April 2, 2009
UNIVERSITY PARK, PA., April 2, 2009 - When the Nittany Lion basketball team (26-11) takes the floor at 7:00 p.m. tonight to face the Baylor Bears (24-14) in the National Invitation Tournament Championship in Madison Square Garden it might feel more like Happy Valley East. More than 36 fan buses are scheduled to embark for New York City Thursday, most carrying the more than 2,000 Penn State students that purchased tickets for the game.
A vocal and enthusiastic throng took over The Garden on Tuesday night in support of Penn State's 67-59 victory over Notre Dame in the semifinals. That group, which filled The Garden with chants of "We are...Pen State," was ferried to the "World's Greatest Arena" on 20 buses and was composed of fewer than 1,200 students. The white clad "Nittany Nation" expected to invade The Garden on Thursday blew through Penn State's original allotment of 1,200 student tickets by noon on Wednesday prompting the University to quickly secure more and organize 28 student buses headed east. The student-sale total eclipsed 2,000 tickets by 5:00 p.m. Wednesday evening. The Penn State Alumni Association, Penn State Athletics staff, Nittany Lion Hoops Club, Penn State Blue Band and Penn State cheerleaders among others also have buses destined for Thursday's NIT final.
Penn State's student buses are set to depart the Bryce Jordan Center at noon on Thursday and will arrive at approximately 4:30 p.m. on the 31st street side of Madison Square Garden between 7th and 8th avenue where they will disembark a mobile sound machine intent on bringing the Penn State Whiteout to The Garden and helping the Nittany Lions deliver their first ever national tournament title in men's basketball.
Thursday's game tips off at 7:00 p.m. live on ESPN. Penn State's ticket allotment it sold out. Remaining tickets may be purchased through Madison Square Garden or through Ticketmaster.com.
Penn State will be playing its first-ever game in the month of April and seeking the program's first-ever national tournament title in the Nittany Lions second NIT final appearance. Penn State also reached the final in 1998 before falling to Minnesota, 72-70.
Seniors Jamelle Cornley, Danny Morrissey, Stanley Pringle and Will Leiner will be playing their last games in a Penn State uniform as they complete the program's longest season ever in the 38th game of the year. Penn State began their long march in August with a four-game exhibition trip in Toronto, Canada. The long season seems to have only made Penn State stronger as they are playing their best basketball at the right time averaging 74.5 ppg in the NIT and getting large contributions up and down the bench. None was bigger than sophomore Andrew Jones' career-best 16-point, 15-rebound double-double in the Lions 67-59 semifinal victory over Notre Dame on Tuesday. Jones is averaging 11.0 ppg and 9.3 ppg in the NIT.
Baylor has won seven of its last eight games entering the NIT final and ran over San Diego State, 76-62, in their semifinal game. Curtis Jerrells had 25 points in that game ad LaceDarius Dunn added 23 on 6-of-9 from three. The two guards have led Baylor in scoring this season and Jerrells owns over 1,800 career points to rank among the top three all-time at Baylor. The Bears reached the Big 12 Tournament final after downing Kansas in the quarterfinals and Texas in the semifinals.
Penn State will return to State College following the game and is expected to arrive back at the Bryce Jordan Center at approximately 2:30 a.m. Friday morning.