Big Ten: The Fall of the Penn State Nittany Lions

Despite showing supremacy in their non-conference slate, the Penn State Nittany Lions’ season has turned into a complete and utter disaster. What went wrong?

Following a 77-81 overtime loss to the Iowa Hawkeyes on February 28, Penn State saw their morale diminish and their conference record drop to a putrid 3-13 (now 3-14 following Wednesday’s loss to Ohio State). With 30 seconds left on the clock in overtime and the Lions a single point down, leading scorer D. J. Newbill targeted Geno Thorpe for the in-bounds pass. But instead of connecting with Newbill’s teammate, the ball found itself in the hands of Iowa’s Aaron White, who recorded his first steal of the night.

While it was one of the Nittany Lions’ best overall performances in weeks, head coach Patrick Chambers merely said after the game, “I feel bad for these kids. They played their hearts out today…some of the stuff that happens to us is just amazing.” And although brief, it was an accurate summary of the second half of his team’s season.

Feb 28, 2015; University Park, PA, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions head coach Patrick Chambers reacts to a call during the first half against the Iowa Hawkeyes at Bryce Jordan Center. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O

To be honest, PSU was never really a powerhouse men’s basketball program. The Nittany Lions had their last winning season against Big Ten foes in 2009, when Talor Battle led his team to an NIT championship under the leadership of Ed DeChellis. They made their sole appearance in an NCAA Tournament after the turn of the century in 2011, and have won no more than 15 games against Big Ten opponents since that season. Pat Chambers came into this year with serious aspirations, but all to no avail. He spoke on the situation in a weekly press conference that was conducted earlier this week:

"We thought we’d be fighting for an NCAA tournament, at least an NIT…the door’s closed on that one."

But what can we blame, if anything, for the adversity that has troubled Penn State this season?

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Tim Frazier brought a sense of variety into the Nittany Lions’ attack last year. But this time, it’s been all about D. J. Newbill, who is leading PSU’s offense for his third consecutive season. The senior is close to reaching the 2,000-point milestone, averaging a ridiculous 20.4 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 3.1 assists, and is defining himself as one of the most dominant scorers in school history.

Newbill may have proven that he’s one of the most well-rounded players in even the major leagues, but his team’s front court is what needs to be upgraded. Perhaps one could say that junior forward Brandon Taylor would be a solid big man for any college basketball team, but this is the Big Ten. When you’re in a conference that pits you against player the caliber of Naismith candidate Frank Kaminsky and Purdue’s 7-foot superstar A. J. Hammons, your record will speak for itself. And with Frazier gone, Chambers has even less talent to call on at the guard position.

Penn State coasted past their non-conference foes, with 12 wins and 1 loss (in double-overtime to the Charlotte 49ers), but conference season came as a slap in the face. Starting off with a six-game losing streak, it’s been more turbulent than ever. The Lions picked up their only Big Ten Ws against Rutgers, Nebraska, and Minnesota, all of whom have won under .500 of their league match-ups.

Remaining on the regular season slate for Penn State is just Minnesota after Wednesday’s loss to the Buckeyes of Ohio State. The team will want to part with Newbill on a high note, but even more importantly, Chambers will want to work on transforming stars-in-the-making, such as Geno Thorpe, into next year’s leaders.

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