Every college basketball fan at Penn State expected an NCAA tournament appearance this season.

That is what their leader, fourth-year head coach Ed DeChellis, was proclaiming a possibility. The players, Geary Claxton, Jamelle Cornley and Danny Morrissey, seemed to have the way mapped out in front of them.

Clean up during the out-of-conference schedule and finish above .500 in the Big Ten and believers would be rewarded for their loyalty this postseason. Win a game or two in the conference tournament, and they could not be denied.

Nittwits were doing more than just drinking the Kool-Aid, they were confidently asking, "Are you in?"

Now, the Penn State men's basketball team is 1-5 in the Big Ten. It's hard to get "in" with that.

The Nittany Lions would have to finish 7-3 this season to finish with a .500 record in-conference. What a monumental challenge for a team that plays No. 3 Wisconsin and No. 5 Ohio State four times in this stretch-run for mediocrity.

A win, period, seems hard to fathom as this five-game losing streak roars on and the bandwagon riders continue to leap off the back. They don't want to become too far off from the Penn State football-2007 National Champions train bulleting past.

Yes, maybe this team's first mistake was masquerading itself around as a NCAA tournament contender, especially after losses to Stony Brook and Southeastern Louisiana. This team can't give up on this season, though, and staying positive is an admirable virtue.

Stubbornness by loyal fans, that's called being a Philadelphian.

It would be a good idea to throw something out there to put this all in perspective. Penn State was 26 games under .500 (16-42) in DeChellis' first two seasons as head coach.

It takes more than just a 15-15 season and an NIT berth to turn the corner to respectability, especially when you lose your best leader, and not to mention second-leading scorer, Travis Parker.

What did you expect a squad whose two most frequent free throw shooters, Claxton with 110 attempts, and Cornley with 91, are also two of the team's worst at the line? Claxton hits 60 percent, while Cornley hits at a more Shaq-like 55 percent.

"Off with his head," they might shout toward DeChellis, the one who recruited these players and was charged with the task of molding their untapped talent. Michigan State coach Tom Izzo would be the first to valiantly leap to his friend's defense.

"I have big empathy for Eddy. One of the great guys," Izzo said after his Spartans dismantled the Lions, 91-64. "He's what basketball is all about. He is doing a good job. He's just, you know, they're one more recruiting class and a few players away from being real good."

One more year, Izzo said. That is not something anyone wants to hear, but it might be good for your sanity as you watch the rest of this season transpire.

"Rubbish," the masses might say, unwilling to pour anymore of their enthusiasm into this team. But, please, listen as Izzo would go on to say the most telling words of all.

Izzo, an 11-year Big Ten vet with four Final Four appearances and one national championship, said that players like Claxton, Cornley, Morrissey and much-improved big man Brandon Hassell could "play on any Big Ten team."

That wasn't something you could say about a Penn State basketball player every year. Maybe everyone got a little too excited a little bit too fast. A few years ago, the Lions were so short on players that DeChellis and his coaching staff doubled as a scout team.

Next year, four freshmen will fill out a not-so-deep bench. Redshirts Andrew Jones and David "D.J." Jackson can finally realize their potential alongside much anticipated recruits Talor Battle and Jeff Brooks.

Battle is fast, something unheard of in the Penn State backcourt, and Brooks was recruited by, you basketball fans should be familiar with this guy, Rick Pitino and Louisville.

The youth movement will combine with Claxton, who will be a senior, and Cornley, who will be entrenched as this team's leader. Morrissey will be two years removed from a knee injury. Some of those bench players might prove ready for the spotlight.

A year later than you expected, it should all come together. Penn State can become a football and basketball school. DeChellis could be remembered forever in State College lore.

Next year, if Penn State is 1-5 in the Big Ten, you will have every right to burn down the ranch.