And that my friends, is how Penn State basketball should be played.

A 15 point win against a team that had beaten Duke and UCLA just prior to conference play. Brilliant!

I have been one of the toughest critics of Ed DeChellis and although I still have my doubts, I can’t overlook the team’s new found ability to remain competitive in Big Ten play.  A 4-point loss to Wisconsin in Madison and a 5-point loss to Michigan State is testament to how far we’ve come as a basketball program when competing in the Big Ten. Instead of sitting pretty at the bottom of the Big Ten standings after dominating our non-conference cupcakes like in years past, Nittany Lion fans can actually look forward to the months after December.

A game against Penn State is no longer considered an easy win. Just ask the Spartans if they would like to return to the BJC. And wins against Purdue, Georgia Tech and Michigan, teams that used to run roughshod over us have helped foster a new aura around Penn State basketball. Students are beginning to show up, and the players are beginning to learn the concept of protecting their home court.

All great basketball environments were not created overnight. As much as I envy the Orange Krush at Illinois, the Crazy Camerons at Duke, the Izzone at Michigan State and the other legendary home court environments, I know they are equally envious of the pandemonium experienced each fall Saturday at Beaver Stadium. Am I willing to trade a great football experience for a great basketball one? Absolutely not. But as the Gaters, Buckeyes and Longhorns have shown, there is absolutely no reason we can’t have both at Penn State. We are part of one of the oldest and most prestigious basketball conference, have the fan base, and an abundant and fertile recruiting footprint in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, along with one of the most modern venues in collegiate basketball, but we still can’t seem to get there.

There’s no doubt as to what’s the final missing component impeding Penn State basketball from reaching the next level. We simply don’t have the winning tradition required to build a national program with. NIT and Atlantic 10 championship banners are the closest we’ve come to pounding our chests when it comes to basketball. And unlike fancy new venues, or an endless recruiting budget, you simply can’t buy wins.

What Ed DeChellis and this team has done is beyond remarkable and defies the star-rating system Rivals and Scout pride themselves on. A scrappy team of relatively unknown players are doing what no one else believed they could.

While it is still relatively early, with ample time for the season to spiral out of control once again, you can’t blame fans like me for jumping at the first sign of optimism.

UM Hoops: Game 19: Michigan at Penn State Post Game

Michigan Sports Center: Wednesday Quick hits: Penn State Destroys Michigan 73-58

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