Location University Park, PA Student section Legion Of Blue Head coach Pat Chambers Conference Big Ten Conference Colors Blue, White | Nickname Nittany Lions Home Away Arena/Stadium Bryce Jordan Center Division Division I (NCAA) | |
University Pennsylvania State University Profiles | ||
The Penn State Nittany Lions basketball team is a NCAA Division I college basketball team representing the Pennsylvania State University. They are a member of the Big Ten Conference and play home games at the 15,261-seat Jordan Center, moving there from boisterous Rec Hall during the 1995–96 season. Their student cheering section is known as The Legion of Blue.
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The program has nine NCAA tournament appearances with its best finish coming in 1954, reaching the Final Four. Its most recent appearance was in 2011, when the team lost to the Temple Owls in the round of 64. The program also has 10 appearances in the National Invitation Tournament, with the most recent being in 2009, when they beat Baylor to win the NIT championship.
In the shadow of football
At a school where the football program captures the vast majority of media and fan interest, the basketball program has historically struggled for relevance. According to ESPN.com writer and Penn State graduate Dana O'Neil,
In O'Neil's view, the "stepchild" status of the program was most starkly illustrated by the last weeks of the 2010–11 season. The team normally practices at a dedicated facility within the Jordan Center. However, for nearly a week in February, while the team was making a run for an NCAA at-large bid, Bon Jovi took over the entire BJC—including the practice facilities—for rehearsals for their upcoming concert tour, which opened at the BJC. The following week, the team was evicted from the BJC for a career fair and for the Penn State IFC/Panhellenic Dance Marathon. On both occasions, the team was forced to practice at the nearby Intramural Building, a facility normally used by Penn State's volleyball teams. Although retrofitted with basketball hoops, the space left much to be desired. Multiple holes for volleyball net stanchions had to be taped over. During the Bon Jovi rehearsals, the hoops had been visibly lower than regulation height. While this error was corrected the following week, one of the hoops remained visibly misaligned.
NCAA tournament results
The Nittany Lions have appeared in the NCAA Tournament nine times. Their combined record is 9–11.
NIT results
The Nittany Lions have appeared in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) ten times. Their combined record is 22–9. They were NIT champions in 2009.
CBI results
The Nittany Lions have appeared in the College Basketball Invitational (CBI) one time. Their record is 1–1.