Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/115002
M EN���S B A S K ETB A LL IN RARE FORM to next season Nittany Lions hoping a long-awaited triumph serves as springboard | ollowing Penn State���s 84-78 upset of No. 4 Michigan on Feb. 27, fans flooded the Bryce Jordan Center hardwood to celebrate the program���s first victory against a top-four opponent since 2001. Or maybe they were celebrating something far more simple: the team���s first win of the calendar year. By defeating Michigan, the Nittany Lions broke a 14-game losing streak and ended a 61-day drought between wins. A lot of pent-up excitement boiled over as fans rushed in to congratulate the team. But as the celebration raged, sophomore guard D.J. Newbill hustled off the floor escorted by what appeared to be a bodyguard wearing a dark suit and tie. Instead of soaking up the fans��� love, he went looking for his close friend and teammate Tim Frazier. ���We were just excited about the win,��� Newbill said. ���All year, we believed that we could get it done. We just came up short a couple of times and we had to correct some mistakes. It was just a relief for all the hard work, all the film sessions, all the practices, all the shootarounds, all the times we���ve come in the gym by ourselves. It paid off.��� The moment was telling. Newbill, a Philadelphia native who sat out last season in accordance with NCAA transfer rules, was meant to team up with Frazier, a first-team AllBig Ten point guard coming off a breakout junior season, to create what head coach Patrick Chambers insisted would be one of the best backcourts in the country. Newbill more than held up his end of the bargain, averaging 15.9 points per game ��� fifth-best in the conference ��� while handling point guard duties for the Nittany Lions. Frazier, however, saw his season end in the team���s fourth game when he ruptured his Achilles tendon against Akron. F UPSET-MINDED Newbill (left) and Travis shined in the win over Michigan. Tim Owen But rather than disappearing from view while beginning his rehabilitation regimen, Frazier remained an integral part of the team. Following the win over the Wolverines, Newbill was quick to acknowledge the senior���s involvement. ���That���s our brother,��� he said. ���We understand how bad he wants to be out there with us. Even though he���s not playing, he���s still involved in everything we do. You see him over there, coaching from the sidelines. He was sweating just like Coach is sweating. We definitely want to go out there and play hard for him.��� Frazier has helped lead the Nittany Lions in the locker room this season, and he picked up partial coaching responsibilities, remaining heavily invested in the team���s successes and failures. He wanted a victory over Michigan as badly as his teammates who participated in the game, and when it