Earlier this season, Jamelle Cornley ran through a list of his goals.
Included on the list: beating Minnesota, Wisconsin and Ohio State -- the three Big Ten teams he'd never defeated.
While Minnesota can be crossed off the list and Wisconsin is a lost cause barring a postseason matchup, tonight he gets a last chance to take down his hometown Buckeyes.
"I've got so many thoughts, really," Cornley said. "There's so many people I want to talk to and want to see, but at the same time the task at hand is winning the game. And that's what I've been about my entire career is just trying to win games."
In front of a national TV audience on ESPN at 7 p.m. in Columbus, Cornley and the rest of the Penn State basketball team can end a 10-game losing streak in the series dating back to 2004.
Tonight will be the former Ohio Mr. Basketball's final game at Ohio State. Come game time, Cornley expects about 350 family and friends to be in attendance at Value City Arena.
"It's hard because you've got Danny Morrissey from around that area, and Stanley Pringle's got a good amount of people coming from Toledo, so I don't want to be too selfish," Cornley said. "But it's hard to say no, especially when you've got cousins, and uncles and aunts and everybody in your family who's supported you."
Morrissey -- a native of Cleveland -- will have about 30 supporters there, but he doesn't want too much attention paid to it being the last game in his home state.
"It'll be fun to have a lot of people who haven't seen me play yet be down, but really it's just another game to try to come in and win," Morrissey said. "It's important for us trying to get to the NCAA tournament and get a good seed in the Big Ten tournament."
With just four games left in the regular season and the Nittany Lions entrenched on the tournament bubble, beating Ohio State would add another quality road win to the tournament resume.
Penn State coach Ed DeChellis downplayed playing in front of an ESPN Super Tuesday audience but also stressed the importance of several aspects of the game, including winning for Morrissey and Cornley.
"It's an important game because it's our next one, it's an important game because it's a team that has a good power ranking and all that kind of stuff," DeChellis said. "It's an important game because those kids are going to go home and play in front of their hometown friends and family."
Even as a star at Brookhaven High School in Columbus, Cornley received little interest from the Buckeyes.
While former coach Jim O'Brien attended one of his games, the two never personally spoke, and during high school Cornley decided he wanted to leave his home city for college despite his allegiance to the program.
Four years later, not only does he have the chance to finally beat Ohio State, but it's also a chance to impress the nation.
"To be able to step out into this light and be able to perform on such a high stage, I think it'll show what we're all about and what we've tried to accomplish," Cornley said. "Not just this year but within the last couple years.
"Going out and playing hard in front of not just Columbus but the country, and hopefully coming out with a win, I think it will really solidify what we've been trying to do."
