BLACKSBURG, Va. -- They're conceited.

And you know why.

Those two lines are just a small part of a Lady Lions pre-game chant brimming with the confidence some might see as just plain arrogance.

Who exactly is this team? Surely this is not the Penn State women's basketball team that fans have been watching all year.

That team is much too mello and poised to bellow a chant about how the Lady Lions are better, work harder and play stronger than their opponent.

But as the Lions have shown this weekend, there is more than meets the eye with this team.

For a team that has dutifully referred to its goals at every opportunity, to the point of nauseum, the Penn State women have seemed remarkably loose and relaxed, exhibiting almost a kind of playful enthusiasm. It's the kind of swagger characteristic of an elite team -- the kind of team Penn State is working hard to become.

One and done during the NCAA tournament? The Lions aren't thinking that way.

"I haven't thought this could be my last game," senior guard Kelly Mazzante said. "I have a lot of confidence in this team."

Confidence might explain why these Lions have been so strangely light hearted.

Take Saturday's open practice, for example. Normally a practice led by Penn State women's basketball coach Rene Portland is intense. Maybe not Bobby Knight intense, but Portland knows what she wants to accomplish and generally does things her way.

But Saturday was a different story. It looked like a mid-week, local youth basketball clinic. Portland smiled a lot, looking as though she was enjoying the experience of being a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament. On a fast break drill, someone threw an errant pass over Reicina Russell's head, causing the freshman to trip. The other player laughed.

Several times, the players chucked up half-court shots as if they were having, well, fun. They even made three.

Portland said a relaxed atmosphere can be a good thing, at times.

"I'll be totally honest with you, I don't read this team well," Portland said. "Sometimes, they look focused before a game and they play out of their heads. Other games, they look so loose before the game and they play our of their head."

For right now, Penn State seems to be trying to enjoy itself, but things will get more serious if the squad advances.

It's one thing to say you're conceited, and another to show everybody why.

Notes: Recina Russell will return to the Penn State starting lineup tonight after coming off the bench against Hampton. Russell didn't start for disciplinary reasons ... Virginia Tech's Carrie Mason was a teammate of both Jess Strom and Tanisha Wright when the trio played for an AAU team in the Pittsburgh area ... Portland said she is not happy with the NCAA guidelines for the predetermined sites. Portland was unhappy with the Lions being forced to travel because Temple, one of the teams given a host site, received an 11-seed.