THE DAILY NEWS would have to plead guilty if Penn State fans accused it of acting as if the campus dropped off the face of the Earth between the end of the football season and the start of spring practice.
In part, it is because with Drexel, La Salle, Penn, Saint Joseph's, Temple and Villanova all playing in the vicinity, there is plenty of college basketball to fill the sports section.
Another factor, however, falls on the Penn State basketball program.
Unlike the football team, Nittany Lions hoops hasn't produced a lot of reasons to inspire many caravan trips up to Happy Valley.
But this season, things seem a little bit different.
BigTenNetwork.com: Well, you got your first look at Penn State last night, and I'd say they looked pretty good, huh?
Gus Johnson: Oh, they did. They have such great balance and also have a lot of nice pieces. I think Jamelle Cornley has great leadership abilities, that's what you really have to like about him. He's also really strong and plays with a great ruggedness. His teammates follow him, he'll do whatever it takes to win the ball game. They were really, really, really fun to watch yesterday.
1. Big on the boards Penn State rebounds as aggressively as any team I've ever seen. They're not all that big, but they go after every miss as if their lives depend on it. They out-rebounded Purdue 22-6 on the offensive glass last night. This after they got Northwestern 19-1 in that same category last week.
They took 20 more shots than Purdue did in the FIRST HALF last night - 20 more shots! Rebounding like that can make up for any number of other flaws in your game. (Watch video highlights of this game now.)
There are two guys who really personify it for me -- Jamelle Cornley and Talor Battle.
I'm not sure I've ever seen anyone play like Cornley does at the pre-game shoot-around. Understand that shoot-arounds are typically more mental affairs than physical ones. They're generally held about six hours before the game and give the players a chance to get loose and the coaches a chance to run through game plans, out of bounds plays, etc.
It's rare to see anyone actually run at a shoot-around, the idea being that they're preserving their energy for the game. Well, Cornley shoots around like he plays and he's a man possessed. He huffs and puffs, slaps the ball when he misses a shot and generally looks like the fate of humanity rides on every practice shot he takes.
As for Battle, here's a kid who is 5-foot-11 and ranks 11th in the Big Ten in rebounding. Just shows that rebounding is less about how big you are than technique and desire.
The guy who really stood out on the glass for Penn State last night was Andrew Jones. He had six offensive boards at the first TV time-out, which matched what would be Purdue's total for the entire game. Ed DeChellis told me that he needs either Jones, Jeff Brooks or D.J. Jackson to step up for this team to really be successful.
Jones certainly took that to heart last night. DeChellis makes no bones about this team's goal -- they want to be in the NCAA tourney and if they keep putting forth the effort they have to this point, I believe they'll get there.
STATE COLLEGE - You don't look a gift Boiler in the mouth.
In the Big Ten, empathy is real. Everyone goes through the same road trips, hideous weather, illnesses, bad officiating breaks and injuries.
Empathy, sure. But sympathy? Nuh-uh.
The 14th-ranked Purdue Boilermakers came to the Jordan Center through an ice storm, missing two key cogs to injury -- their best player as well as their team captain -- for a late tip (9 p.m.) in front of a gathering of maybe 1,500 people. Not easy to get primed.
The Lions had no pity. They jumped on Purdue, scoring the game's first 14 points, then after relinquishing the lead midway in the second half, wore out the depleted visitors with some of their best defense and board work all year in a 67-64 win.
"After what we went through last year? No," said PSU point guard Talor Battle. "I feel bad for those guys who couldn't play. But our aim is the same -- to protect our home court."
THE DAILY NEWS would have to plead guilty if Penn State fans accused it of acting as if the campus dropped off the face of the Earth between the end of the football season and the start of spring practice.
