NIT Semifinal Preview: Penn State encounters moment of opportunity in New York 

Time and TV: Tuesday, March 31, 6:30 p.m.*, ESPN2
* = Approximate time. Game starts 30 minutes after the end of the other NIT semifinal between Baylor and San Diego State

Two weeks ago, Penn State felt the full force of a punch to the gut. Now in New York for the NIT's own version of a final four, the Nittany Lions have a new outlook on life.
 
When Coach Ed DeChellis brings his team into Madison Square Garden to play Notre Dame on Tuesday night, the Blue and White will be the only Big Ten team other than Michigan State to have a living, breathing basketball season to tend to. Everyone else from the conference has been put to bed until October; Penn State, a school not used to playing at the very end of March, will be chasing a championship in the world's most famous arena.
 
Sure changes one's perspective, doesn't it?
 
In the hours after Selection Sunday's fateful announcement of the NCAA Tournament brackets, the teams who barely miss out on the Big Dance experience a sick feeling in their stomachs. But once the searing disappointment wears off, a different realization kicks in as the NIT pairings are made public in a quiet corner of the college basketball world: "We can win this thing."
 
Not all NIT entrants embrace the sport's second-biggest postseason tournament with such ardor, but the teams who succeed in this event are the ones who care about it the most. Count Penn State in that group.

Fueled by inspired play from a young bench and the indomitable Jamelle Cornley, the Nittany Lions have made their way to the Big Apple. A first-round win over George Mason proved to be a considerable struggle, but once the disciples of DeChellis cleared that hurdle, the feel-good vibe of victory re-entered the bloodstream of a patient that was reeling from the selection committee's diagnosis on the evening of March 15. The NIT blues melted away in State College, as the Lions licked Rhode Island in the second round and then foiled Florida in last Tuesday's quarterfinals.
 
This is the strangely satisfying twist that has marked the past few weeks in the life of Penn State basketball: What had been a devastating NCAA snub has become an NIT opportunity of considerable proportions. It's true that an early-round NIT loss makes a season miserable for any team that once harbored high hopes of an NCAA invite, but when a team can get to New York and play big-city basketball for a championship trophy, the sting of Selection Sunday doesn't feel so bad anymore. Facts are facts, and Penn State--who reached the 1998 NIT title game before losing to Minnesota--is playing for its first NIT or NCAA basketball championship in America's largest metropolitan area. An invitation to the NCAAs would have meant more to the program, beyond any possible doubt, but an NIT title would come very close in terms of boosting basketball in Happy Valley.
 
With this backdrop as prelude, how are the Nittany Lions going to knock off a Notre Dame team that began the season in everyone's top 20 and beat Louisville by 33 points on Feb. 12? It all starts with Cornley.
 
Penn State's warrior in the trenches shrugged off a shoulder injury to lead the Blue and White to their quarterfinal conquest of Florida. With that said, the Gators played that game without their starting center, making it easier for Cornley to operate near the rim. When he takes on the Fighting Irish, Cornley will receive the daunting task of containing Notre Dame standout Luke Harangody, a young man who is very much a beast from the Big East.
 
Coach Mike Brey's team possesses numerous offensive weapons, but the fortunes of Notre Dame rise and fall with the performance of Harangody, a muscular but agile 6-foot-8 post player who can leave the paint to stick mid-range jumpers. Up against the likes of Connecticut center Hasheem Thabeet and Pittsburgh big man DeJuan Blair, Harangody still managed to average 24 points and 12 rebounds per game, stamping himself as an NBA-ready force who will command a sizeable paycheck before too long. Cornley can't expect to shut down Harangody, much as North Carolina couldn't expect to smother Oklahoma's Blake Griffin in Sunday's South Regional final; what Penn State's anchor in the low post must do, however, is make Harangody work very hard for his points and challenge shots so that the Irish don't find a groove on offense.
 
If Harangody runs wild, Penn State will have to help on defense, and that will leave the Nittany Lions vulnerable to Notre Dame's long-distance shooting. Guard Kyle McAlarney--much like Penn State star Talor Battle--possesses parking-lot range, and can hit 3-pointers from anywhere on the court. Notre Dame forward Ryan Ayers can also knock down triples and put defenses at the mercy of a shooting gallery. Cornley can't hope to limit Harangody's point total, but he can prevent the Irish from gaining improved spacing in their halfcourt sets. As long as Notre Dame's supporting cast is contained, Penn State can allow Harangody to rack up gaudy numbers. That, in a nutshell, expresses the challenges PSU faces at the defensive end of the court.

 
On offense, the dynamics are slightly different. Whereas Penn State needed to exploit Florida's lack of power near the basket, the Nittany Lions will need to score the ball from the perimeter against the Fighting Irish. Battle will encounter a tough counterpart in Notre Dame guard Tory Jackson, but on an overall level, the squad from South Bend has not been terribly tenacious on defense. Brey, a former assistant to Mike Krzyzewski at Duke, has watched his ballclub cough up an average of 71 points per game this season, a telling sign that Notre Dame can be carved up by skilled offensive players. Penn State has those pieces, especially in light of the bench production provided during this NIT run by the likes of Chris Babb, Jeff Brooks, and David Jackson. With the same blended and balanced scoring that they've received in their first three NIT wins, the Nittany Lions should rack up a fourth victory and move to Thursday night's championship game against Baylor or San Diego State.
 
It's all about opportunity now. The NCAA snub is a distant memory, and the hardwood heroes of Happy Valley are playing for a championship. With determined defense from Jamelle Cornley and precision shooting from the perimeter, this passionate Penn State outfit can play its way into April. No, they're not going to be in Detroit for that "other" Final Four, but the Nittany Lions have a lot to play for in the city that never sleeps. Ed DeChellis can only hope that Notre Dame will be put to bed... unlike his own team's very special season.

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