STATE COLLEGE - Never before has Penn State ended a season on a such a high note on the hardwood.

There is optimism over men's basketball in Happy Valley after the Nittany Lions won the National Invitation Tournament in New York City on Thursday night. A perennial also-ran in the Big Ten, Penn State heads into the offseason with its first title in a national postseason tourney.

Still, the NIT wasn't quite the finish that senior forward Jamelle Cornley had in mind for his career. He'll leave it to a group of promising sophomores, led by point guard Talor Battle, to try to take Penn State to the next level the NCAA tournament.

"I think they understand the toughness and how to play in this environment and to play in our league," coach Ed DeChellis said after the 69-63 win Thursday night over Baylor. "This guy, he left a legacy that hopefully other guys will feed off of."

The Nittany Lions' 27 wins were two more than the previous single-season high set in 1989-90. They were tied for fourth in the Big Ten at 10-8, their best conference record in 13 seasons.

Penn State was one of last teams left out of the NCAAs, weighed down by an uninspiring nonconference schedule. The Nittany Lions' last appearance in the NCAAs came in 2001.

Cornley turned the disappointment into motivation in the NITs. He leaves as one of the most inspirational players in recent history at Penn State.

Often the most emotional player on the court, the 6-foot-5 Cornley played through pain and often took on opponents in the post who were 2 or 3 inches taller than him.

The disadvantages rarely fazed him. He ends his career ranked fourth on the school's all-time scoring and rebounding lists.

"They have been saying I was undersized since I was 14 years old," Cornley said. "No numbers can really justify what I've tried to leave here and I think the players in that locker room will be able to pick that up."

Out of eligibility, too, is reserve guard Danny Morrissey, a 24-year-old fifth-year senior slowed by injuries throughout his career. The heady Morrissey was a threat from the 3-point arc.

A stable of younger players seemingly have the potential to replace Cornley and Morrissey, at least on the stat sheet.

Sophomore forward-center Andrew Jones improved all year and should be Penn State's primary low-post threat next season. Another sophomore, forward David Jackson, overcame a slow start and provided hustle around the net down the stretch.

Smooth-shooting freshman Chris Babb also came on late in the season and looked good as his limited minutes increased through the year.

The toughest man to replace, though, might be speedy senior Stanley Pringle, who formed a formidable one-two punch in the backcourt with Battle.

Despite the departures, the talent level has undoubtedly improved at Penn State, led by Battle, the 5-foot-11 sparkplug who has helped energize the team with a confident swagger.

The Big Ten's leading scorer, Battle also set a school record for assists in a season (189) and displayed a knack for sinking big shots in tight games.

"It was a great run with them, you know," Battle said, referring to the departing seniors. "These guys can never say I never did enough for them. I helped them win a championship, and this will last a lifetime."

And so a grueling season that began with a Labor Day weekend preseason tournament in Canada finally culminated 10 days before Easter with a trophy.

"School. School," Cornley said when asked after the NIT final what was next for him. "End of the season, we have to get caught up on schoolwork. It will be fun."