Still Battling

Penn State failed to make the NCAA tournament thanks in large part to a weak out of conference schedule and the loss to Iowa in the final regular season game — a win would have given the Nittany Lions the 2 seed in the Big 10 Tourney, and most likely, a trip to the big dance.

That's a big letdown for college kids who had visions of dancing, even with the NIT invitation. Oftentimes, teams that just miss out on the big dance have the life and competitive fire sucked out of them, then falter early in the NIT. I wouldn't have been shocked if Penn State rolled over and died in its first-round game with George Mason. I should have known better. This team never stops battling:



Talor Battle simply wasn't going to let Penn State's season end with three straight losses. Not happening. He hit that ridiculous three to send the game to OT, scored 8 more in the extra session, finished with a game-high 24 points and gave the Nittany Lions the 77-73 victory.

"I like to call myself Mr. Big Shot," Battle said. "It's more of a joke but during the games Coach wants me to have the ball in my hands and make a play."

…

"It's not just Jamelle," Battle said. "It's a lot of guys. Willie [Leiner], Stanley [Pringle], Danny [Morrissey], I know they didn't want to play their last game, and I didn't want to play my last game of the season."

It may not be the big dance, but it's better to keep playing than to not play at all.