What a week it was for the Penn State men’s basketball team.
With their season hanging in the balance, the Nittany Lions pulled off a come-from-behind 64-63 victory over Illinois on Thursday night. It was one of the biggest wins in the history of the Bryce Jordan Center. However, while fans were still celebrating that win, the Lions went out and lost at Iowa City.
In today’s edition of Morelli OnLion, we’ll take a look back at the Nittany Lions’ regular season, look ahead to the Big Ten Tournament, put the wraps on the Lady Lions’ season and have our first look at Penn State football’s Class of 2009.
The crowd stormed the court at the BJC following PSU’s big win over Illinois.
(Photo courtesy of Blue White Illustrated).
On the Bubble
After the thrilling win over Illinois on Thursday night, the Nittany Lions lost at Iowa on Saturday afternoon. It was a game, quite simply, that the Lions could not afford to lose.
But first, some random thoughts on the Nittany Lions:
* I attended the Illinois game as a fan. It was the second time this season that I got to go as a fan. My 11-year-old son played at halftime of the game in a contest between two elementary school teams. Most of the fans watched the game, so it was a thrill for these children to be playing in front of 13,000-plus. And I have to tip my cap to the PSU students. The last time I saw two elementary school teams play, the behavior from the students was boorish, to say the least. Not so this time around.
* Penn State quarterback Daryll Clark made a stirring pre-game speech, urging the fans to be as loud as they could be. Clark canceled a scheduled appearance at a Big 33 event to be at the game. His speech really got the crowd — especially the students — fired up. I can only imagine what it’s like in the huddle with this guy. Class act, all the way.
* The way the game began, it certainly didn’t look like Penn State’s night. But the Nittany Lions weathered the storm and hung around all night long. Illinois had plenty of chances to put the Lions away, but didn’t.
* Talor Battle struggled all night long, but got it done when it mattered most. He was just 1-of-8 from beyond the arc and 5-of-17 from the floor, but his coast-to-coast layup with less than a second left certainly made those in the stands forget his rough night. It was a Penn State basketball moment to remember, and there aren’t many of those.
* Battle’s layup was the No. 2 Play of the Day on SportsCenter and the Nittany Lions were the lead story that night. When was the last time that happened?
* Jamelle Cornley is a true warrior. After sustaining a shoulder injury during the game, he played in pain and showed his team the meaning of heart.
* I had no problem with the students storming the court, especially when you consider how Penn State won the game. Just don’t do it after every win against a ranked team. Act like you’ve been there before!
* For as good as the Illinois win was, the double overtime loss at Iowa on Saturday hurt. No, it probably isn’t fair that the Big Ten made Penn State play a 9 p.m. game on Thursday and then hop on a plane Friday morning, but you play the hand you are dealt. The bottom line is that Penn State didn’t look prepared for an Iowa team that was fired up for its Senior Day.
* Penn State again showed its mettle with a fierce comeback in the final minutes to force overtime. It just couldn’t finish the job.
* The Iowa loss puts the Lions directly on the NCAA bubble. They are now 21-10 overall, 10-8 in the Big Ten. As the No. 6 seed in the Big Ten Tournament, they will face No. 11 Indiana on Thursday. They’ve defeated the Hoosiers twice this season, and we like the Lions to make it three-for-three on Thursday. A win in that game puts the Lions into the quarterfinals against Purdue at 9 p.m. Friday. Even if PSU loses that contest, it would be 22-11 and it would be hard for the NCAA Tournament selection committee to keep the Nits out of the tourney.
Ugly Ending
The Penn State women’s basketball team saw its season come to an ugly end at the Big Ten Tournament in Indianapolis last week, as they lost to Illinois, 58-49, last Thursday.
The loss was disheartening for a couple of reasons. First of all, the Lady Lions had beaten Illinois not once, but twice this season. It was also the second time in two years that the Lady Lions were bounced in the first round of the tourney. Second-year coach Coquese Washington is now 0-2 in the tourney.
The bad news is that the Lady Lions did not improve in the past year. Even with Washington’s first recruiting class of Zhaque Gray, Renee Womack and Emily Phillips, they contributed little to the Lady Lions’ cause.
They say a head coach needs at least four years to get their own recruits in the door. Here’s hoping that Washington’s next two seasons are better than her first two.
Penn State finished the year at 11-18 overall, 6-12 in the Big Ten.
Mark Arcidiacono could be a good fit along the offensive line for the Lions.
(Photo courtesy of Blue White Illustrated).
Class of 2009: Mark Arcidiacono
The Nittany Lions are in need of offensive linemen, and it appears they got a pretty good one in St. Joseph’s Prep Mark Arcidiacono. He became the Nittany Lions’ third verbal commitment in the Class of 2009 when he committed to Penn State during a news conference at his school last April.
Arcidiacono earned his offer from Penn State while on campus for a practice in March, and returned to State College in April for the Blue-White Game. One month later, the 6-foot-5, 285-pound prospect picked the Nittany Lions over offers from Florida, Notre Dame, Rutgers and West Virginia.
Arcidiacono is widely regarded as one of the top offensive linemen in the Keystone State, as he earned first team all-state honors as a senior. He helped lead St. Joseph’s Prep to an 8-4 record and a berth in the Class AAAA Catholic League semifinals in 2008.
Following the season, Arcidiacono was also named first team all-city, all-Southeastern Pa. and all-league by the Philadelphia Daily News, and was also named first team all-league by the Catholic League coaches.
In addition, he was named to the Patriot-News Platinum 33 squad, which features the top 33 high school senior football players in the state, and was named to the Big 33 Pennsylvania squad in January.
Arcidiacono is the oldest of eight children, and is the cousin of Lady Lion basketball player Nicole Arcidiacono.
He took his official visit on the weekend of Jan. 23, and was recruited for the Nittany Lions by Ron Vanderlinden.
Chris Morelli is the award-winning editor of Blue White Illustrated, a weekly publication devoted to Penn State athletics. He is also a regular on “Sports Central,” which airs on ESPN Radio in Altoona and State College. E-mail him at morellionlion@gmail.com. This column does not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of BWI’s writers or publisher.
