crucial win.

The Good

Talor Battle doesn't belong mixed in with the good. I should have another category called "The Great". When the team was down in the first half he showed why many consider him to be the MVP of the Big Ten this year. He got the hot hand and started taking some ridiculous three point shots. It quieted down the MSU crowd and let Penn State settle down after the flurry Michigan State had thrown at them to take a 13 point lead.

Andrew Jones was the unsung hero of the game scoring 12 points and pulling down 9 rebounds hitting all four of his field goal attempts. And none of them were more critical than the two rebounds and three points in the final seconds with the game on the line. Penn State desperately needed someone to stop the bleeding and Jones was the guy.

Jamelle Cornley was his usual solid self scoring 16 points to go with 4 rebounds.

The Bad

Stanley Pringle fouled out due to some really ticky tack fouls. It really effected what Ed wanted to do with substitutions and forced us to sit one of our top scorers for ten minutes of the game.

Talor Battle looked really gassed at the end of the game. He played all 40 minutes and scored the last of his 29 points with 13 minutes to go. It was obvious to me his legs were gone and he had nothing left. He showed really poor technique in the late free throws by locking his knees and fading away from the shot. Ed has to find a way to get him some rest. Admittedly it was difficult yesterday with Pringle in foul trouble the entire game and eventually fouling out.

Ideally, Ed should have pulled him with seven minutes to go and a 12 point lead. Rest him up for a couple minutes and let him recharge for those final four or five minutes. Pringle only had three fouls at that point and could have played the point with Morrissey at the two guard.

The Ugly

Foul shots. Every game Penn State chokes at the free throw line when the game is on the line. For some guys it's horrendous technique (Cornley and Jones). For some guys maybe it's just that they're coming off the bench cold (Morrissey and Jackson). Some guys are just gassed at the end of the game. (Battle and maybe Cornley). For whatever reason, we keep saying it's going to cost them some day. And somehow, they keep winning.

Official Ed Hightower was a disgrace. Early in the game he called a technical foul on Jamelle Cornley after he made a layup. The replay appeared that Cornley just made the basket and turned to head back up the court without saying a word. He must have glared at Hightower or something as if to say he should have called a foul. It was a petty technical foul and obviously a carryover from the technical foul Hightower called on Cornley back in the Iowa game a week ago. Then a few minutes later he called a bogus lane violation on Cornley allowing MSU a chance to retake a missed foul shot. I suspect Hightower's actions were a little retaliation for public statements Cornley made after the Iowa game.

"I think that it was a mistake on my behalf," Cornley smirked after the game. "I didn't say anything derogatory. I thought it should have went the other way and (official Ed) Hightower said, 'Just watch it.'

"I said, Yes sir, I'm going to make sure that I continue to do my job and you do yours...

Officials don't like being shown up, and it will usually get you a technical foul in the game. But good officials put it behind them when the game is over, and the next game is a new game. Hightower let his emotions from the Iowa game carry over into this game, and for that the Big Ten should seriously consider some kind of reprimand.

On Cornley's part he has to watch himself from here out in any game being officiated by Hightower. This guy obviously has a point to prove and he's not going to take any more crap off of Cornley. This could be huge for a guy like Jamelle that can be a very emotional player when he has to control those emotions.

Nitt Picks Throws a Lot At You

BSD — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 15:20:54 -0000

After a dominating win over a Michigan team that is struggling of late despite wins over Duke and UCLA earlier in the season, many people are starting to talk about Penn State's chances of making the NCAA tournament. Some guy from the Bleacher Report likes our chances.

While there is certainly a long way to go, I have to say I like their chances. At the beginning of the season, I think everyone involved with the PSU program would take their results up to this point in a heartbeat.

While yes, I'm pleased with the 15-5 record at this point, I'm not convinced our chances are yet "good." The much more knowledgeable Penn State basketball blog, Crispin and Cream, isn't shopping for dresses yet either.

Frankly, I don’t know too much about this PSU team yet. I know we have 2 first team all-conference candidates, but as far as team success? I know we can’t shoot foul shots. I know PSU barely beat a 9-9 Georgia Tech team on the road by 2 (they’re now 0-5 in the ACC). I know PSU beat a UM team that has looked a lot more like the team that barely beat Savannah State than the team that beat UCLA and Duke. I know PSU barely beat a Purdue squad who not only was struggling at the time, but was also without their two best players. Like David Jones says, sometimes the game outcomes result from when you played and not who you played.

Saturday we play Iowa which is a huge game for us. So you can imagine I was happy to see an article headline that read Iowa's Tate Likely Out Against Penn State. It's always nice to know your opponent is short handed when you play them. But then I read the article and saw this part.

David Palmer has stepped up in Tate's absence. The reserve forward is averaging 20 points and 7.5 since being inserted into starting lineup two games ago.

Ugh. That's better than the 7.3 points and 6.4 rebounds Cyrus Tate was doing. So maybe we're not so much catching a break here.

But one thing I've noticed as the season has progressed is the Andrews, Jones and Ott, have been getting steadily better in each game. Maybe assistant coach Lewis Preston is starting to have an impact.

Preston, who played at Virginia Military Institute in the early 1990s and still holds the Keydets’ career blocked shots record (202), has brought a physical and hands-on approach to his sessions with Penn State’s big men.

“It’s been fun,” said Jones, a 6-foot-9, 245-pound redshirt sophomore from Philadelphia. “He’s been working with me on a multitude of things — rebounding position, posting up, post moves, always trying to have my hands ready for passes or rebounds.”

Catching Battle’s no-look passes and staying out of foul trouble remain adventures for Jones, but his high-energy presence at both ends of the floor is beginning to yield results.

Through 20 games, he needs just seven rebounds to reach his 31-game total of last season (116). He leads the team and is third in the Big Ten with 44 offensive rebounds (eighth in offensive boards per game) and is 13th in the Big Ten in overall rebounding.

The play of Jones and Ott to counter the guard attack of Battle and Pringle are going to be huge down the stretch of this season.

Are You Kidding Me?

I saw this quote in an article about Purdue and it made me chuckle.

"We know we have to go inside early," Jackson said. "If we let the crowd get into it, it would be a battle just like it was at Northwestern and Penn State."

If you recall, classes were out of session and there was a terrible ice storm the night Purdue visited the Jordan Center. I guess those 500 senior citizens in attendance were pretty rowdy.

Let's Talk Some Football

It was really odd how silent Maurice Evans was all through the process of making the decision to enter the NFL draft. The supposed deadline passed last week and there was still confusion about his decision. This week the Sentinel caught up with him and helped shed some light on his thought process. In it he specifically discusses the marijuana incident.

Evans said that if he receives an invite to the NFL Combine in Indianapolis this spring he will attend and knows he must be honest with those who will interview him at the combine about his off-field situation.

“If I’m not invited it’s not a big deal. We still have pro day at Penn State (March 18). It gives me more time to improve, get bigger and faster. It would be a plus to get accepted to the combine,” Evans said.

“There was no sour relationship between me and coach Paterno. I was never mad at him for the decision he made. The decision for me leaving early was just something I was comfortable with. Like I said before I think I’m ready to compete.”

Derrick Williams seems to be putting things together after a shaky start to practice at the Senior Bowl. I love this quote.

"I'm driven by greatness."

That pretty much sums up his career at Penn State. I don't think I ever witnessed a player give more effort and devote every minute of every day to being great as much as Derrick Williams did. I hope he does well in the NFL.

In Scores of Other Games

Tomahawk Nation shares some interesting rumors about Bobby Bowden's tenuous situation at Florida State...Dr. Saturday plots a google map of the Rivals Top 100 for this year which kind of ties into our discussion on star rankings...Several Penn State football players are training for the NFL draft locally...Members of the football team will be at the basketball game Saturday to sign autographs...The Lady Lions came back from 17 points down to beat Wisconsin in overtime...And Penn State won the Lambert Meadowlands Trophy which used to be a big deal. It's the 27th time Penn State has been crowned Beast of the East. If we were Pitt this would be worthy of hanging a banner in the stadium.