Men's Basketball: High Expectations Require An Early Season SPLASH . . . Or Else

“If we don't make the NCAA Tournament, that's a failure on my part.” Senior Jamelle Cornley (PF) spoke those words in a recent preseason interview for FightOnState.com. With all due respect Jamelle, if Penn State does not make the Big Dance, it will not be your fault.

Right now, Penn State is in college basketball purgatory. They are not yet a team projected to contend for a Big Ten title, nor an NCAA bid. But they finally have the talent and depth to beat every team in the Big Ten. If you are looking for evidence of this fact, look no further than last year's resume.

• 2007-2008 Record: 15-16 (7-11).
• Wins against #20 Michigan State, #24 Indiana, Illinois (twice), Virginia Tech, and Seton Hall.
• Losses to Rider, Central Florida, Wisconsin (by 25 at home and by 36 on the road), Michigan St. (by 37 on the road), and Purdue (by 22 at home).
• Only needed to beat Illinois in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament to become eligible for the NIT Tournament, but lost on a reverse layup with 3.8 seconds left.

This kind of Jekyll & Hyde performance is to be expected from a team who is still learning how to win on a consistent basis. It did not help that First Team All-Big Ten forward Geary Claxton went down with an ACL four games into the Big Ten schedule. Add to that fact, three Freshman starters and a fourth who was a Juco Transfer, and it should not surprise anyone that consistency was that team's biggest hurdle.

Fast forward to November 2008 and the Men's Basketball Team has sprinted out to a 3-0 record, with wins over three teams they were expected to beat.

However, to make an NCAA Tournament when national expectations for your program are modest at best, a team like Penn State must make a SPLASH in its non-conference schedule. It must then ride that wave of momentum into its conference schedule, beat a few high-profile teams (like #7 Michigan St., #10 Purdue, #22 Wisconsin, and Ohio State), and finish in the top-5 of its conference standings.

While only time will tell if they can pull off the conference wins they did last year, Penn State has a bigger issue: who are they going to beat in their non-conference schedule to make the necessary splash? The problem is, that big "splash" win is hard to find on the 2008-2009 non-conference schedule.

As presently scheduled, Penn State does not play a top 25 teams until it hits the Big Ten schedule. The best teams they will play are Rhode Island and Georgia Tech--good teams, but neither is Kentucky or North Carolina. The only hope Penn State has is in the Philly Hoop Group Classic. The what? That's right, the Philly Hoop Group Classic. While I can not confirm this fact, the pessimist in me says that this is a tournament designed to make one team look good against lower competition. This year, that is 2008 Sweet Sixteen team and #23 Villanova--Penn State's only chance to beat top 25 team before January.

To even play Villanova, Penn State must beat Rhode Island in the first round, on Friday, November 28th. If Penn State is able to get past the Rams of Rhode Island, they will have their shot at making a real splash before the Big Ten season starts. And they had better take advantage of the opportunity because, lately, the NCAA Selection Committee seems to put as much weight on who you beat in your non-conference games, as they do on conference performance.

So, as you can see Jamelle, you will not shoulder all of the blame if this team does not make the NCAA tournament. Until the national media recognizes Penn State as more than just a football school, the Men's Basketball Team at Penn State will have to fight media perception, in addition to its on-court opponents.

What is the only way to get the media's attention? Get in their collective face and don't blink. Not once. Don't give them one opportunity to doubt you. Win the games you are supposed to win and beat Rhode Island and Villanova on consecutive nights. Then finish in the top 5 in the Big Ten, winning several big games along the way, and get a first round bye in the Big Ten Tournament. Then, maybe, this up-and-coming program will get the respect they deserve and their first NCAA birth since the 2000-2001 season.

This team finally has the talent and depth to do it. And if Jamelle Cornley--who has more heart than any other player in the Big Ten--has anything to say about it, Penn State will be Dancing in March once again.