Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/775386
SEASONS CHANGE After a thrilling fall in Happy Valley, it's time to shift focus to hoops he football games are over, the final rankings are in and the awards have been bestowed. Winning 11 games and losing only three, Penn State put to- gether one of the more remarkable sea- sons in college football this year. And although it ended with a stunning 52-49 loss to Southern California in the Rose Bowl, the Nittany Lions' Big Ten champi- onship and No. 7 ranking in the final As- sociated Press poll were markers of just how far the program progressed from its 2-2 start. But the season is over, and the biggest event of the off-season – signing day – is still about a week away. So… how to pass the time? The DVR may provide some re- lief from the winter doldrums. From Grant Haley's decisive scoop-and-score vs. Ohio State to Saquon Barkley's overtime touchdown vs. Minnesota to the second-half offensive outburst that decided the Big Ten Champi- onship Game, it's all there, waiting to be re-experienced. Or, you could check out the Penn State men's basketball team. With its back-to-back victories over Michigan State and Minnesota, the Nit- tany Lions were 11-7 overall and 3-2 in the Big Ten and were ready to make some noise in conference play. Now seems like an opportune time to bring the merely curious up to speed on the Nittany Lions. THE NONCONFERENCE SLATE Penn State has welcomed three true freshmen, a redshirt freshman and a transfer to the fold this season, and their acclimation process has really been the story of the season so far. After dropping their opener to visiting Albany, 87-81, the Nittany Lions re- sponded with respectable wins against Duquesne and Grand Canyon before back-to-back losses to Duke and Cincinnati at Mohegan Sun in Un- casville, Conn. Both the Blue Devils (No. 7) and Bearcats (No. 22) were ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 as of mid- January. Sophomore wing Josh Reaves missed the team's first five games with an un- specified injury to his lower left leg. He returned in late November, and even though he was less than 100 percent, his presence boosted the Lions, helping them reel off wins against Colgate, George Washington, Georgia Tech and Wright State. Coach Patrick Chambers had been de- termined to put together a nonconference slate that would seriously challenge his talented but inexperienced team, and Colgate stands as the one clunker as the RPI starts to shape up. Beyond the obvi- ous challenges of a Duke or Cincinnati, though, the scheduling strategy also led to a surprise blowout home loss to George T | M E N ' S B A S K E T B A L L HISTORIC SETTING Chambers leaves the floor after Penn State's victory over Michigan State at the Palestra in Philadelphia. Photo by Nate Bauer