Column: Penn State basketball fans, don’t be afraid to keep raising expectations for this team
On Dec. 16, Penn State men’s basketball fans celebrated. Their team had just cracked the AP Top 25 for the first time since 1996, before the likes of Lamar Stevens, Myreon Jones and Jamari Wheeler were even born.
Penn State’s The Daily Collegian detailed the outpouring of reactions on social media as sports writers and fans across the country celebrated and shared perspective on the significance of the achievement of being ranked for the first time since “The Macarena” was the top song of the year.
Then the Nittany Lions dropped out of the Top 25 after a three-game skid, bringing up familiar moans of “here we go again, we knew this couldn’t last.”
But now, Penn State is ranked in the top 10 for the first time since 1996, tying the program record with its No. 9 rank in Monday’s poll. The Nittany Lions, with their eight-game winning streak, are also just one game out of first place in the Big Ten, behind a Maryland team they beat convincingly in December.
Yes, this season is different.
There’s been no shortage of “first time since” headlines this year: “Penn State basketball reaches 20 regular-season wins for the first time since 2009;” Penn State basketball beats Michigan State at the Breslin Center for the first time since 2009;” “Penn State basketball sells out the BJC for the first time since 2011.” “Penn State basketball earns a top-5 win for the first time since 2016.”
The list goes on.
And there’s no reason to think the climb stops here for the Nittany Lions. ESPN’s John Gasaway called the Nittany Lions “a lock” for the NCAA Tournament on Sunday, and Joe Lunardi has them projected as a No. 4 seed. FOX College Hoops’ Mike DeCourcy even has the team as a No. 2 seed.
At the beginning of the season, most fans timidly held out hope that this team would make the NCAA Tournament and reward Stevens for his decision to return to the Nittany Lions after flirting with the NBA draft last spring. But now that they’re a lock, it’s time for fans to adjust their expectations even higher.
Expect there to be heavy traffic around the Bryce Jordan Center on Saturday afternoons in February. Expect the upper-bowl curtains to be pulled back for every home game.
And expect that this team can make noise in March — and possibly even April.
With six games still remaining on its schedule, including four that are currently Quad 1 matchups, Penn State can put itself in a position to win the Big Ten for the first time in program history. Win the regular season title and the Nittany Lions can make their case to be a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament with a conference tournament run.
This year’s team has depth like no other Penn State team before it and big playmakers with the ability to step up when their team needs it.
Northwestern coach Chris Collins spoke Saturday about how difficult it is to sufficiently guard Stevens, while having to worry about the other four guys on the court.
“I think what’s really made them a good team this year is those guys’ ability to make shots off of him,” Collins said after his team’s 77-61 loss to the Nittany Lions. “Look at what (Seth) Lundy’s done, what (Myles) Dread has done, Curtis Jones, Myreon Jones has shot the ball incredibly well. That makes it really hard because you have guys like (Mike) Watkins and (John) Harrar that can finish on those roles, now you have to pick your poison.”
When Stevens and Watkins were in foul trouble against Iowa at the Palestra, Curtis Jones and Izaiah Brockington came off the bench to score a combined 39 points in Penn State’s 89-86 win.
When the Nittany Lions’ second-leading scorer Myreon Jones was out with an illness in Penn State’s Feb. 8 battle with Minnesota, a team that handed the Nittany Lions one of their five losses this season, Penn State’s biggest playmaker — Stevens — scored a career-high 33 points in the 83-77 victory.
There’s still plenty of time left in the season, and no way of knowing how things will turn out for the Nittany Lions. But fans, allow yourselves to sit back and enjoy what’s happening. The Nittany Lions have already had one of the most successful seasons in program history.
Enjoy that.
And don’t be afraid to keep adjusting your expectations even higher. You know the team already has.
This story was originally published February 17, 2020 at 5:48 PM.
