There’s plenty of reason to be excited about the way Penn State men’s basketball has opened its season, and head coach Pat Chambers hopes that some buzz continues to spread around campus.

“I’ve walked through the football tailgates, and it seems like the alums and fans are fired up,” Chambers said “We’re off to a very good start. We’ve beaten Syracuse and Georgetown, I don’t know what Penn State teams can say they’ve done that in a single season. That just shows you where we were and where we’re going.”

The Nittany Lions are currently 6-1 on the season and are coming off of a big 85-64 win over Syracuse in the NIT Season Tip-Off Tournament Consolation game. Pat Chambers’ squad was forced to play in the consolation round after a disappointing 74-72 loss to Ole Miss in which it blew a 21-point lead to the Rebels.

Despite the ugly loss, the head coach was proud of the way his team responded in their next game against the Orange.

“We had to let it go, move on, and prepare ourselves for a very good Syracuse team,” Chambers said. “Our guys really responded. There was a lot of hunger and anger out there. In years past, maybe that turns into a three-game losing streak, but this is something that we’re talking about. If we have a loss we have to move on and continue to get better.”

Other than the blemish against Ole Miss, the Nittany Lions have played some impressive basketball out of the gate. They received 10 votes in the AP Top 25 poll last week and nine this week. Last week marked the first time the team had received votes for the poll since February 2018.

While the success is a welcomed sign for all Penn State hoops fans, there’s no denying that some bigger tests lay ahead. More specifically, a Big Ten opener in Columbus against No. 6 Ohio State this Saturday, followed by a visit from No. 3 Maryland next Tuesday.

While Chambers knows that these are two of the top teams in the country, he was quick to remind that his team isn’t too shabby either.

“[Wake Forest] is obviously my focus, but when that day does come and we play those teams, they have to deal with us too,” Chambers said. “We’re playing pretty well, we have some shooters we have some good bigs, and we’re playing at a good pace. It’s going to be interesting, coming out of the gates playing two teams like that.”

With an impressive start to the season and some exciting tests coming up, there’s no denying that the Nittany Lions are flat out having fun on the court. Myreon Jones confirmed that every member of the squad is enjoying the 2019-20 campaign thus far.

“For one, we’re winning,” Jones said. “Two, everybody is on the same page and nobody has an ego on the team. Nobody cares who’s getting how many minutes, who’s scoring how many points. Everybody sacrifices something on the team, and everyone just wants to win and have fun.”