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Penn State
Road to the Final Four.............................................................................................
The Nittany Lions earned an at-large bid by playing well in one of the nation's toughest conferences. But beating Michigan State in the Big Ten Tournament pushed Penn State into its first dance since 1996. Picking off Kentucky at Rupp Arena, and Temple at home during a strong 9-1 start to the season didn't hurt either. Wins over Ohio State, at Iowa, and against co-champion Illinois proved Penn State could compete with the Big Ten's best before the conference tournament started. When the Cripin brothers are firing long-range shots on target, this team can shoot down anyone. A last-second win against Michigan in the Big Ten Tournament was crucial. But the victory over the Spartans was fresh in the committee's mind, and they could look at beating Illinois to support their last impression of the Lions. The Nittany Lions got off the bubble with their performance in the Big Ten Tournament, and then scored wins over Providence and second-seeded North Carolina to get to the Sweet Sixteen. Player to Watch Guard the perimeter. PSU loves the 3 and it has plenty of players who can make it. All-Big-Ten-first-teamer Joe Crispin is the go-to guy. He is pure shooter with unlimited range, but can also get to the hole and score. Titus Ivory is also a bomber. If he is left open, he'll hit the three.With the Ball A smart, experienced team, the Nittany Lions are tough to stop offensively. They averaged close to 78 points a game during the regular season. Against zone, they get into the gaps and find open shooters (236 3-pointers this year). Against man-to-man, they set screens away from the ball and look for shooters curling around picks. Once again, Joe Crispin is a dazzling shooter.Defending the Ball This is where Penn State struggles. It has allowed opponents to score around 75 points a game this year. Gyasi Cline-Heard is an athletic player who can block shots (1.7 per game), but he's not scary like say Alonzo Mourning. This team needs to score to win because they rarely shut down a team completely. Seed Analysis Exceeding the Seed Playing to Expectations None. Falling Short BRACKETOLOGY SCORE: 1.000 (1.000 is playing exactly to a team's historical seeding) Bracketology Report1985-2000: The Nittany Lions have been to two prior tourneys in the 64-team era, once as a member of the Big Ten (1996) and once as a member of the Atlantic 10. Each time Penn State did the opposite of what was expected. The No. 5 Lions lost to No. 12 Arkansas in 1996; the No. 13 Lions upset No. 4 UCLA in 1991. This time Penn State figures to fall in the middle and play exactly to its seed.Roster
 NCAA Basketball Championship Week It's March, which means the madness has started and invitations are being reserved throughout Championship Week.  Send this story to a friend | Most sent stories |  |
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A confident Joe Crispin expected the Nittany Lions to win the game (Courtesy: NCAA Productions).
