Geary Claxton is the leading scorer this seaons for Penn State, which is starting to show improvement under head coach Ed DeChellis. Claxton averages 15.7 points a game. Click photo for larger image. College Basketball This Week: Top 5 Story lines & Must-see TV games: 2/8/06

True, Penn State shocked the world Saturday.

But the Nittany Lions' upset of Illinois might be the beginning of something big.

In case you haven't noticed, Penn State has played well for most of the season -- a blowout loss to Pitt notwithstanding.

Penn State overcame a 15-point deficit against the Illini and then survived a buzzer beater -- a 3-pointer by Illinois' Rich McBride was waved off by officials after they determined the clock had expired -- to pull one of the biggest upsets in recent history, a 66-65 win. The victory broke the Illini's 33-game home winning streak and also dropped the Illini into second place in the Big Ten Conference.

The Nittany Lions, who are 11-9 overall and 3-6 in the Big Ten, had lost its previous four games but all four were to ranked teams. And in three of the four games, the Nittany Lions were in the game until late and played well for long stretches. Before that, they nearly beat Big Ten leader Iowa but lost, 80-76.

Looking ahead, the Nittany Lions will have a chance to win some games. They still have games against Minnesota, Purdue and Northwestern, and they also play Wisconsin, which is spiraling downward. If the Nittany Lions can win the games they should -- Purdue and Northwestern -- and beat Minnesota, they will finish with a winning record.

And more important, the team is built for the future.

Seven of Penn State's top eight scorers and seven of the top eight players in minutes are underclassman. There is only one senior on the team and two juniors. The leading scorers are sophomore Geary Claxton (15.7 points a game, 7.1 rebounds) and freshman Jamelle Cornley (12.6, 5.5), and their leader in assists is junior Ben Luber (4.4 per game).

The Nittany Lions still have a way to go to compete for a Big Ten title and become an annual NCAA tournament team, but it is clear that third-year coach Ed DeChellis has them headed in the right direction.

Penn State needs to add some depth and add a few better frontcourt players, but until then, they are going to win games because they have finally bought into DeChellis' system and they are playing well as a team.

Some might view the Nittany Lions' win at Illinois as a fluke, and it may indeed have been given the way it happened. But the truth is, the Nittany Lions are a better team and are clearly on the path back to respectability.

Pitino and the Big East

Louisville's entry in the Big East was supposed to be great for the conference, not just because of the school's tradition but also because it brought with it a superstar coach -- Rick Pitino. The Cardinals were going to be one of the teams fighting for the Big East title every year and were going to add to the glitz and glitter of the Big East tournament at Madison Square Garden in New York.

As it stands now, neither Pitino nor his team are in line to play in the Big East tournament. Louisville, a Final Four team a year ago, conceivably could be one of the four teams in the Big East that doesn't get invited to the Big East tournament (only top 12 make it).

The Cardinals are 15-8 overall, 3-7 in the Big East, and looking ahead, it doesn't get any easier for them. They have two games remaining against teams below them in the conference -- South Florida and DePaul -- but they must play at Syracuse, West Virginia and Connecticut and at home against Marquette, which is one of the better teams in the league.

If they are going to make it to Madison Square Garden, they are going to need at least two wins. Given the way they've played and the schedule they face, they aren't a lock to beat anyone.

SEC decline

The most disappointing conference in Division I has to be the Southeastern Conference, which seems to have a lot of mediocre teams.

Florida and Tennessee appear to be Elite Eight contenders, but other than those two, there is not one other team that is a lock to make the NCAA tournament.

Kentucky is borderline, as is LSU and Arkansas, and none of the three have played well enough in any stretch to get over the top. Alabama and Georgia have an outside shot but both need to get on a roll in order to have a chance.

When all is said and done, the SEC, based on its reputation alone will likely end up with at least four NCAA tournament bids. But the conference's chances of ending up with only two bids appears to be greater than its chances of ending up with six.

Short jumpers

Former Penn Hills standout Akida McLain is averaging 5.9 points and 3.3 rebounds in 15 minutes a game. Last week, in Boston College's near upset of Duke, McLain played 21 minutes and scored 8 points, grabbed 8 rebounds and had 3 assists.

West Virginia's Meg Bulger (Oakland Catholic) is third in the Big East in scoring. She is averaging 19.8 points per game. She is also fifth in the Big East in the free-throw percentage (.825) and sixth in steals (2.7 a game).

A number of players from high school to the NBA have been recognized for scoring in large numbers, but Josh Hinz of Beloit College in Wisconsin made history of a different sort Monday. Hinz grabbed 36 rebounds in a 120-112 win against Grinnell, which ties a Division III record. He also had 50 points and his 28 defensive rebounds were more than the entire Grinnell team.