As the final buzzer sounded, exhausted Penn State fans exited Rec Hall amazed at what had just progressed, yet distraught over the way it ended. Afterwards, the gym floor was covered with a multitude of blue-and white pom-pom remains which had been voraciously waved in vain.

In the empty gym, this litter of broken hope remained. It remained with the determination the Lions displayed. It remained with the respect they earned. And it layed with the heart they had left behind.

Difference is, you can sweep away the garbage. But what the Lions proved against Indiana can never be taken away.

The morning boxscores simply read Indiana 88, Penn State 84. But never could they explain the way Penn State, a team with only one Big Ten win, pushed the No. 1 team in the nation to the ledge.

"People see the final score," Michael Jennings said, "but they don't see what happens during the game."

They didn't see: Jennings leave his slump in the lockerroom and play the most sensational game of his career. His transition to point guard has been difficult and the players he has been pitted against have compounded the situation. But not Tuesday night, not against Indiana.

"Sometimes a Greg Graham doesn't understand that a Jennings is just as good as he is," Coach Bobby Knight said afterwards. "Tonight Jennings was better."

They didn't see: the way Penn State patiently worked its offense, refusing to be rushed by the Indiana pressure. The Lions moved the ball, they kept Indiana's defense rotating, they forced the Hoosiers to make mistakes.

Coverage mistakes lead to open men, and the Lions capitalized, hitting shots as if they were shooting through a hoola-hoop. Jennings --8 of 13. DeRon Hayes -- 8 of 16. Rahsaan Carlton -- 5 of 7. Yes, the Lions outshot the Hoosiers 48 percent to 45.

They didn't see: Bruce Parkhill make swift, effective adjustments to keep the Hoosier offense in check. Early on, the Lions played the zone after scoring and the man-to-man after a miss. But Parkhill quickly decided to nix the man-to-man and stick to the zone.

The Hoosiers tried to ease the zone with plenty of shots, but came away with only plenty of misses.

"They weren't hitting the (jump shot) in the first half," Jennings said. "But everybody hits their shots at the end against us. Why, I don't know."

They didn't see: the emotion. The crowd. The noise. The composure. Penn State took things to the hilt.

"We just didn't match Penn State's intensity and I don't think we matched the way they played," Knight said.

They didn't see: the future in the form of Rahsaan Carlton and John Amaechi. Carlton wanted the ball, he wanted to shoot. Only a freshman, and he scored 14 points in 16 minutes against Indiana.

And then there's Amaechi, the most improved player in the Big Ten this season, according to Knight. The sophomore went to the hoop strong, he shot the jumper soft. When Alan Henderson fouled out, Amaechi stepped up.

"John Amaechi is just doing a fabulous job," Parkhill said.

They didn't see: a Lion team with nothing to lose pick a fight with the biggest bully on the playground . . . and land a few good punches in the process.

"These guys are real young," Jennings said of his teammates. "They don't know what to expect. They just go out there and play hard."

They didn't see: Penn State do itself proud.

Notes:

-- Bruce Parkhill received an apology on his answering machine last night from Richard Falk, Big Ten assistant commisioner. Falk and referee Sam Lickliter agreed that the questionable offensive foul called on Greg Bartram with 17.3 seconds left in regulation was indeed a mistake. Clearly, Indiana's Chris Reynolds was the jersey-grabbing culprit, Falk said. But Bartram blocked Lickliter's view on the play.

-- In a six-minute postgame news conference, choir-boy Bobby Knight managed to use the Lord's name in vain four times, averaging a swear every 1.5 minutes.

-- Chatting with ESPN's Bill Rafferty before the game, Knight was asked what Penn State had to do to earn respect.

"My answer was this," Knight said. "These people have done a great job with basketball here. To have four 20-win seasons is a tremendous accomplishment."