Prior to taking on West Virginia on March 1, the men's basketball team honored its seniors. Tribute was paid to the foursome which Coach Bruce Parkhill calls the "cornerstone" of the team's success.

And when that game ended in a 71-61 loss, Brian Allen, Christian Appleman, Bruce Blake and Tom Hovasse figured they had played their final contest at Rec Hall.

But thanks to a strong finish to a 19-11 season, the Lions are in the National Invitation Tournament and, better still, will host Murray State at 7:30 tonight in a first-round matchup at Rec Hall. The game is a milestone in Coach Bruce Parkhill's six-year tenure; the realization of preseason goals.

"It's gratifying to have it happen," Parkhill said. "We kind of thought the last two years we were in a position for it to happen. I feel good about it. I'd say from a personal standpoint it's very gratifying."

A raucous crowd similar to the one at Rutgers last Thursday (where Penn State lost to the Scarlet Knights in the conference championship game) would also be gratifying to the coach and his players.

"We sure hope that we will get a nice crowd for it," Parkhill said. "I think it's a great opportunity for the fans to come out and show support. We'd like to generate an enthusiasm that could carry over into future years."

Tickets for the game still are available and will be sold until game time at the Rec Hall ticket office and during the day at the Beaver Stadium ticket office. Tickets will also be sold today at the HUB from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and at Findlay dining hall from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Student tickets are $6 and adult tickets are $10.

Had they won that championship game last Thursday, the Lions would be preparing for a game in the NCAA tournament. Despite some lingering disappointment, the players have come to terms with the task at hand.

"We had a bad practice (Monday)," Hovasse said, "probably because we weren't totally focused. It was better (yesterday). I think we realize what we have to do."

For the Lions to win tonight, Hovasse can't get into foul trouble. Last Thursday, Hovasse and fellow forward Blake were sidelined with fouls. Hovasse picked up his fourth with 13:49 remaining.

"We can't worry about that," Hovasse said. "We've just got to play our game. We haven't been in foul trouble too much (this season)."

Added to the foul problems was an injury to forward Dave Degitz. The freshman suffered a scratched eye and vision problems after being plowed by an airborne Tom Savage in the second half of Thursday's game. However, Parkhill said he has practiced and should play tonight.

Parkhill also said Allen took "a nasty shot to the head" in Monday's practice and is questionable for tonight's game. The senior did practice yesterday.

While Murray State may not be a school synonymous with Top 20 basketball, it is a formidable opponent. The Racers were narrowly defeated by last year's national champ Kansas, 61-58, in the second round of the NCAA tournament. They boast a powerful one-two punch in Jeff Martin and Don Mann.

A probable first-round NBA draft pick, the 6-6 Martin is "definitely the best shooting forward we've seen all year," Parkhill said.

Mann, a Spud-Webb-sized point guard, also has what Parkhill called "beyond 3-point range."

Since the NIT pairing were announced Sunday evening, the coaches have encountered some difficulties in getting information on the Racers.

"That's been a bit of a struggle," Parkhill said. "We did receive some films (yesterday). Until then, all we could do was get some information by phone (Sunday), so that has been a bit of a problem."

Parkhill compared the Racers favorably with season opponents such as Florida State, West Virginia, Rutgers and Temple.

"As far as the offensive end of the floor is concerned, they're about as good as anybody we play," Parkhill said. "I think offensively they're certainly as good as anybody in our league."

While this marks the Lions' first postseason bid since 1980, they aren't satisfied with just the invitation. Murray State, however, has an advantage in experience with last year's NCAA tourney under its belt.

"We've tried to impress upon the guys on the team that 'Let's not be happy with just getting here.' Obviously we're happy to be here, but let's try to make something out of it," Parkhill said.

"We're a team that hasn't been there before, and sometimes that can be a problem. Murray State was in the NCAA last year. They've been in the tournament before; they know how to block out distractions. I'm not sure our guys do. So that's really been our main concern."