Penn State Basketball: For Lions’ NCAA Hopes, It’s Now on (to) Wisconsin

It was 9:33 p.m. on Thursday night, just 32 minutes after his basketball team beat Minnesota 66-63 in the Bryce Jordan Center.

For Penn State coach Ed DeChellis, it might as well been 32 years ago. The win was that far in the past, that fast.

At his postgame press conference, he was looking ahead, not behind. His team is now 7-7 in the Big Ten and 14-11 overall, in fifth place in the Big Ten Conference. A berth in the NCAA Tournament is an iffy proposition, at best.

That’s why DeChellis wasn’t savoring Talor Battle’s 28-point performance. Or the Lions’ second win in their last 13 games against the Gophers. There are miles to go before he sleeps.

“I’ll find out when I go upstairs after this and watch the tapes,” he said in response to a question.

For Ed, it was going to be a long, THON-like night.

Wisconsin is next for Penn State, which travels to the Kohl Center to play the Badgers, who are 16-1 at home this season and 149-11 at Kohl under Bo Ryan.

“That’s a great place to play,” DeChellis said. “It’ll be packed; they’ll all be red…”

Battle, a senior who played the second-last regular-season home game of his career (alas, there’s always the NIT) before a BJC crowd of 8,446, is just like his coach.

His three-pointer from the left wing with 72 seconds left in the game may have given Penn State the lead for good, 62-60. But he isn’t resting on his considerable laurels – seven of 14 shooting from beyond the arc, 40 minutes played, no turnovers.

Not for long, anyway.

“We’ll enjoy this until 3:15 p.m. (tomorrow), however much time that is,” Battle said. Then it is time to think about Kohl and its gang.

“Oh, the Kohl Center,” Battle said with a shake of his head. “That’s the hardest place to play in the league.”

Sunday’s upcoming showdown wouldn’t have meant anything had the Lions lost to Minnesota (17-9, 6-8). The Gophers had a decided height advantage – about three inches a starter – so Penn State took its game to the outside.

Led by Battle, the Nittany Lions shot a season-high 31 three-pointers, and made 12 – tied for their season best. Minnesota made two more field goals than the Lions, but PSU’s 12-9 edge in treys was the difference.

“We didn’t plan on going in and shooting 31 threes, but it ended up that way,” shrugged DeChellis.

Battle’s final three-pointer of the night was his biggest.

“I get excited for that shot,” he said. “The coaches want me to take that shot. My teammates want me to take that shot. I was open. That was one of the cool things about it. I shot it and got nothing but net.”

With teammates Jeff Brooks and Andrew Jones battling foul problems, forward David Jackson led the Lions with five rebounds and added 13 points. Minnesota was led by guard Blake Hoffarber, with 18 points, and forward Trevor Mbakwe, with 16. Mbawke added 12 boards for Minnesota, which outrebounded PSU 34-22.

Penn State led 29-28 at halftime, but lost a 10-point lead midway through the second half. Outsized, outrebounded and outscored 60-57 with 2:09 left, Penn State was almost out of it – for the game, for the season, for Battle’s career. Almost.

“We showed a lot of grit there,” DeChellis said. “I told the guys after the game.”

That DeChellis and Battle and the Nittany Lions are even thinking they have a chance against the Badgers and are still somewhat wistfully hoping for an NCAA berth can be traced back to last Sunday. That’s when they trashed Northwestern 65-41, halting a three-game crash-and-burn streak against Illinois, Michigan and Michigan State. (Minnesota, losers of five of its last six, hosts MSU on Sunday.)

“We were reeling a week ago, and we had to have that one against Northwestern,” DeChellis said. “Then we had to have this one.”

And now, they need Wisconsin.

Earlier coverage

• Penn State Basketball: Battle’s Big Night Powers Nittany Lions to 66-63 Win Over Minnesota (Feb. 17, 2011)