Some would argue that there is no such thing as a “moral victory” in sports.
The Penn State men’s basketball program lent that notion some credence during the Hall of Fame Tip-Off in Connecticut this past weekend, Nov. 19 and 20.
Coach Pat Chambers spoke early and often in the offseason about a tough non-conference schedule. It was his thought that challenging his young team early and often would provide the team with some serious mettle for Big Ten play.
In that light, this weekend amounted to “mission accomplished.” Until it wasn’t.
The Hall of Fame Tip-Off started with Penn State vs. No. 1-ranked powerhouse Duke. A contest that many would have written off as a sure Penn State loss turned out to be a more competitive affair than the 78-68 score would indicate.
After trailing at the half 36-24, Penn State outscored the Blue Devils — albeit hampered by injuries — 44-42 in the second half to fuel the final margin. With 2:36 left to play, the Nittany Lions cut the lead to eight on the back of Shep Garner’s three-point basket.
From his vantage point, legendary Blue Devils coach Mike Krzyzewski sees the Nittany Lions as a program on the rise. ”That was a good win for us against a program that’s emerging,” he said.
After the game, Chambers comments made it clear he felt his team performed exactly how he wanted them to.
“We took another step today,” Chambers told reporters after the game. “We got better. And that’s our goal — just keep getting better. It’s a process that’s going to take some time, but we’re going to eventually get there.”
It might be wise for Chambers to take the long view, as his team laid an egg against No. 24 Cincinnati, losing 71-50 in the tournament’s consolation game the next day. Penn State was never in it, with the Bearcats using an 18-1 run early in the game to dash Penn State’s hopes.
Garner once again led Penn State with 20 points, but it was not enough to stop Penn State from falling to 2-3 on the year.
Overall, Chambers has to be pleased with the direction his team is heading. The Lions can pride themselves on having four scores in double figures through the season’s first five games, while a fifth is not far behind (Mike Watkins, 8.6 ppg).
Defense continues to plague the program, as the 14 turnovers against just 12 assists can attest. This propensity toward sloppy ball control can lead to runs like Cincinnati’s, and this team is not talented enough to consistently be forced to fight back against large deficits.
In the run-up to the season, the biggest question on many observers’ minds seemed to be who would be Garner’s wingman. Guard Tony Carr has stepped up to fill the role, averaging 14.8 points per game while logging 34.6 minutes per contest. The toughness that Chambers touted in Watkins has been seen, with the big man averaging 6.6 rebounds per game to go along with his 8.6 points per game.
All of this is served as evidence that Krzyzewski’s words may in fact be considered prophetic.
