By: David Andrews

Last year, Penn State basketball finished with a 3-15 record in conference play and dead last in the Big Ten. They lost to every ranked team they played, and even dropped games to lesser-known programs, such as North Carolina-Wilmington, Tulane and Temple.

It looked like the power outage carried over into this season, losing out of conference matchups to Ole Miss, Maryland, Virginia Tech and Maine. In what was called the biggest non-conference match up in Penn State’s Bryce Jordan Center history against the Terps, the Lions failed to score 40 points.

Since their poor showing against Maryland, the Lions have posted an overall record of 12-8 and find themselves 7th in the Big Ten with a conference record of 5-4 and only one game back from Minnesota, Illinois and Michigan State. That might not look like a lot, but considering that six of the seven teams ahead of them are ranked in the nation’s top 25, one might look at Penn State’s season differently.

After losing to tenth-ranked Purdue, the Lions shocked Tom Izzo’s #19 Michigan State 66-62. It might not have seemed like a big upset to anyone from the outside looking in, but for Penn State fans who watched their Lions go 3-15 in the Big Ten last year, they understood the significance this win over “Sparty” had. Being that four of the five Penn State starters are seniors, the student section wondered when they would see their team beat a ranked team at home again. So, they rushed the court.

Penn State hosted #16 Illinois three days later, and Lions fans were even more surprised to see Talor Battle and Andrew Jones play with, and lead the Illini the majority of the game. Penn State held Illinois to only 19 of the 46 shots taken, even though Penn State made only 18 of 52 shots taken. Their defense stepped up when they had to and the Illini were at a loss for answers.

Battle dropped 26 points, and Andrew Jones posted 19, including Talor Battle’s rebound that he slammed down to take the lead with just over a second left. Nittany Nation once again went berserk, and once again, students stormed the court. ESPN criticized Penn State for storming the court after beating a 16th ranked team, but most fans weren’t alive in 1954, the last time Penn State beat ranked opponents in back-to-back meetings.

The Lions looked ahead to see two daunting road opponents up next in Ohio State and Purdue. Days before the Ohio State match up, Duke had fallen to Florida State and out of the top spot in the nation, making Ohio State a sure top seed if they beat Penn State. Still, the Lions liked their chances. Penn State was down by as many as 10, but clawed back to stay with the Buckeyes. With a minute to play, it was knotted up at 66. The Lions fouled freshman sensation Jarred Sullinger on two ‘and-one’ shots, creating a whole to climb out of once again. Battle was forced again to take the game winning shot, but was heavily guarded and Battle’s heave fell just short: just as the Lions did of beating the new number one team in the nation. The Lions didn’t win, but they held Ohio State, who has averaged 79.3 points in 21 games, to 69. Furthermore, they only lost by three—on a last second buzzer beater that would have sent it into overtime as time expired.

Against Purdue, Penn State once again found themselves down by double digits early, but roared right back into the second half to exchange leads with the #13 team in the country. Penn State made too many mental errors, such as not getting enough rebounds and turning the ball over because of shot clock violations, but they continued to fight like a team that wants to prove the world they can play with, and beat the top ranked teams in the nation after years of ultimate futility.

Penn State’s David Jackson sank a three-pointer with 21 seconds left to take the lead 62-61. With about five seconds left, Penn State got a defensive rebound at the baseline that would have sealed the deal if it had been controlled. Replays clearly show that Purdue players knocked the ball from Jackson’s hands and out of bounds amidst the scuffle for the ball. Many can argue that that egregious call cost the game. Technically, it did because Penn State would have let the clock down for five seconds and secure the win. Instead, Purdue got the ball into the hands of JaJuan Johnson who laid in the game winning basket. In reality, had Penn State made a few less mental errors, they wouldn’t have had to blame it on a missed call. A last second in-bounds cross-court heave was in order, only to be intercepted upon entry into play. Once again, Penn State played with a ranked team from their conference and only fell a few seconds and one point short, 63-62.

Penn State hosted 15th ranked Wisconsin on Saturday afternoon in State College. Despite falling behind 22-9 early, Talor Battle only scoring two first half points and not being able to make a shot for minutes, Penn State played like a completely different team in the second half. They played superb defense, holding Badger’s sharpshooter Jordan Talor to sixteen points before he fouled out in the second half. Penn State trailed for the first 36 minutes and 8 seconds of the game, but the last 4:52 was all they needed to lock up the win. It wasn’t pretty, and it was far from perfect, but much like their season, it was just enough to get the job done. It is the first time in Penn State’s 156-year history that they have beaten three ranked opponents at home in the same season.

The Nittany Lions were about five collective points away from being ranked, that is, if they had made a last second three-pointer against number one Ohio State and a layup against #13 Purdue. Now, they can only hope that the tournament committee notices these small margined, last second losses to two ranked teams on the road as well as three straight wins at home against ranked teams. They have certainly proven that they can beat the best teams, and play with the ones they don’t beat, to a tee until the final buzzer sounds.