Men's Basketball: Michigan State 69, Penn State 60

http://www.gopsusports.com/pressreleases/pressrelease.cfm?anncid=9426

Closer. The best word to describe Penn State basketball lately, sans the Wisconsin massacre. Penn State actually hung tight with Michigan State until the very end. If only this team had just a little more talent, perhaps they could have pulled off the victory. But at the very least, this team is continuing to improve. It shows an awful lot of character to bounce back from a road slaughtering at the hands of Wisconsin to compete with Michigan State at the Breslin Center. I have been a big critic of Ed DeChellis but I really have to hand it to him, he is getting the best out of what he has to work with right now. If this team can continue to improve like this, that stunning upset that gets the nation to look at PSU basketball, isn't far away.

Geary Claxton continues to prove that he is the best player in the Big Ten that no one knows about. He posted a double-double (19 points, 13 rebounds) against Michigan State and continues to fuel Penn State's offensive attack. It has been awhile since we have seen such a talented player at Penn State. I'm glad that we'll be able to enjoy watching him play and develop for another two seasons.

Mike Walker turned in another tremendous performance off the bench, contributing 13 points. Walker has come up with a number of crucial shots this season and has really helped to give some of the starters a brief rest, something that was big problem over the past couple of seasons.

Penn State's next game is Wednesday night against Michigan at the Bryce Jordan Center. Michigan has been playing well lately, including upsetting Wisconsin today.