Linton's day, Lions' demise

CHICAGO -- One look at the Penn State locker room told the entire story after yesterday's 52-51 loss to Wisconsin in the first round of the Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament.

Titus Ivory lay on the floor, with a towel covering his face. Some players slammed and kicked things, while others just stared straight ahead, their faces full of disbelief. The Nittany Lion assistant coaches stood in the hall trying to figure out what they had just witnessed.

The improbable had happened. The tenth-seeded Badgers had just knocked off the Nittany Lions, the No. 7 seed. But it wasn't just the upset that was hard to fathom, it was the way it happened -- on a 9-foot jumper from freshman Maurice Linton with 3.7 seconds left to play.

"I think it was our game to win or lose," Lion point guard Joe Crispin said, "and we lost it."

While the Penn State locker room felt like a funeral, the Wisconsin locker room was more like a festival. Players laughed, joked and yelled for joy. Something the Badgers haven't been able to do in a long time while suffering a 11-game conference losing streak.

"It was a thrilling victory," Wisconsin coach Dick Bennett said. "We've toiled through plenty this year to get this win."

Linton also has done his share of toiling -- on the bench that is. The game against Penn State was only the third start for the 6-foot-8 freshman and Bennett must be kicking himself that he didn't discover this treasure earlier. Against Michigan last Saturday, Linton scored 15 points on 6 of 8 shooting. Yesterday he had 12 points, but it wasn't the quantity but the quality of his points that helped the Badgers.

Leading 51-50, Penn State called a timeout with 27 seconds left in the game. Wisconsin took the in-bounds pass and moved up the floor looking for their leading scorer Sean Mason, who finished with 17, but he was closely guarded. The ball ended up in Linton's hands and he drove, spun and nailed a jumper in the face of Lion guard Pete Lisicky.

"It feels great," Linton said, "especially after the beginning of the season I had."

The beginning of the season saw Linton watch seven games from the bench, never getting in. He also was held scoreless in six games in which he did see time.

All of this made his last-second shot that much sweeter. As he entered the locker room, the emotion hit him like a Mack truck. He began to cry and said to himself, "Yes, it's about time."

Linton said he and his teammates were inspired by a fax they received yesterday. On it, an ESPN-affiliate had already scheduled Penn State to play Illinois today in the second round.

But, it will be the Badgers who face the Fighting Illini tonight to the surprise of many people, including the Lions.