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From rebuilding to champions: the story of Penn State men’s basketball’s first NIT championship

Before the 2008-09 season, Penn State had yet to hoist any sort of tournament championship trophy in its history, dating back to its first season in 1896-97.

There was a stretch between 1942-1955 when the Nittany Lions made the Elite Eight, the Final Four and the Sweet 16 twice, but they couldn’t seal the deal.

The closest that the blue and white got to hoisting a trophy since 1955 was in the 1997-98 season, when it made a run to the National Invitational Tournament championship game.

The last winning campaign for the program came three seasons later in the 2000-01 season, when the blue and white made a run to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament.