Lions finally get on track
by Nate Bauer
At long last, the Penn State men’s basketball team is having some fun.
Winners of three of their past four games, the Nittany Lions have rebounded from their 12-game losing streak to open the Big Ten conference slate, most recently topping Northwestern (18-11, 7-10 Big Ten) at the Bryce Jordan Center, 79-60.
With contributions across the board, the Lions put together their best and most complete effort of the season.
“It would have been nice to play this well all season, I can tell you that,” junior guard Talor Battle said. “But, it’s fun. That’s the one thing I can attest to for the last four games, we’ve really been having fun. Even the loss to Ohio State, we were right there.
“So I think right there, all the pressure is off and we’re just kind of playing basketball. Hopefully we can keep it rolling and when we hit the Big Ten Tournament, we can play well and you never know what could happen.”
With the win over the Wildcats, Penn State finally put an end to what had been one of the biggest issues with their losing streak. Namely, losing at home.
According to Penn State head coach Ed DeChellis, the themes that had been consistent throughout the season simply needed to be let go of.
“We looked at some numbers from road numbers to home numbers and they were drastically different. We had shot the ball better from the free throw line on the road. We outrebounded our opponents on the road and I talked to our kids Friday to talk about that and say, don’t worry about it,” DeChellis said. “Just go play. Don’t worry about making a mistake, don’t worry about not doing something, just do it hard. Go out there, let it go, let it rip, and have some fun.
“I thought we played a little looser. I think they really didn’t want to disappoint anybody playing at home. They just felt like, we’re at home, we should win, and they felt pressure. Instead, let’s just go play, let’s go have fun.”
Now, the Lions will see how far their progress can take them.
All season, opposing coaches have been talking about the Lions as a group of snake-bitten players.
The question is, will they be able to bite back down the stretch?
With games remaining against just No. 9-ranked Michigan State in East Lansing and No. 3-ranked Purdue at the Bryce Jordan Center to close the regular season before traveling to Indianapolis for the 2010 Big Ten men’s basketball tournament, DeChellis said he and his coaching staff are going to try to get the players to understand what they’re capable of.
“We’re going to emphasize that I think we can beat anybody. I think these kids can beat anybody,” DeChellis said. “They’ve just gotta continue to work and believe and trust each other.
“I think our kids have hung in there really nicely and hopefully they’re continuing to believe that we can beat anybody and get to that tournament and see what can happen.”
