Both Penn State basketball teams will be taking part in NCAA Tournament play this weekend. The Nittany Lions, making their first trip to the Big Dance in six years, are just happy to be there, while their female counterparts are entering the field of 64 with a slightly different outlook.

The Lady Lions (19-9), who made a surprising run to the NCAA Final Four a year ago, will be out to prove that they more closely resemble that team than the squad that lost its last two games. Penn State is the 6th seed in the East Region and will meet 11th-seeded Texas Christian (24-7) tomorrow at 7 p.m. EDT at the Thomas Assembly Center in Ruston, La.

The Lions have a history with Ruston as well as the team that calls the city its home, Louisiana Tech. Penn State spent the first two rounds of the 1999 NCAA Tournament in Ruston, defeating Virginia before losing to the host Lady Techsters. Last year the Lions upset top-seeded Tech in the Midwest Regional final in Kansas City on their way to Philadelphia.

Louisiana Tech, the East Region's No. 3 seed, will take on Georgia State in tomorrow's second game, setting up what could be another chapter of the storied PSU-La Tech rivalry.

As they have been doing all season, though, Penn State is taking things one game at a time, especially since the talented Lion freshman class is making its tournament debut.

"It's really exciting because we've never experienced anything like this before," freshman forward Jessica Brungo said. "It's a great opportunity for us and we're really excited about it."

Brungo and the Lions are also excited about getting back on the court for the first time since Penn State's abrupt exit in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament. Each of the Lions' last two games were losses to Michigan, but Penn State women's basketball coach Rene Portland is confident that her team will return to the form that kept it in among the Top 20 for the majority of the season.

"I think there's a lot of pride in these individuals," Portland said. "They know what work is all about, and they know they fell into a little lull at the end of the season. A lot of teams in the situation we were in during the last two weeks would be on vacation right now."

After the conference tournament, Portland said she was a bit down and not as optimistic about the Lions' chances for an NCAA berth as she was earlier in the year, but when Penn State's name came up Selection Sunday, a load was lifted from her shoulders.

"I didn't even look at the (opponent), I just started to smile," Portland said. "I thought to myself, 'We're in the NCAA Tournament, that's what it's all about.' "

The announcement sent Penn State assistant coach Annie Troyan scrambling for tape — the Lions have never played the Lady Frogs nor do they have any video footage from the Western Athletic Conference in their library.

TCU relies on a balanced scoring attack — five Frogs average at least 8.5 points per game — and perimeter shooting. TCU hit 237 three-pointers this season, 75 more than the Lions.

Penn State will counter with tournament experience, seasoned senior leaders in Maren Walseth and Lisa Shepherd, and National Freshman-of-the-Year Kelly Mazzante.

The Lions also benefited from a week's worth of pre-tournament practice. The experienced Portland will no doubt have them ready for tomorrow night.

"We definitely had a lot of intense practices, and we know this is it," Brungo said.

Because the Lions are not just happy to be dancing — they want to waltz out of Ruston with two wins this time.