Jan. 29, 2010
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.; Jan. 29, 2010 - The Nittany Lion basketball team's 2001 NCAA Tournament upset of No. 5-ranked North Carolina will re-air Monday, February 1 at 8:00 p.m. (ET) on the Big Ten Network. The game will air as part of the Big Ten Network's Greatest Games series.
Widely considered one of the greatest victories in Penn State basketball history, Penn State was led by guards Joe Crispin and Titus Ivory who posted 21 points each and forward Gyasi Cline-Heard who added 19 at the Superdome in New Orleans. The second round win in the NCAA South Region sent Penn State to the Sweet 16 for the first time in more than 45 years. The Nittany Lions grabbed 18 steals and forced 22 Tar Heel turnovers as current Big Ten Network broadcaster Jon Crispin held Tar Heel leading score Joe Forte to just six points.
Large underdogs, No. 7 seed Penn State fell behind a No. 2 seeded Tar Heel team that featured the ACC Player of the Year in Forte, current NFL All-Pro Julius Peppers, Jason Capel, 7-footer Brendan Hayward and multi-sport star Ronald Curry. Penn State used a 14-1 run to take a nine-point lead at the 15:02 mark of the second half only to see North Carolina retake the lead, 68-64, with 5:27 to play. The Lions outscored the Heels 18-6 over the final five minutes to grab the six-point victory
-NITTANY LIONS-