One school is just two years removed from its second straight NCAA title run.
The other?
Well, this is the deepest it has played postseason basketball in eight years.
But history will be moot when Florida -- 2006 and 2007 NCAA champions -- and Penn State clash at 9 tonight in Gainesville, Fla., with a spot in the National Invitation Tournament semifinals and trip to New York on the line.
Just a win away from playing at Madison Square Garden, the No. 2 seed Nittany Lions (24-11, 10-8 Big Ten) will look to build on their pair of home victories in the opening two rounds of the NIT last week.
A Penn State win would match the school record for wins, set in 1990, and clinch its fifth NIT final four appearance.
"It's big. Obviously no one on our team has ever played there, so that will be a first for a lot of us," sophomore captain Talor Battle said. "If we get there, it's a chance for us to win the NIT, which would be huge. So everyone's committed and focused in an attempt to try to get there."
The Gators (25-10, 9-7 Southeastern Conference) saw their season end at Madison Square Garden in the tournament's semifinals last season.
The region's No. 1 seed will look to build on its 18-1 record at the O'Connell Center after notching a pair of wins in front of its home audience a week ago.
"I heard Florida's tough. Anytime you can go through an SEC schedule and only lose one game at home all year, then you gotta have an advantage there somewhere," Penn State sophomore D.J. Jackson said. "It's gonna be tough but we're ready for it. We've played at loud places and won before, so it's not much different than any Big Ten road game."
Ed DeChellis believes tonight's game -- televised by ESPN -- and the one or two more that could follow with a win would help in giving the program more national exposure.
The Penn State coach felt the chance to play in the "Mecca of basketball" would give his players the opportunity to enjoy the Big Apple, as well.
"Some guys -- most of the guys -- have never been to New York City, so it's an opportunity to take some time and let them go and sightsee somewhat and explore," DeChellis said. "But yet we wanna win the championship of a national tournament, so our sights will be set on that."
The four days off between the Lions' last game has given two of their captains, Battle and Jamelle Cornley, the chance to recover following ongoing injuries to their back and shoulder, respectively.
It has also provided the team a bigger opportunity to put frustrations of not making the NCAA tournament aside and focus on what's ahead.
"It would really mean a lot because Madison Square Garden is a really special place, and it's a great place to play," Jackson said. "[If] we're playing in the final four for the NIT, you can't get any better than that."
