Lions head to land of Buckeyes


Friday, Feb. 27, 1998	Lions head to land of Buckeyes By BRIAN COSTELLO Collegian Sports Writer One team comes in riding a wave of emotion, while the other is trying just to keep its head above water. That's the story line in tomorrow's game between Ohio State (8-20, 1-14 Big Ten) and Penn State (14-11, 7-8) at St. John Arena. Tip-off is scheduled for 8 p.m.
`Penn State Men's Basketball Home Page`	The Buckeyes ended their 17-game losing streak with a 61-56 victory over Wisconsin Wednesday. The Nittany Lions, on the other hand, came crashing back down to Earth, losing 77-61 to Michigan Wednesday. The loss deflated all hopes of Penn State getting an NCAA Tournament berth. "The whole reason now is playing for the postseason," said Penn State guard Pete Lisicky after the game Wednesday. "It would have been nice to have this win for the NCAAs."
Nittany Lion center Calvin Booth prepares to dunk the ball in a game against Illinois earlier this season. Penn State will try to gain some momentum into the Big Ten Tournament as it faces Ohio State tomorrow at 8 p.m. (Collegian Photo/Shawn Knapp - click for full size image)	Instead, the Lions are faced with the challenge of winning their final Big Ten regular season game to keep their NIT hopes alive. On the surface this may look like a much easier game for Penn State than their last two against No. 21 Michigan and then-No. 5 Purdue. But in reality, this could be one of the most dangerous teams the Lions play. For the Buckeyes, this is their last game in St. John Arena. Ohio State has played there since 1956 and the arena is sure to be filled with emotion and fans for a game that would usually have a lot of empty seats. The Buckeyes move into their new home, The Schottenstein Center, next year. This is not the first time the Lions have played guest for a team's farewell party to an arena this season. Penn State was Wisconsin's final opponent in The Field House back in January. The Lions are hoping tomorrow for a better outing than that one -- a 76-57 debacle. "It seems like every time we play it's somebody's final game," Penn State coach Jerry Dunn said. "I've had my fill of final games. We just have to prepare for Ohio State and don't worry about the ceremonies and hoopla." This also will be senior night for Ohio State's two seniors, Carlos Davis and Eric Hanna. Penn State hopes to do to the Bucks what Michigan did to its senior send-off -- ruin it.
`Ohio State Men's Basketball Home Page`	The Lions' goodbye to seniors Lisicky and Zack Walker wasn't exactly a storybook ending. The Wolverines dominated Penn State and held Lisicky to a season-low five points. Anything that could go wrong for the Lions did. While Wednesday was a low point for Penn State it was the high point for Ohio State, who finally got one in the win column against the Badgers. In that game, the Buckeyes had three players in double figures and forced Wisconsin to shoot 30 percent from the field. The last time these two teams met Penn State prevailed 90-81 after trailing Ohio State by 15 at the half. The Lions were led by Jarrett Stephens, who had 22 points. The Buckeyes were led by freshman sensation Michael Redd with 28.