Starting tomorrow, Allen Street will be known as Lady Lion Drive.

In an effort to generate excitement for the upcoming NCAA women's basketball tournament, State College Borough Council agreed last night to temporarily supplement the names of four downtown roads with the names of the teams competing this coming weekend.

The first and second rounds of the tournament will be played at the Bryce Jordan Center on March 23 and 25.

The temporary street names will be in place for the week prior to the tournament and removed the day after it ends, said Mark Whitfield, director of public works for the borough.

Hiester Street, will be renamed Crusader Way, Garner Street will become Moccasin Avenue, Pugh Street will turn into Gamecock Boulevard and Allen Street will be renamed Lady Lion Drive.

The new signs will only be placed along College Avenue and will hang below the current signs in order to avoid blocking the actual street names, he said.

Loren Crispell, the university's assistant director of marketing, said the signs will cost $15 each and will be paid for by the Penn State athletic department.

The idea for temporarily changing the street names came from last year's Big Ten basketball tournament in Indianapolis, he said.

During the tournament the names of that city's downtown streets were briefly changed for each of the teams competing in the event, he said.

"It really does get you thinking about basketball," he said. "It really helps to create a buzz about the event."

Crispell said the signs helped generate an atmosphere of excitement last year -- a feeling he hopes to reproduce for the games in State College.

"Our goal is to make this not just two days of competition, but a week-long event," he said.

The signs downtown will remind people it is not just a campus event, but a community event, he said.

Crispell said the women's basketball program is at a critical point -- it has started to gain serious recognition among other schools.

"This is really just a small step in keeping the ball rolling," he said. "It's a great program and it's got a great presence in the community."

Local restaurants have also agreed to help with the tournament festivities.

The Corner Room, 100 W. College Ave., has agreed to act as a central meeting place where teams can get together for photo opportunities with fans, Crispell said.

This is the first time there has ever been a request by the university to change street names for an upcoming event, Whitfield said.

Members of council were in favor of supplementing team names for street names. "I'm a long time Lady Lion basketball fan," said council member Tom Daubert. "I think it's a great idea. What could it hurt?"