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Photo: Annemarie Mountz
The pep band will be on hand for the 'Rally in the Garden' Tuesday night.
University Park, Pa. — Nittany Lion fans with tickets to Tuesday’s Penn State-Notre Dame NIT semifinal game in Madison Square Garden are encouraged to wear white and participate in the “Rally in the Garden” before tip-off.
Fans are invited to join the Nittany Lion, the cheerleaders, the pep band and special Nittany Lion guests at 6:30 p.m. in the Theatre Lobby at Madison Square Garden for a Penn State-style pep rally. The Nittany Lions (25-11) and Fighting Irish (21-14) will clash at approximately 9:15 p.m., immediately following the Baylor-San Diego State semifinal at 7 p.m.
The best entry point for the Theatre Lobby is through the Madison Square Garden entrance on 7th Avenue. Fans are reminded that they can only attend the rally if they have a ticket to the game and there is no re-entry back into the Garden if they leave the facility after the rally.
Doors for the “Rally in the Garden” will open at 6 p.m. The rally is co-sponsored by the Nittany Lion Club and the Penn State Alumni Association.
Penn State will be making its fifth NIT semifinal appearance at Madison Square Garden. The Lions have advanced to the NIT finals once, doing so in 1998. Penn State and Notre Dame will be meeting for just the fourth time ever and the third-straight time in the post-season. The two teams clashed in Penn State's last trip to the NIT semifinals in 2000 with the Irish taking a 73-52 victory. Penn State holds a 2-1 edge in the series, having knocked off the Irish in the 1954 NCAA Tournament on its way to the Final Four.
At least 17 busses filled with Penn State students, fans and staff will be departing the Jordan Center at noon on Tuesday to support the Nittany Lions in their NIT semifinal showdown.
The Penn State-Notre Dame contest will air on ESPN2, the Penn State Sports Network and www.GoPSUsports.com, the official website of Penn State Athletics.
The semifinal winners meet at 7 p.m. on Thursday, April 2 to play for the 72nd NIT Championship.