After 20 minutes it was time to collect proof. Shortly after the Penn State men's basketball team shocked No. 6 Illinois, after the Nittany Lions' travelling party had celebrated both in front of cameras and in private, a student manager came back onto the court in Assembly Hall, camera in hand. The manager took pictures of the scoreboard, recording forever Penn State's 66-65 victory over the No. 6 team in the nation, the highest-ranked opponent the Lions have ever defeated on the road in the 110-year history of the program.

"Finally we got one," Penn State freshman Jamelle Cornley said. "Finally we got a ranked team...we wanted somebody big, and it was even bigger that it was on the road."

Calmly and patiently, the Lions (11-9, 3-6 Big Ten) clawed back into a game that looked ready to turn into a blowout at several junctures.

A fast break led by All-American Dee Brown was stopped in its tracks when Penn State guard Ben Luber stood in Brown's path, drawing the offensive foul. Two 16-point Illini leads early in the second half were answered by Penn State jumpers. Illinois began knocking down threes, and the Lions responded in kind.

"We were very resilient," Penn State coach Ed DeChellis said. "We just kept hanging in there and hanging in there."

Though the Lions have nine losses this season, the only three games in which they have been completely outclassed were the debacles at Pittsburgh, Ohio State and Wisconsin.

And, after weeks of saying that there had to be something more they could muster up in clutch situations, that there had to be a way, the Lions proved Saturday that there was, indeed, more they could do with the game on the line.

A switch to a 1-3-1 zone on defense forced Illinois out of its furious rhythm of quick passes to the interior, where tall, athletic scorers lurked. Penn State's normal 2-3 zone invites long-range shooters like Rich McBride (5-of-9 from beyond the arc) to fire at will, often providing open looks for offenses willing to make the extra pass.

But on this night the threes were not falling. The Illini fired 3-pointers at just a 33 percent clip, the lowest for a Penn State opponent since Purdue came to the Bryce Jordan Center on Jan. 18.

It wasn't just a poor shooting night for the Illini that triggered the upset.

The extra stop the Lions failed to make in games past? Try a dramatic eight-second defensive stand with the game on the line.

The extra rebound Penn State had previously failed to secure? How about a Travis Parker offensive board off a missed Mike Walker trey with 11 seconds remaining.

A few seconds later Parker hit the shot the Lions were not able to make in prior games. Factor in Penn State's ability to make more free throws than Illinois even attempted, an impressive nine turnovers against a solid defense and a 60 percent second half three-point percentage, and one can see the ingredients for what might be the biggest upset in college basketball this season.

"We needed a game, we needed a confidence builder, and this is obviously one that was very important for us," DeChellis said.

Now Penn State returns home for three games, and, if the Lions can put this confidence to good use, a win over slumping Minnesota on Wednesday might prove that DeChellis and Co. are not a group to be taken lightly.

The proof is on the scoreboard.