Nittany Lion basketball: 'They are just not as good this year'

The Blue Band blared away while those in attendance danced, clapped and cheered. The Nittany Lion bolted around the floor and muffled his ears. Little kids wore blue-and-white faces. Big kids did, too. Cheerleaders cheered. Vendors sold food. The announcer announced. The front-row fans made their list of curses to spit at Bobby Knight.

The Hoosiers, dressed in their classic cream and crimson circus-like uniforms, were given a cold-hearted greeting. Coach Knight was given a colder one. "The General," as they call him, received anything but a patriotic welcome. The Hoosier-haters were in full form.

The crowd was lively and boisterous as if Penn State were a top-ranked team. And when the Lions took an early 6-3 lead, the cheering gave the impression of a blowout. The crowd wore the nostalgia on its faces, pennants, hats and signs. They remembered how the Lions embarrassed the Hoosiers last year in The Bryce Jordan Center.

Yesterday's game began in similar fashion to last year's. But, in the end, it was very different.

The matchup was different. The last time Indiana came to Happy Valley, Penn State held a No.11 ranking and were looking to claim sole possession of first place in the Big Ten. This year, the Lions were looking to stay out of the cellar.

Most different was the center itself. An arena filled to the brim last season was anything but packed yesterday -- unless lots of fans were disguised as empty seats.

And where was the cowbell man?

The crowd's favorite cheerleader, who used to rock the center with uplifting cowbell chords, was nowhere to be found. At one time, he represented all the unbridled energy that fans gave to a Lion team on the rise.

Perhaps, he too, is a fair-weather fan.

Just when the basketball game turned into reality, the image of this matchup followed. Indiana rebounded from an early deficit to take a 14-point half-time lead and eventually put the Lions away for good in the second half. All of a sudden, things really weren't similar to last season at all.

The campus was quieter. The emotion was ephemeral. The talk of the town was the Super Bowl, not how much Lion Country hated Knight.

"I saw how campus was (last year) and it was a lot different," said Scott Bohrer (freshman-political science). "It was packed with people yelling and screaming. Now, it seems like everyone expects us to lose."

And when reality reared its ugly head, and the expected set in, even the die-hards had to be honest.

"They are just not as good this year," said Jason Cooper (sophomore-biochemistry). "Bobby Knight had his team prepared. We hate him, but he's a great coach."

The Blue Band rattled out Aretha Franklin's hit "Respect." But Indiana wasn't giving any and Penn State didn't deserve it. The empty seats behind both baskets were the tell-tale sign.

"Last year, I noticed every seat was full," said Garth Espigh (junior-kinesiology). "It seems like the fans aren't backing the team as much as they should."

That's the stark reality. That's why the Lions, now 1-6 in the Big Ten, aren't filling the center. That's why people filed out early. That's why a game against Indiana wasn't sold out.

It's also why last year's Indiana game draws no comparisons.