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In the Big Ten, Penn State is dead last in attendance. The Nittany Lions average about 7,000 but if you ever watched one of their home games on television, you’ll see lots of empty seats in the lower bowl; to the point that it looks like they have 700 fans. And they’re missing out too! And a bonafide NBA draft prospect in point guard Tim Frazier. Well, we’re here to make sure he toils in college basketball obscurity no more.
In a preview of our next NBA draft stock report:
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Everyone knows that Nittany Nation is much more a college football republic than it is college basketball country. And the difference is quite extreme. But maybe this is a start of something new for the Penn State Nittany Lions?
#10 seeded State (19-14; 9-9 Big Ten) will face a very familiar foe Thursday when the Nittany Lions take on #7 seed and in-state rival Temple in Tucson, AZ, tipping at 2:10 (ET) on TNT. PSU has lost to Temple in two of the last three seasons.
Penn State played its last NCAA Tournament game against Temple, losing 84-72 in the 2001 NCAA Sweet Sixteen. The winner of the Penn State-Temple contest will face the winner of #2 seed San Diego State vs. #15 Northern Colorado, on Saturday at the University of Arizona’s McKale Center.
PSU won their most recent meetings with Temple in football, can they do it in basketball?
By Paul M. Banks
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Another Big Ten Tournament will soon be entirely in the books, and with it 7 NCAA Tournament bids from the conference. Yes 7! And the only way that could have happened is…with the exact scenarios that did transpire.
The final college basketball tournament bracket S-Curve, what Joe Lunardi uses for bracketology, has that Big Ten muddled mush of middle (Illinois Fighting Illini, Michigan Wolverines, Michigan State Spartans and Penn State Nittany Lions) all in the mid 40s when it comes to their overall seed.
-No clear favorite for BTT MOP, but candidates include Talor Battle, Juice Thompson and Jared Sullinger. Juice is only on that list because he set a tourney record with 35 points on Thursday.
-Please use these hashtags today #PennState #BigTenTourney #TalorBattleforWoodenAward #TalorBattleforNaismithAward
By Paul M. Banks
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When it comes to great college basketball players that have never played in the NCAA Tournament, Penn State Nittany Lions senior point guard Talor Battle has to be considered at the very top of the the list.
Many people often consider Ernie “Mr. Cub” Banks to be the best player in MLB history never to have played in the postseason. He won the NL MVP award with some really terrible Cubs teams in the 1950s. And Battle is kind of like the Big Ten basketball version- in some ways.
But with the 61-48 Big Ten Tournament semifinal win over Michigan State , this comparison likely won’t hold true anymore. It appears PSU has punched their ticket.
By Paul M. Banks
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In Penn State’s Big Ten Tournament game last night, PSU senior point guard Talor Battle hit the biggest shot of his life. Inside two minutes to go, Battle hit a big three that put Penn St up 35-30 over the Wisconsin Badgers. It ended up being the decisive margin of victory as State held on 36-33, and found themselves with another signature win over #13 Wisconsin.
The shot also made Battle the all-time leading scorer in PSU history with 2,140 points. So just how big of a shot was it?
By Paul M. Banks
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It’s certainly a bubblicious time of the year in college basketball; and it’s only going to get more bubbly from here. When you first glance at Penn State, you may wonder how their 15-12, 8-8 in the Big Ten record gets them placed on the dance card.
Look closer and you’ll see a phenomenal #6 strength of schedule and a decent #53 RPI.
“That’s the most important thing to me, when I leave I want to say that I had the opportunity to play in the NCAA Tournament, see what it feels like. That would be the greatest achievement,” said PSU senior guard Talor Battle, following a decisive win at Northwestern.
By Paul M. Banks
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Penn State guard and Big Ten leading scorer Talor Battle headed to Northwestern needing just three assists to reach 500 on his career. He got exactly three as his Nittany Lions soundly defeated Northwestern 66-52. With the 500 assists under his belt, he becomes the first player to record 2,000 points, 500 rebounds and 500 assists in Big Ten history.
Only nine others in Division I college basketball history have reached this feat; they are: Danny Ainge, Speedy Claxton, Johnny Dawkins, Danny Ferry, Ron Lee, Jameer Nelson, Tim Smith, Chris Thomas and Grevis Vasquez.
“It’s a milestone, and a great feeling…and when I look back over it, after I’m done playing it will mean more to me. But right now I’m just focused on getting some big wins to push for postseason play, and that’s my main focus,” said Battle after the game.
By Paul M. Banks
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Hard to decide which type of domination is stronger. Penn State’s college basketball domination over Northwestern, or Talor Battle’s owning of the PSU hoops record book. State has won six in a row and ten of eleven versus NU.
Even when they went 3-15 in conference last year, the Lions still beat the Cats twice. And in the Penn State record book, Battle is first all time in minutes, starts, and (if current projections hold, come Big Ten Tournament time) scoring. He’s also third in field goals, assists, and three-pointers.
And on Thursday night, Penn St. jumped out to a 18-2 lead, never looked back and scored a very convincing 66-52 victory in Evanston.
And tonight saw history as well. Battle became the first player in Big Ten (and just the 10th in NCAA Division 1) history to record 2,000 points, 500 rebounds and 500 assists.
By Paul M. Banks
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In Nittany Nation, Jesse Arnelle is the proudest lion; at when it comes to scoring. His 2,138 points is the most in Penn State college basketball history. Arnelle, also PSU’s all-time leading rebounder, led the Lions to the 1954 Final Four.
Current senior point guard Talor Battle is the only other Nittany Lion ever to score two grand, and with 2,066, he needs just 72 more to reach Arnelle. At Northwestern on Thursday begins PSU’s final three games. And if Battle’s averages hold, it looks like he’ll reach the mark in Penn State’s Big Ten Tournament game.
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By Paul M. Banks
Nittany Lions’ first win in the Big Ten ends NU’s at-large NCAA chances.
How could this happen? How could Penn St., a de facto “one man team” beat Northwestern? For their FIRST win in conference play, on a night when their one man, Talor Battle, was limited to very few shots, and he made very few of them? If you’re a Cats fan, at least you have closure on their NCAA tournament prospects.
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By Paul M. Banks
Battle has played every minute but three in big ten play, and currently leads the Nittany Lions in scoring, rebounding, assists, minutes, and steals. “Guys have been keying in on me defensively, I heard Bruce Weber all game yelling wherever I was at, I felt like he was guarding me,” Battle told me following a 54-53 loss to the Illini.
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By Paul M. Banks
The Big Ten’s talent is concentrated at the point guard position, junior class. And two of the most talented guys who fit in at both categories (Ohio State’s Evan Turner and Penn State’s Talor Battle) also happen to be very good friends. [Read more…]
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