Penn State senior forward Jamelle Cornley has the right attitude towards tonight's game.
"Any time you are able to play for a championship, regardless of the circumstances, you really want to leave all that you have on the table," Cornley said.Cornley and the Nittany Lions (26-11) face off against the Baylor Bears at Madison Square Garden tonight at 7 PM. The Bears (24-14), who were left for dead after losing 10 of their final 12 games in the regular season, did enough in the Big XII Tournament to warrant a selection to the NIT. Beating top seed Kansas and then reaching the championship game will do that for ya. Now they're playing for a different kid of championship - a postseason one. Penn State has their sights set on that too.
Especially when your program has never won one.
They won't be alone. The university is sending
There are at least 33 buses leaving from State College carrying Penn State fans to New York today for the 2009 NIT Championship Game. (from PSUSportsMuseum's Twitter account)
Penn State needed a last second three from Talor Battle - and OT - to defeat George Mason in the opening round. Since then Penn State has been in control. They beat Rhode Island in the second round and then Florida, in Gainesville, to advance to the NIT Final Four. On Tuesday Penn State dominated Notre Dame for the first 30 minutes before the Irish mounted a comeback. Fortunately the Nittany Lions held on for the win.
Baylor, after gaining momentum from their Big XII Tournament run, opened the NIT as a three seed and beat Georgetown by two. They then went on the road to beat two see Virginia Tech and the one seed Auburn before vanquishing San Diego State in New York on Tuesday.
Each title game team is not known for its basketball. But each is making a name for themselves now, with bigger eyes towards the future.
Baylor, Penn State to meet for NIT title | Big Ten Newtork
NIT Final preview: Penn State vs. Baylor; Dave Jones a homer| William World News
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