Penn State basketball has never been a symbol of success.
The Nittany Lions have never had a consensus first-team All-American.
They have had just one first-team All-Big Ten selection. There have been zero NCAA titles and zero Big Ten titles.
But then there was last year's success. In just its third season as a member of the Big Ten, Penn State, which for so many years barely clung by its claws to the lower rung of any national ladder, surprised the nation.
The Nittany Lions finished tied for second place in the conference, achieved a national ranking for the first time in 31 years and were listed in the AP Top 25 poll for a school-record 10 straight weeks.
First-year coach Jerry Dunn combined with solid role players and a new arena - the 15,300-seat Bryce Jordan Center - made the Lions one of the nicer stories of the 1995-96 season.
But this year, the Lions (1-6 Big Ten, 8-8 overall) are struggling and have regressed back to the way things used to be in the pre-Bryce, pre-Dunn era. They are struggling mightily in the Big Ten, tied with Northwestern at 1-6 in last place, and will host No. 16 Michigan (4-3, 14-5) tonight at 7:30.
"They're going to come out as hard as they can," said Michigan forward Maceo Baston, who had seven points and four boards in last year's game at Penn State. "It's their home court, and it's always rough there on the road."
A good point, indeed, considering that although the Lions are sitting at .500 and are a paltry 1-6 in the Big Ten, they hold a special advantage at home.
The Lions are 6-3 at games played at Bryce this season and were undefeated there last season (8-0) after their previous arena, Recreation Hall, closed. Penn State defeated Michigan, 67-57, at Bryce last season.
But that was last year, and the Lions are missing a few key ingredients from the 21-7 team that advanced to the first round of the NCAA tournament.
For one, Glenn Sekunda and Matt Gaudio are gone, leaving a hefty gap in the middle. The two combined for 26.1 points and 12.3 rebounds per game.
Sophomore Calvin Booth has stepped in to fill the gap left by Sekunda and Gaudio. He averages 9.4 points per game and leads the team in blocks with 63.
But one of the Lions' biggest problems is undoubtedly the loss of senior guard Dan Earl, who, paired with Pete Lisicky in the backcourt, comprised one of the most potent one-two punches in the nation last season.
Lisicky averages 16.9 points per game, the only Penn State player currently averaging double figures. Last season, he averaged 13.3 points and was ranked eighth in the nation in 3-point percentage, while Earl led the conference in steals (1.86 per game) and was second in assists (5.25).
But throughout the 1995-96 season, Earl began experiencing back problems and has not played a minute this season.
"Penn State was a very competitive team last year, but they're missing one of their key players," Michigan forward Robert Traylor said.
The Wolverines are currently in third place in the Big Ten, behind Minnesota (7-1) and Iowa (5-2).
Their last conference game was a 72-70 loss Jan. 21, at Indiana. The loss pitted the Wolverines at 4-3, after kicking off conference play at 2-2.
Saturday, they played at Michigan State in a non-conference game. Tonight the Wolverines will play in the Big Ten for the first time in a week.
"We should beat them," Michigan guard Travis Conlan said. "They're in the lower part of the league right now. They're not doing very well this year so this is a must-win.
"Actually, (all conference games) are a must-win if we want to win the Big Ten championship."
JOE WESTRATE/Daily
Robert Traylor and the rest of the Wolverines are still looking up at four teams in the Big Ten race. Michigan hopes to get back into the thick of things with a win tonight at Penn State.