Final Score
Penn State - 63
Iowa - 79
If you're interested, here is the boxscore, but honestly it's just like every other boxcore this season. Claxton scores 20, Cornley drops in 16, and two of the three guards don't show up.
I'm officially declaring this season dead. With ten games to go, the Lions will need six wins to make the NIT. No way this team goes 6-4 the rest of the way with two games against Ohio State and Wisconsin and three other games on the road.
The Nittany Lions are left to wonder what could have been this year. What if injuries hadn't plagued Claxton, Cornley, and Luber. What if the freshmen hadn't been hurt. What if we hadn't lost to Stony Brook and Southeast Louisiana. What if Brandon Hassell had developed into half the player we all know he could be.
As I sift through the rubble of this season searching for answers to how a season so full of promise in November could have gone so horribly wrong, I've come to two very simple conclusions.
One, this team is the same team we had last year except we're missing Travis Parker. Danny Morrissey has done well in contributing as an outside threat, but we miss Parker's leadership and defense.
Two, Ed DeChellis cannot develop talent. We have two guys splitting time at center, Bogetic and Hassell. They are combining for 10.9 points and 8.2 rebounds per game. Hassell is clearly the better of the two, but he often finds himself watching the game from the bench as he's sitting in foul trouble. He leads the team with a whopping 50 fouls in 19 games. Despite being the tallest man on the team, he only has six blocks on the year. The lack of a big inside presence forces the guards to double down and help leaving the Lions open to the outside shot where they are getting killed this year.
I'm not ready to fire Ed yet. He's got some good young talent coming in. But next year is his last chance. He will return Claxton, Morrissey and Cornley. Andrew Jones and DJ Jackson will come off of redshirt and be healthy. Jeff Brooks will give some depth in the front court. Taylor Battle will offer a slashing guard we've been missing for years. Except for the lack of a dominating big man, there will be no excuses.