VILLANOVA -- The Penn State basketball team's season ended here Monday night with a loss to Villanova and that's unfortunate because this season was special. In years past, the Lions were a nuisance, taking attention away from the traditional powers of college basketball. But this year Coach Bruce Parkhill elevated his program to the brink of the elite and it was exciting.

Even though the Lions lost to the Wildcats in round two of the National Invitation Tournament, they could not be disappointed with the 20-12 season, especially the last six weeks. Parkhill and his charges proved they could overcome difficult losses. Penn State was blown out at West Virginia, and instead of letting the loss linger, the team came right back to punish Rutgers. Earlier in the season, a two-point loss at Temple carried over into losses against Southern Illinois and Gonzaga.

Parkhill and his charges proved they could win big games. Witness the pounding the Lions administered to the Mountaineers in the Atlantic 10 Conference tournament and the first-round NIT win over Murray State.

Parkhill and his charges also proved they could win without one player leading the way. Ten different players, from Tom Hovasse to C.J. Johnson, scored in double figures at least once this season.

And with the improvement comes respect.

"I'm extremely impressed with Bruce and his program," Villanova coach Rollie Massimino said after his team outlasted Penn State by nine points. "He did a great job of preparing his team to play."

And Parkhill's matured right along with his program. He entered the media room after Monday's loss obviously pained by what happened, but handled himself with class. He answered every question with his head up and with candor, something he had trouble with in the past. Parkhill offered no excuses. "Villanova deserved to win," he said. "They played a great second half.

"But we've done something that a whole lot of people said we couldn't do," he said. "(Winning 20 games and getting into post-season play) is a great reward for our seniors and a motivating factor for the young players."

The Penn State players are a close group, which is another positive reflection on Parkhill.

"Looking back, we made great strides," Hovasse said. "When I came here, we were looking for post-season play and we reached it."

"I really feel bad for the seniors (Hovasse, Brian Allen, Bruce Blake, Christian Appleman) because they had a great year," freshman guard Freddie Barnes said. "They really helped the program a lot and I really wish we could have won it for them."

"It's been a great year, it really has," Parkhill said. "Maybe next year we can get some people thinking about basketball when football's over."

And even before that. Penn State Basketball is no longer the nuisance it once was.