NIT Review: Penn State, with free throws, puts away Rhode Island

Penn State vs George Mason

If a team's last made field goal attempt comes with 8:53 left in regulation time, such a drought suggests that a season should end in the sadness of defeat. Logic doesn't often apply, however, to the Penn State basketball team.
 
Having established a 16-point cushion before their offensive struggles, the Nittany Lions shot unusually well from the foul line to hold off Rhode Island, 83-72, on Thursday night at the Bryce Jordan Center. With the win, Penn State did more than avenge a late-November loss to the Rams; the Blue and White punched a ticket to the NIT quarterfinals, which will be played next week against the Miami (Fla.)-Florida winner. If Miami wins, Penn State will host the Hurricanes. If Florida wins, the Nittany Lions will face the Gators on the road in Gainesville.
 
Before looking ahead to the quarters, however, it's worth appreciating what this win means for the Penn State basketball family. The disciples of Coach Ed DeChellis were able to make adjustments against a team that, in hindsight, might have prevented PSU from reaching the NCAA Tournament. Had the Lions roughed up Rhode Island nearly four months ago, the selection committee could have viewed this team's resume with a different set of eyes. At any rate, it took a lot of guts for Penn State to bounce back against coach Jim Baron's Rams. It took even more courage for PSU to do so without injured star forward Jamelle Cornley, the cornerstone of this team within 10 feet of the basket.

Cornley is counted on to do so much for Penn State at both ends of the floor. Without No. 2 holding the fort inside, the home team faced a tough assignment, even in the friendly confines of its own arena. PSU's roster had to find points, rebounds and defensive stops from unlikely sources in order to prevail, and that's exactly what happened in Happy Valley.
 
The first and biggest key to PSU's 11-point win was the way in which the No. 2 seed in this subregional held serve at the foul line. Normally a 64-percent shooting team at the charity stripe, the Lions sank 27 of 31 free throws to preserve a lead that was cut to six points, at 72-66, with just under two minutes left in regulation time. The steady stream of conversions at the foul line readily explained why PSU won despite its extended dry spell from the field.
 
The other main reason why Penn State held off its third-seeded opponent from the Atlantic 10 Conference was that two role players became main men for the Nittany Nation: Andrew Jones III and Chris Babb.
 
Jones wore the cape of a hero in this contest by filling the gap left by Cornley. A hard-working player but not a huge stats guy, Jones picked the perfect time to register his first double-double of the entire season, with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Jones, more than any other player, enabled Penn State to not only function, but thrive, on defense and on the glass as well.

Babb was the other man who played above season-long standards to give his teammates and coaching staff a crucial amount of added production. A terrific pure shooter but an unseasoned defender, Babb has received limited minutes in 2009, due to the excellence of starting guards Talor Battle (16 points, 5 assists) and Stanley Pringle (19 points, 4 rebounds). In this NIT event, those minutes have increased, and the freshman guard has made the most of his opportunity. In Tuesday's first-round win over George Mason, Babb scored 11 points to give Penn State even more balance and diversity at the offensive end. In this contest against Rhode Island, Babb topped that total and scored a new season high of 13 points. By coming through precisely when his team was shorthanded, Babb generated momentum and confidence that should serve him well next season. More importantly in the short term, Babb might be ready to handle a lot of work when the quarterfinals come calling.
 
The reason why Babb might play a lot in the NIT quarters, regardless of the opponent, is that Battle suffered an ankle injury with less than four minutes left in the second half. Battle did return to the PSU bench after initially leaving the floor, but the stellar sophomore didn't see action in the closing minutes of regulation. Some of the teams in the NIT (based on their particular subregional's quirky schedule) won't have a lot of time between their second-round game and their quarterfinal, but the Nittany Lions are fortunate. PSU's next game won't come until March 24, while other teams in the bracket will play a second-rounder on March 23 and a quarterfinal two days later on March 25. Whether Talor Battle is healthy or not, expect Chris Babb to receive even more minutes, in pursuit of even more NIT accolades.
 
Penn State is surviving injuries, surviving field-goal droughts, and surviving the pressure of hitting late-game free throws. With one more win, the Nittany Lions will survive all the way to New York City, and a night in Madison Square Garden in the final week of March.

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