Bleacher Report - State College

Talor Battle's 32 Points Help Penn State Win Big Ten/ACC Challenge Opener

Ben Jones — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 02:07:05 -0500

First off: Penn State’s 69-66 win makes them the first Big Ten team to win three straight games in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge, so congratulations to the squad for making a bit of history.

Let me just say that this is the first time I have taken a breath in about a half hour. If there is one thing Penn State basketball gives you, it’s a strong cardiac workout.

In fairness to the Lions, however, they played the best defense of the young season and started the second half with a 28-11 run, building an 11-point lead with seven minutes remaining.

The shooting was finally on the mark in comparison to the terrible showings on the road at the...Charleston Classic? I don't even remember; I’ve blocked that from my mind. Either way, it looks as though the Lions have gotten over their shooting woes on the road, or at the very least have started to gain the confidence that they need to succeed this season.

Before I go any farther, let me say once again that Talor Battle is having a special season so far. Already he has scored 25 or more points three times this season, including tonight’s 32-point performance, a career high at that.

So what can we take from this victory? For whatever reason, I always have three keys to the game, so let’s have three things to take from the game.

The offense and defense can function away from the BJC

I guess that pretty much is a wordy way of saying that the team is learning how to win on the road. That may seem rather simple to say, but considering that the past five to 10 years of Penn State basketball aren’t exactly littered with epic road wins, you’ve got to start small and work your way up.

Regardless of how Virginia finishes out their season, Penn State will be able to say they went on the road and won against an ACC team with a good crowd on national TV. Even if it doesn’t boost the SOS in the long run, it can help the confidence level when you’re playing tough ones against the likes of Michigan State and Ohio State later on down the road.

The shots are starting to fall

While the percentages aren’t where they can be, they stayed well out of the 20-30 percent range that they had been previously on the road this season.

Maybe the most important shots falling came from Battle, who although he has had several 25-plus-point games this season is getting them mainly from shooting a lot of shots. Tonight, however, Talor was his old self, shooting 9-of-15 from the field and pushing his PPG to 20.1.

Chris Babb has yet to find his shooting touch again, and while that is a cause of some concern for Lions fans, all great shooters come back around, even in the deepest of slumps. In short, don't give up on Babb; he’ll find his shot and start raining the threes again.

If there is one positive out of him missing, it is that he isn’t afraid to shoot. The belief that the slump is just a shot away from being broken can be a big help in actually getting out of the slump.

Defense/Rebounding

Early on this year a lot of talk came from Jeff Brooks’ size and how he wasn’t getting enough rebounds for how big of a body he had. Tonight Jeff posted a nine-rebound game and added eight points to the mix. Andrew Jones and David Jackson both added seven rebounds. Jones finally caught up to Battle, and they are now both tied for first on the team in total rebounds with 42 this season.

The defensive effort coming out of the second half against Virginia was by far the best effort that the Lions have shown this year. It is starting to look like these guys are figuring out the type of effort that it takes for a team to win a big game.

All in all, this game was exactly what this team needed—a win on the road against a solid team and proof to themselves more than anything that they can win games. Closing out games will be the next issue addressed on the list, but minus a few mistakes, there is only so much you can do against a player who is hitting threes from everywhere trying to pull a Tracy McGrady .

I’m sure those things will be addressed in practice as they are needed. For now, however, we can enjoy the win and look forward to the trip to Temple this Saturday.

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Penn State Nittany Lions: What They Need to do to Win the Big Ten-ACC Challenge

Ben Jones — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 13:20:05 -0500

In an event that hardly seems like a challenge anymore for the ACC, the Big Ten finally has a shot to win it and flex their basketball muscle. Penn State has a chance to be the first team in the Big Ten to win three straight in the contest if they can pick up a win against the Virginia Cavaliers who are currently 4-2 coming off a win against Cleveland State.

A Penn State win would not only set a new Big Ten record, it would be a crucial win for a team that is looking for its first win on the road. In order to come away with the W there are a few things the Lions will need to do.

Defense

So far this season when the Lions focus on defending the lane, they have left the outside shots too wide open; when focusing on the outside the inside becomes weak.

The key for the Lions' success will be finding a balance on defense that works. Another aspect to this will being able to stop UV for a possession or two if the Lions fall behind and restore positive momentum. Playing better defense will also help with rebounds and finding an inside presence, more or less what we talked about here

Don't Look Around, Just Shoot

While it may seem silly, a big part of tonight’s game is just playing your game regardless of where you are.

For whatever reason the Lions have had serious issues with shooting on the road whereas they’re shooting the lights out at home. If they’re going to win on the road at all, let alone in the Big Ten-Acc Challenge they’re going to need to improve their on-the-road shooting.

Play to Your Skill Level, Not Theirs

This was a problem that the football team had this year at times, and if the Lions are going to win on the hardwood it’s going to take not playing down to teams. Skill-wise this team has the tools to be 6-0 right now but a few mental lapses and playing down to other teams' skill levels has hurt them in two games so far.

This very well could be the most important game of the Lions' young season, a win on national tv against an ACC team could go a long way to helping everyone forget the early season struggle. The team has a lot of talent and depth, it’s just about putting all the pieces together.

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BCS Rankings Week 14: Penn State and Virginia Tech Back in the Picture

Dan Kelley — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 21:33:56 -0500

A handful of losses among last week’s top 12 have shaken things up in the BCS picture, and provided a few teams with added hope for a BCS bid.

A blowout loss to Oklahoma dropped the previously 12th-ranked Oklahoma State Cowboys down to No. 16, and out of the BCS picture entirely.

Additionally, losses by Pittsburgh and Georgia Tech this weekend have hurt each team’s chances for an at-large bid, and will put more pressure on them to win their respective conferences. The Yellow Jackets will have to beat Clemson in the ACC championship game next week, and the Panthers have an end-of-season meeting with No. 5 Cincinnati to decide the Big East champion.

In order to be eligible for an at-large bid into one of the BCS bowls, a team must finish the season ranked in the top 12 of the BCS poll. With the losses, both Penn State and Virginia Tech have been pushed into eligibility, taking the 11th and 12th spots respectively.

Another bit of intrigue added to the picture thanks to Oklahoma State’s fall, is that the Fiesta Bowl could feature a battle of two at-large bids. The Big XII champion is typically selected to participate in the Fiesta Bowl, but Texas is likely headed to the BCS Championship, and no other Big XII member is eligible for an at-large.

If the projected conference champions hold up, then Florida and Texas will play in the BCS Championship, the Rose Bowl will see Ohio State and Oregon face off, Alabama will host the Sugar Bowl, Georgia Tech will host the Orange Bowl, and the Fiesta will have to pick two teams from among the remaining automatic qualifiers, Cincinnati and TCU, and the eligible at-large teams.

With this scenario, the at-large teams to be chosen from for all remaining bowl bids will be No. 6 Boise State, No. 9 Iowa, No. 11 Penn State, and No. 12 Virginia Tech.

However, this situation is hardly settled.

Florida and Alabama still have to play the SEC championship game, which will essentially earn the winner an automatic bid to the BCS Championship Game.
Texas still has to beat Nebraska in the Big XII championship, and will steal an at-large bid if they should lose and allow Nebraska to take the conference’s automatic bid into the Fiesta Bowl. A Longhorns loss would also allow TCU or possibly an undefeated Cincinnati into the BCS Title Game.
Cincinnati could also steal an at-large bid, if they were to lose to Pittsburgh this weekend. The Panthers can tie Cincinnati by beating them, and would get the Big East’s automatic bid with the tie-breaker, leaving Cincy 11-1 and likely still eligible for an at-large bid.
Georgia Tech and Clemson will play the ACC Championship for the league’s automatic bid. However, if the Yellow Jackets lose, neither team will finish in the top 12 so it’s the automatic bid or nothing for both teams.

The picture could look drastically different by next week, with several BCS conferences still up for grabs. Whether you're in the extreme minority that loves the BCS, or if you hate it like everyone else, you have to be excited for what should be some spectacular football this weekend, with plenty of BCS eligibility still left to be decided.

Here's this week's BCS poll in it's entirety:

1) Florida (12-0)

2) Alabama (12-0)

3) Texas (12-0)

4) TCU (12-0)

5) Cincinnati (11-0)

6) Boise State (12-0)

7) Oregon (9-2)

8) Ohio State (10-2)

9) Iowa (10-2)

10) Georgia Tech (10-2)

11) Penn State (10-2)

12) Virginia Tech (9-3)

13) LSU (9-3)

14) BYU (10-2)

15) Pittsburgh (9-2)

16) Oregon State (8-3)

17) Miami (9-3)

18) USC (8-3)

19) California (8-3)

20) Oklahoma State (9-3)

21) Houston (10-2)

22) Nebraska (9-3)

23) West Virginia (8-3)

24) Stanford (8-4)

25) Utah (9-3)

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Penn State Football: 2010 Recruiting Class No. 3 in the Country

Allison Bail — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 18:10:37 -0500

Penn State's football program currently ranks third in the nation for it's 2010 recruiting class, according to Rivals.com .

The only two schools the Nittany Lions trail are Texas and Alabama.

Penn State is eleven spots ahead of any other Big Ten teams, as Michigan is ranked 14th, and currently has 14 4-star commits as well as 6 3-star commits.

The recruiting class is highlighted by two 4-star QBs who are ranked in the top seven in the country.

The 7th overall QB is Pennsylvania’s own Paul Jones. Jones is from McKees Rocks and plans on enrolling at Penn State in the spring to gain an extra semester to work with the team, something many recruits do across the country.

The other quarterback is Robert Bolden.

Bolden is from Orchard Lake, Michigan and he is ranked 2nd in the country. He is a dual-threat quarterback, meaning he can run and pass. He ran a 4.5 40-yard dash, which is very quick especially for a quarterback. It has also been quoted that he has the strongest arm of any recruit this year.

It will be very interesting to see what happens next year for the starting quarterback spot. Since Kevin Newsome has a year under his belt, I’m sure he will be given the first chance.

However, I’m sure these freshmen will be chomping at the bit to get in there. I think it is a wide open race, but someone needs to step up to win the job.

Khairi Fortt is another name that is at the top of Penn State's list.

Fortt is a 4-star recruit from Stamford, Connecticut and is ranked 2nd among outside linebackers across the nation. Fortt, and linebacker Mike Hull, will keep up our strong tradition here at Linebacker-U.

Hull is also a 4-star recruit from Canonsburg, Pennsylvania.

Penn State is still not done with recruiting this year. The Nittany Lions are currently pursuing the 2nd overall running back Marcus Lattimore.

Lattimore is from Duncan, South Carolina, and he was very impressed with the Nittany Lions and the campus on his latest visit, the weekend of the Ohio State game. He still hasn’t made his final decision, but this would be huge for the future if we land this kid.

It’s great to see so much success in the recruiting aspect of the program. These are the future stars of Penn State football, and by the looks of it the future is very bright.

Success starts with recruiting, and it’s good to see athletes from all over are recognizing us and want to become Nittany Lions. As our success on the field continues, it will do nothing but help our success with recruiting.

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Penn State to Play in the ESPN 76 Classic in 2010

Ben Jones — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 21:53:22 -0500

Only six games into the 2009 season, Nittany Lion fans have reason to look ahead to the 2010 season. ESPN has announced that the Lions will be one of eight teams playing in the fourth annual ESPN 76 Classic at the Anaheim Convention Center next to Disneyland. Along with the Lions, Cal State Northridge (Big West Conference), Oklahoma State (Big 12), DePaul (Big East), Stanford (Pac-10), Tulsa (Conference USA), UNLV (Mountain West), and Virginia Tech (ACC) have all been invited to the event.

The 76 Classic features four games each day through three days, Nov. 25, 26, and 28. Each team will compete in one game per day, advancing through a bracket-tournament format. The two teams that remain undefeated throughout will face off in a championship Sunday, Nov. 28.

The 2009 76 Classic began Thursday with four teams ranked among the Top 25, including No. 8 West Virginia (2-0), No. 10 Butler (3-0), No. 16 (tie) Minnesota (3-0) and No. 19 (tie) Clemson (4-0). Before Thursday’s opening games, the eight schools in the 2009 field had compiled a 23-2 record. The eight schools in the 2010 76 Classic field have compiled a 28-9 mark to start the 2009-10 season, with Oklahoma State, Tulsa, and UNLV receiving votes in the ESPN/USA Today Top 25 Coaches Poll.

All in all it looks like another reason to be excited for next year; the team will be returning every member and adding Taran Buie to the mix during the 2010 campaign that could be one for the ages. We’ve got a lot of 2009 to deal with though. Check back later for more information but until then you can check out the 76 Classic website here.

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Penn State Student Section To Change

Ben Jones — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 01:58:08 -0500

That’s right, after a lot of talking it’s official. They’re moving the student section in 2011 and adding 800 seats.

The new system is pretty complicated, and would take a rather long time to explain without just pasting the article here, but the link can be found here . But, since it’s my blog, I get to spout out my opinions on the interwebs.

More students closer to the field=louder student section.
More students in student section=louder student section.
Upper deck bounces the sound down to the field=louder student section.

There are negatives involved with the move, but there are negatives about where the section is now. A nice thing about coming in through Gates A and B is that it could allow more students to enter at one time, and keep the 15 minutes-before-kick-off rush to a minimum (don't tell them they can get there earlier though, it is a secret).

It’ll be a fun thing to try out when Alabama comes to town for the second game of the 2011 season. If that game isn’t going to be a White-house I’m not sure what is.

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Reviewing Penn State's Charleston Classic Performance

Ben Jones — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 00:55:13 -0500

What felt like the start of the Old Spice Classic 2.0 of two years ago ended with feeling a little better about things after a 59-57 win over Davidson in the final game of the Charleston Classic.

In a tournament that gave everybody a taste of the good old days of Penn State basketball, the Lions will look to never look back and take the victory and rebuild positive momentum for the rest of the season.

So what did we learn from the Classic?

Jeff Brooks is coming into his own

After the first two games of the season, it was clear that Brooks had found himself and was playing within his game, but it still remained to be seen how he would play on the road. In the three games at the Classic, Brooks produced 36 points, 11 rebounds, and six assists. This has vaulted Brooks to being the No. 2 scoring option on the team, averaging 11.5 points a game.

It’s still taking everybody some getting used to watching Jeff shoot the ball, but it is a nice thing to have to get used to.

Free Throws

For some reason we’re hitting 80 percent of them. After free throws being the weak point in last season's close games, it is nice to see that the free ones are falling.

Bill Edwards looks good

Coming off of injury, it’s going to take a little bit of time to get back into the swing of things, but Edwards produced eight points in his first game of the season and plays with a high level of basketball IQ. Look for him to take over David Jackson’s minutes if he continues to play at a high level.

Don't be surprised if it takes him a little time get over the mental roadblock of playing after an injury, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see him making big contributions to the team very soon.

I just want to punch those missed shots in the face

So that was a lot of good things for losing two out of three games. What needs to be improved for the rest of the season?

Defense

Solid in the lane defense is a must, or the Big Ten season was going to be pretty painful to watch. With big body guys like Jeff Brooks and Drew Jones, they shouldn’t have an issue banging around inside, but for whatever reason they seem to be playing a little timid.

Jones does average about seven rebounds a game, which is nice, and Brooks has picked up his rebounding, but the penetration defense as a whole needs to be stronger. When the lane is strong, the perimeter is weak, and opponents are shooting at a 34 percent clip from three against us this season, so finding a balance on defense is key.

Hit some shots

For whatever reason shots just weren’t falling for the Lions. We’re talking lay-ups and five-foot jumpers. How many times have you seen Talor Battle miss a lay-up? I can now say I’ve seen him miss two, and it’s the weirdest thing ever.

These guys just need to hit the gym and get the confidence back. The teams they were beaten by beat them for the most part because nothing was falling for the Lions. Battle did have a few big scoring games, but at the same time he chucked up a million shots in each game and only landed about a third of them. That's not going to fly in Big Ten season.

Those are two big things to work on, but if you’re hitting your shots and the defense is playing well, then you don't have much to worry about. So here's to the start of the rest of the season. 3-2 with many, many games to go.

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What Do We Know About Penn State Basketball So Far?

Ben Jones — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 00:30:34 -0500

Coming into this year, your average fan had pretty high expectations for the Penn State basketball season.

After capturing a school-high 27 wins and the NIT Championship, it is pretty hard to imagine what sort of school wouldn’t have lofty expectations of a team returning a large portion of its starters and an All-American candidate.

True, they lost their heart and soul in Jamelle Cornley and two streaky three-ball shooters in Danny Morrissey and Stanley Pringle, but the likes of Chris Babb, Tim Frazier, and Talor Battle brought hope to the Lion faithful that those roles would soon be filled.

With expectations so high, every possession is critiqued, but what are sports without armchairs? With that in mind, you would think that people would have a pretty good idea of what to expect out of this team a whole six (seven) games into the season. The general response to that question is along the lines of, "We’ve got no idea what the hell to expect."

Let's take a look at what we do actually know, what we can expect in the future, and a few reasons not to lose hope after a 4-2 start.

Quick shots—Positives

* The team is shooting 43.3 percent from the field, only 0.6 percent from last year's average.

* Averaging 70.3 PPG.

* Shooting free throws at a 77.2 percent clip, 12 percent better than last season (15th in the nation).

* Six players averaging seven or more PPG, three of which average over 10 PPG (last year only three over seven PPG).

Positives in detail

Jeff Brooks, David Jackson are making a name for themselves

After three seasons of limited production, Brooks and Jackson are both showing great improvement and determination, averaging 10 and 11 points respectively. Both players are making great strides in their play.

Brooks has impressed the coaches especially with his athletic play and his decision-making ability. In the past Brooks' greatest weakness was his mental game; now that he is playing with a positive attitude and confidence, Brooks could have an explosive season.

Talor Battle is Talor Battle

Averaging 18 PPG, Battle is looking to improve on his amazing sophomore year with another solid season. Averaging six rebounds and three assists a game, Battle is a double-double threat any given night. There isn’t much to say that hasn’t already been said about Talor.

This year he has to focus on making the rest of the team better, and so far he is doing just that, guiding the offense that has had six different players score in double digits this season.

The Bench

For the first time in the Ed DeChellis era, starters are going to be pushed by the bench players if they want to keep their starting spots. Already this season Bill Edwards has brought forth the speculation that he could start over David Jackson despite Jackson’s great improvement.

It wouldn’t be a big surprise to see this team average four to five players in double digits. As the Big Ten season gets here, the depth of the Lions will really help them out.

Quick shots—Negatives

* The Lions' three-point defense is suffering as teams are shooting 36 percent against them.

* Inside game is in need of a leader; plenty of skilled players in the position, but somebody needs to take charge.

* Rebounding, especially on the offensive zone, is lacking.

Negatives in detail

Rebounding

If you can shoot the ball better than the other team and outrebound them, you’re almost guaranteed to get the W. So far the Lions are only taking care of the shooting side of things, and although the Lions are outrebounding teams by a +1.7 margin, it is the sort of thing that doesn’t really show on the court.

Plenty of the close games this season could have been much more in the Lions' favor if they had a few more timely rebounds. That aspect of the game should get better as the season goes along, but it still should be addressed.

Defense

All of the games the Lions have lost this year have been close within the last four minutes of the game. The biggest issue with the Lions has been finding the defense that can stop teams for a few possessions and get themselves back on track or long enough to hang on and win.

So far this season when the Lions focus on defending the lane, it has left the outside shots too wide open; when focusing on the outside, the inside becomes weak. The key for the Lions' success will be finding a balance on defense that works.

Playing inside

Andrew Jones ended last season with high hopes, averaging almost a double-double in the NIT. Jones was expected to keep that pace up and give the Lions an inside go-to. So far that position hasn’t really found its dominating player, and Jones hasn’t been what he was in the NIT.

In the two games Bill Edwards has played in, he has shown a great ability to get the ball to the glass, but he isn’t a pure big man, so that only sort of solves that problem. The sooner the inside game gets figured out, the better.

The nice part about the negatives of this season so far is that they are all related. The sooner a big man stakes his claim to the paint, the sooner the rebounds will go the Lions' way, and the better the defense will become.

Odds and Ends

This year has had an odd start. In both of the Lions' losses they had the chance to win, and personally I believe that they win both of those games if they had played those games at home.

On paper this team is better than the NIT Championship-winning team last year. The issue has been finding everybody a role and executing on both sides of the ball. At times this team has looked special, and at other times it has showed its youth.

It isn’t unreasonable to assume a lot of the Lions' basic issues will work themselves out as the season goes along; how much they are worked out will be the difference in how this season goes. It’s easy to look at the two losses and assume you know what will happen this year, but this team has serious potential and could find itself sooner than you might think.

The biggest key will be getting a tougher defense going and finding a place for all the talented players this team has. Bill Edwards and Tim Frazier are the real deal—it is only a matter of time before the rest of the Big Ten finds out.

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