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AP Wire | 01/27/2005 | Ohio St. 68, Penn St. 62:

“COLUMBUS, Ohio – It’s no secret that to beat Ohio State you clamp down on center Terence Dials and let point guard Brandon Fuss-Cheatham shoot to his heart’s content.

“Penn State followed that blueprint to perfection, only Fuss-Cheatham had one of the best games of his career in leading the Buckeyes to a 68-62 win on Wednesday night.

“Fuss-Cheatham a senior guard from Beaver Falls, Pa., scored 15 points including a critical 3-pointer down the stretch that gave the Buckeyes (13-7, 2-4 Big Ten) some breathing room.

“‘Fuss-Cheatham made a big 3,’ Penn State coach Ed DeChellis said. ‘That’s the chance you take. We didn’t want Dials to beat us, but Fuss-Cheatham stepped up as a senior and made the big shot.’

“Averaging 6.1 points a game, Fuss-Cheatham hit 6-of-11 shots from the field including 3-of-5 3-pointers. He came into the game having made only four 3-pointers in Ohio State’s five previous Big Ten games.

” ‘It seemed like they left me open a lot,’ said Fuss-Cheatham, just a 41-percent free throw shooter who has had difficulty throughout his career making perimeter shots. ‘I take that personal. I don’t think this has been like the last three years. Guys could definitely leave me and maybe the shots weren’t going down. But this year I don’t think they can do that. When guys leave me I want to hit them with a dagger.’ …”

Buckeyes hold off Penn State rally:

“Ohio State had plenty of chances to put the Nittany Lions away, but it waited until the final seconds of last night’s game.

“The Penn State men’s basketball team continued its road-game woes with a 68-62 loss to the Buckeyes, extending its conference road losing streak to 27 games.”

Morrissey’s dream plays out at Penn St.:

“Danny Morrissey was no different than any other high school basketball player of exceptional ability when he envisioned signing a college scholarship to play Division I basketball.

“Then he moved away from home, leaving his parents and family behind, to pursue that dream and prove just how different he was.

“Morrissey, a 6-3 freshman guard at Penn State, comes back home tonight when his team plays Ohio State at 8 p.m. at Value City Arena.

“It’s been three seasons since he left Cleveland’s University School and moved to Florida, where as a student at International Management Group’s Basketball Academy, Morrissey proved he would give up just about anything to play Big Ten basketball.

“Even his ZIP code.

“‘It was tough to leave my family and friends, but in the big picture, as I look at it now, it was all worth it,’ Morrissey said. ‘I had a goal in mind, and I’m on the road to achieving that goal. Being homesick is something just about everybody at The Academy goes through. But if you want to realize your dream, it’s a step you’re willing to take.’ …”

Centre Daily Times | 01/26/2005 | PSU’s ‘bull’ will key effort vs. Ohio State:

“If you were hard-pressed to describe Penn State forward Aaron Johnson on the low block, ‘bull in a china shop’ would be more appropriate than ‘Baryshnikov.’

“The 6-foot-9, 240-pound junior spins, pivots, spins and bumps until the ball is in the basket or the goggles are off his head.

“Because Johnson’s teammates have often struggled from the perimeter this season, Big Ten opponents have taken to swarming around the Penn State big man, cutting down on much of the chaos. They’ve been hesitant to do the same with the big man the Nittany Lions will face tonight in Columbus, Ohio.

“Junior Terence Dials is having a terrific season inside for the Ohio State (12-7, 1-4 Big Ten), but the Buckeyes, which entertain Penn State (7-11, 1-4) at 8 p.m. at Value City Arena, have a healthy array of weapons from the outside as well.

“Ohio State is the Big Ten’s best 3-point shooting team, hitting nearly 40 percent from long range. Four different Buckeyes are shooting better than 43 percent, while senior guard Tony Stockman has hit 51 threes, second in the conference only to Illinois’ Luther Head (59)….”

FightOnState.com: OhioState Preview

• “Penn State has lost 26 straight Big Ten road games. Including conference tournament action, the Nittany Lions have dropped 29 consecutive league outings away from the BJC. Penn State’s last Big Ten road win was at Iowa (78-73) in the next to last game of the 2000-01 regular season.
  
• From the oops department: The OSU press notes list Marlon Smith as a probable starter for the game, even though the sophomore guard has been lost for the season (and potentially will not play again) due to a blood clot in the brain.
  
• Claxton has been the most effective Lion in Big Ten play, where he is averaging 15.2 points and 6.4 rebounds per game.”

Freshman Walker always on the go:

“Ten feet.

“It’s what separates two particular doors opposite the South Gym in the Bryce Jordan Center.

“It separates a bottom-of-the-conference team from an Elite Eight contender.

“Ten feet is the distance between the locker rooms of the struggling, not-so-popular Nittany Lion basketball team and the nationally ranked, fan-favorite Lady Lions.

“Freshman guard Mike Walker is among the players on the Penn State men’s basketball team who passes through the less appealing doorway of the side-by-side locker rooms, day-in and day-out. Tired or rejuvenated. Bombarded with school work or not. Whether he feels like it or doesn’t. After a win or loss.

” ‘There’s so much that goes into it,’ Walker said. ‘I mean, every day, just like the girls, who are doing good, we’re doing the same stuff. We’re losing, but it’s not like we aren’t preparing as much.’

“His day doesn’t start and end in the locker room, though. It’s much more complicated than that. …”

Centre Daily Times | 01/25/2005 | Nittany Lions living, dying with freshmen:

“Jamaal Tate had the ideal setup for a freshman, and not just because he played for one of the most remarkable teams in Penn State men’s basketball history.

“Talented enough to get some playing time — just under 10 minutes per game in 2000-01 — Tate had enough experienced guards ahead of him that he could ease his way into the college game.

” ‘They helped us out with everything,’ Tate recalled. ‘I mean, we learned as we went, but it was easier than what they have.’

“The first ‘they’ referred to Joe Crispin and Titus Ivory, the starting guards and senior leaders of the team that advanced to the Sweet 16 of the 2001 NCAA Tournament. The second ‘they’ referred to the current Penn State crop of freshmen, whose first year in a Penn State uniform couldn’t be more different from Tate’s. …”

Parker is ‘living a dream’:

“Travis Parker always believed he could play among the nation’s best college basketball players. Penn State decided Parker could, too.

“Parker, a former standout at North Pitt High School, now is one of the starters for the Nittany Lions, who play in the Big Ten Conference, a league that boasts the No. 1 team in the country — Illinois. Parker is more than two years removed from his days with the Panthers, where he helped them advance to the Class 2-A state championship game. But now Parker might be having the best time of his life, playing basketball while earning a college diploma.

” ‘This is something I’ve wanted to do for a long time, play at the highest college level,’ Parker said during a phone interview from State College, Pa. ‘You really can’t get much higher than this. . . . Right now I’m just living a dream. This is something I’ve wanted to do since I was real young. I’m just trying to take it all in, be a good student and play hard.’

“Parker spoke about academics almost as much as basketball. He’s majoring in recreation and parks management with a minor in business with the hopes of securing a position in sports marketing.

“Working on grades as much as jump shots started while being away from home for the first time. And Parker’s been far away from home long before he arrived at Penn State. …”

DeChellis: Lions win when this trio scores:

“If a certain trio scores, the Penn State men’s basketball team tends to win. If it doesn’t, then chances are, the Nittany Lions fall short.

“Sounds plain and simple, right?

“Making the scenario more complicated is how unfair it is putting the pressure on three freshmen.

“‘I hate to put the burden on the young guys,’ Penn State coach Ed DeChellis said yesterday at his weekly press conference. ‘There was a sense of urgency about [the Northwestern game]. [I told them], ‘You freshmen need to step up and do some more.’ ‘

“It only comes with the territory, though, considering forward Geary Claxton and guards Mike Walker and Danny Morrissey average 28.6 minutes per game in the Big Ten. As two perimeter players and a No. 3, it makes sense they are mostly responsible for scoring.

“‘Our freshmen have to play very important roles on our team,’ DeChellis said. ‘Our freshmen have to perform well for us … We don’t have enough guys in other spots.’ …”

ChicagoSports.com – Arrest, injuries in Ann Arbor:

“Michigan started the basketball season as a team on the rise and full of hope. As the Big Ten season starts its fourth week, the Wolverines can only wonder what’s next.

“Junior guard Daniel Horton is the latest question mark, and not just because of a knee injury he suffered in Saturday’s loss to Wisconsin. Monday morning, Horton was arraigned on domestic assault charges for allegedly choking his girlfriend during a Dec. 10 incident. Horton was released on bond.

” ‘We stand behind Daniel 100 percent,’ said Wolverines assistant coach Charles E. Ramsey during Monday’s Big Ten teleconference. Michigan coach Tommy Amaker was out of town recruiting and not available. …

“Young and restless

“Indiana is not the only team depending heavily on freshmen. Penn State (7-11, 1-4), which won its first conference game last week with a 65-62 victory over Northwestern, has three freshmen playing prominent roles. Geary Claxton, a 6-5 forward, and Mike Walker, a 6-2 guard, start while Danny Morrissey, a 6-3 guard, comes off the bench. They combined for 44 of the Nittany Lions’ 65 points against Northwestern. Brandon Hassell, a 6-9 freshman forward, has also started.

” ‘Our freshmen have to perform well and score for us to be successful just because we don’t have enough guys in the other spots,’ Penn State coach Ed DeChellis said. ‘When they do, when they have shot the ball well and played well … we win.’ …”