Prior to last season, ranked teams had little trouble walking out of the Bryce Jordan Center with victories.
That all changed Feb. 2, 2008.
For the first time since beating Illinois on Jan. 31, 2001, the Penn State men's basketball team beat a ranked team at home when then-No. 8 Michigan State left State College with an 85-76 loss.
Tonight at 6:30, the No. 7 Spartans return to Happy Valley trying to avenge that loss.
"They're looking for revenge," sophomore forward Jeff Brooks said. "I really think they came in thinking they were just going to mop the floor with us, but we came out and played our game and beat them. So hopefully they come out with the same fire that we do [tonight] and it'll be a great game."
Michigan State did get revenge a few weeks later, when the Spartans rolled past the Nittany Lions 86-49 in East Lansing, Mich. But this will be their first visit back to Penn State.
Penn State's win in the first meeting started what is now a three-game home winning streak against ranked opponents. The Lions finished off the 2008 season with a victory over Indiana, and the streak continued last Tuesday against Purdue.
"They feel comfortable playing here; they feel confident," Penn State coach Ed DeChellis said. "I think when the students come out it's been a great home court for us, a great venue."
Pulling off an upset for the second year in a row will require dealing with one of the hottest teams in the nation.
Since a Dec. 3 dismantling at the hands of North Carolina at Ford Field, Michigan State has rattled off nine consecutive wins -- including convincing wins against Ohio State and Kansas last week.
Minnesota's depth troubled Penn State last game, and Michigan State boasts similar talent off the bench.
"We're still trying to develop our identity and our rotation with [Delvon] Roe and [Goran] Suton missing some playing time because of injuries and different things," Michigan State associate head coach Mark Montgomery said in a teleconference Monday.
"But this past weekend we played 10 or 11 guys and we're still trying to finalize who's gonna come off the bench and give us what."
Regardless of whom Montgomery and Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo throw onto the court, the Lions are hoping they'll have to deal with a raucous atmosphere at the Jordan Center.
A crowd of 11,159 came out for last year's upset, and Brooks wants to see an even larger crowd for what will likely be the top-ranked visitor of the season.
"Hopefully we'll come out with some fire ready to play [tonight]," Brooks said, "And everybody will be here with the same fire that we have, pumping us up for the game."
