Penn St vs Temple: Survive & Advance, or Go Home

So after a roller coaster season with a buzzer beater against Mt. St. Mary's, a loss to Maine, two big wins over Wisconsin, and two tough losses to Michigan, Battle and the Lions are a #10 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Now the 1st round test comes against old foe Temple. But this time, rather than the usual 200-mile trip to one arena or the other, it's a 2500-mile ride to Tuscon. Well Ed DeChellis have his team ready to go? Let's take a look.

For those who know nothing about Temple:

LIVE BLOG: 2011 Big Ten Men's Hoops Final - Penn State vs Ohio State

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Talor Battle Reaches Historic 2,000, PSU Rolls Wildcats

Talor Battle (photo: PennLive.com)

Talor Battle made history being the second Penn State player to reach 2,000 points. Besides Battles landmark, the first half was some of the best defense Penn State has played all season. In the last 10 minutes of the first half, Northwestern only scored 2 points. Penn State's offense scored an average 26 points, but that was enough for an 11 point lead over the weak Wildcats.

The Lions went off in the 2nd half scoring 41 points, which equaled the Northwestern's total for the game. Penn State was too much for Northwestern. Battle led the squad with 19 points and was followed by Brooks, Frazier, and Jackson breaking double digits. Combine one of PSU's best scoring games with Northwestern having one of their worst games shooting (34%/ only 9% beyond the arc), this must win was an easy win for the Nittany Lions.

With still the looks of the mediocracy in the Big Ten this year, Penn State does have a chance to make some noise. Illinois, Michigan State, Minnesota, and Michigan all have 6 wins in the Big Ten with Penn State. One more win over Northwestern and a few upsets could give Battle and the Lions a decent seed for the Big Ten Tournament. If Penn State can get a decent seed, avoid the Buckeyes and the other big boys, maybe a run in the tournament will help PSU's resume.

Penn State plays Minnesota at home this Thursday. Another win in front of the home crowd could be just what this team needs to heat up for a final run this season.

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Penn State Suffers Third Straight Loss, Deja Vu of Last Year

Talor Battle had what felt like the weakest 19-point game
of his career. (Photo: GoPSUsports.com/AP)

Even though Penn State defeated the Spartans earlier this season but Coach Tom Izzo was not going to lose another to the Lions. The Lions had a terrible start, losing 21-6, and never recovered from the deficit.

Penn State only turned the ball over 6 times, but fouls sent the Spartans to the charity stripe 35 times which is 35 too many in Big Ten play.
Besides the fouls, Penn State looked much like the Nittany Lions of last year. Battle led with 19 points but he shot terribly from the field, 7-20, 3-11 from the arc.

A Must Win: Penn State vs Michigan State

Ed DeChellis (right) needs a little magic from Talor Battle (left)
to save the head coach's job. (Photo: PennLive.com)

One road win in seven tries. You think this is a tournament team? Not with that type of stat on the resume.

This is a game Penn State basketball has to have. No excuses. With or without Jeff Brooks, the Nittany Lions must walk into East Lansing and walk out of it with another victory under their belt.

Sure at first glance, it would seem a tall order for the Fightin’ DeChellises to beat Sparty on the road. But this isn't the same Tom Izzo team we've come to know and despise.

Penn State Hosts Wisconsin: Will The Futility Streak Finally Die?

Penn State's futility streak against Wisconsin can be
perfectly summed up in this photo.

So, the Fighting DeChellises were able to weather the storm and avoid a resume-destroying loss against Iowa, bumping their conference record back up to .500 (4-4), and starting up a plethora of message board topics regarding just how many Big Ten wins PSU needs to go dancing in March. In other words: People are suddenly starting to pay attention and become cautiously opitmistic again.

That's why it happens to be such perfect timing that Penn State is hosting a critical home game this Saturday against Wisconsin (4 PM ET, Big Ten Network)...the same Wisconsin team that Ed DeChellis has yet to snag a victory from. That's right boys and girls, Jerry Dunn was in the process of tanking the program into oblivion the last time PSU defeated the Badgers in 2003. Ed appeared to have finally ended the futility streak last year in Madison with his team holding a lead as high as 16 points in the second half. Alas, in true PSU fashion, they choked it away before eventually losing in overtime.

Penn State Upsets Yet Another Top 25 Opponent: The Goo Punch Is Still Flowing

What's this? A second straight win over a ranked team? If you can't remember the last time this happened then it's probably a good thing because only older gentlemen who were alive and cognizant enough in 1954 would have the capability of recalling such a feat. I went against my better judgment and decided to venture over to a nearby sports bar and watch the final 10 minutes of this contest. Boy, am I glad I did. I'm glad that Andrew Jones, a guy who I've criticized harshly at times on this blog, stepped up and slammed home Talor Battle's attempt to re-create "the shot" to win the game. I'm glad that Eric over at Raise The Curtains didn't even come close to killing Talor this time in the post-game student stampede at mid-court.

Most importantly, I'm glad that I don't have to write another scathing post about Ed DeChellis: Even though I still firmly believe he is not the long-term answer to PSU basketball success, Ed deserves praise tonight as well. In fact, I think it's safe to re-instate the "Fighting DeChellises" nickname that I revoked after that putrid loss to Maine last month since, you know, they actually are putting up fights again (let alone, actually winning these fights).

Bill will provide a full-fledged recap of the mass hysteria for you all tomorrow. In the meantime, drink up! Be merry! The Goo Punch is still flowing.

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Penn State Looks to Go 2-0 in the Big Ten Against Michigan

Andrew Jones grabs a rebound against Indiana.
(Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

Opportunities today for PSU Big Men

Penn State basketball broke a two game losing as they took down Indiana but now the Nittany Lions are staying on the road and heading to Ann Arbor. It is hard to stay positive when talking about Penn State basketball but let's be optimistic.

A win against the Hoosiers is never a win to put on one team's resume but more importantly was that the Lions shot 53% against Indiana. Even in Penn State's non-conference wins, players were taking plenty of ill-advised shots ut let's see if Battle and the rest of the gang can continue playing smart basketball throughout the Big Ten schedule.

Because Penn State hoops is 3-0

Talor Battle
(Photo: GoPSUsports.com)

Well, if you count the glorified high school game (exhibition) against ESU as a real game, then Penn State men's basketball is 3-0. But without the expo game, the Nittany Lions are still 2-0 right now.

It wouldn't surprise anyone if Penn State lost one of its next two--lightweights Fairfield and CCSU. But they probably won't lose those games, and reach 4-0 before heading down to Oxford, Miss. for a game with Ole Miss. Now, they're not exactly Duke, but the Rebels are 2-0 so far, and play in the decent SEC.

Here's a quick wrap from the first two wins.