March Madness is upon us.
The college basketball season heats up this week as the Big Ten Women’s Tournament begins. Next week, the men take center stage in the conference. In today’s edition of Morelli OnLion, we’ll take a look at tourney chances for the men’s and women’s basketball squads. We’ll also have a nugget about ice hockey and feature another member of the Class of 2010.
Let’s start with hoops.
March Madness
The Penn State basketball teams will take part in the Big Ten Tournaments, which are being held at the Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The women are up first.
The Lady Lions will take on Minnesota in the first round the of the tournament. That game is slated for 2:30 p.m. Thursday. The Lady Lions (16-12, 8-10) will play a Golden Gopher (13-16, 6-12) team that it lost to twice during the regular season. Back on Dec. 6, the Lady Lions lost, 56-48. Then, on Feb. 11, the Lady Lions lost, 59-52.
Yeah, we know it’s tough to beat a team three times in the same season. The Lady Lions are the No. 6 seed, while the Golden Gophers are the No. 11 seed.
We’re here to tell you it doesn’t matter.
Although this season began with much promise, the Lady Lions have collapsed down the stretch under third-year Coquese Washington. Penn State lost its season finale at Indiana on Sunday, 77-68. Washington’s squad has now lost eight of nine and her third season bears a big resemblance to her first, when her team lost 12 consecutive games to close out her rookie season.
While Washington’s freshman class had some success this season, it’s clear that they have tired legs. Don’t expect much from them in Indianapolis. That means it will come down to Tyra Grant. Grant has been in and out of Washington’s doghouse this season and we’re not quite sure why. Grant is the heart and soul of this season’s squad. These Lady Lions will go as far as Grant will carry them. Unfortunately, we don’t see Penn State getting out of the first round at Conseco.
Gantdaily.com prediction: Minnesota 66, Penn State 56.
As for the men, well it is unclear as to who the Nittany Lions will be playing in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament when it begins next week, also at Conseco Fieldhouse.
Yes, the men have been playing better. A pair of wins over Northwestern (yawn) and a nice road win over Michigan have pushed the Nits to 11-17 overall and 3-13 in the Big Ten.
But make no mistake about it, this is not a very good basketball team. Is it possible the Nits could pull a win at the Big Ten Tournament? Sure. Is it likely? Not really. No matter who they match up against in Indy, we just cannot see the Nits pulling off a win on such a big stage.
Is this little surge at the end of the season a good thing? Well, that depends on your perspective. On Sunday’s postgame show, coach Ed DeChellis and a couple of players talked about making a run late in the year.
With games at Michigan State and home with Purdue looming, methinks the Nits come crashing back to earth this week.
Gantdaily.com predictions: Michigan State 74, Penn State 56. Purdue 69, Penn State 58.
It’s a Hockey Night in … Happy Valley?
I was up at the Penn State Ice Pavillion the other day watching the Icers practice. One thing kept going through my mind: Why doesn’t Penn State have a real ice rink and a Division I-A hockey program.
It amazes me that the folks in athletics will fund everything from fencing to indoor track and field to tennis, but not hockey. Many of the Big Ten schools have hockey, so why is it a club sport at Penn State?
The answer is likely money. When the Bryce Jordan Center was being built, there were plans to include an ice rink. However, it was cut from the budget at the last minute, forcing the Icers to remain, well, the Icers.
It’s unfortunate. With the popularity of hockey on the rise, we’re guessing that a real ice rink featuring a real Division I-A team would fill the stands.
Need proof? Take a look around the Big Ten. Ask fans in Minnesota if they enjoy having actual hockey. It would be a success in Happy Valley, without a doubt.
Class of 2010: Robert Bolden
One of the top priorities for the Nittany Lions was getting a couple of quality QBs in the Class of 2010. Robert Bolden is one of those QBs. On the highlight reel, Bolden is very impressive and can use his arm as well as his legs. He is truly a dual-threat QB.
During his senior season at St. Mary’s High School — not the one in Elk County — Bolden completed 72-of-152 passes for 1,013 yards and seven TDs. He was intercepted eight times. However, he took his squad all the way to the state title game. On the ground, Bolden carried the ball for 535 yards and nine TDs.
Despite the presence of sophomore Kevin Newsome, Bolden believes the can compete for the starting QB job in Happy Valley.
“It’s pretty much wide open,” Bolden said. “I’m going to come in and do what I need to do.”
On deck: Miles Dieffenbach.
Chris Morelli is an award-winning writer/editor who lives in Centre County and covers 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.