The following conversation is fiction, butcould have occurred somewhere on campus.

Fan 1: You are going to the game, right?

Fan 2: Yeah, I'll be at the men's basketball game on Saturday.

No, I was talking about real basketball in Hoops Valley.

I know, Big Ten men's basketball.

Did you even know that there is a women's team that also plays at the Bryce Jordan Center?

Gymnastics team?

No, the Penn State women's basketball team. You should know that it is ranked No. 13 in the nation. By the way, what are the men ranked again?

I'm guessing around 150.

That's impressive.

I have heard something about this really good player, what's her name, the one with the bobblehead doll . . . what the heck's her name, Ma-zzz-ant-ie?

No my friend, the player you are referring to is Kelly Mazzante. You probably had no clue that she is second in the country in scoring. I hear that Jan Jagla is doing pretty well.

So he's having some trouble shooting from outside. How many women's players can shoot consistently from outside?

Well there's Jess Brungo, and Tanisha Wright, who is one of the most underrated players in the country and Mazzante, and Jess Strom , and Jen Brenden and . . .

OK, OK, I get your point. But the real question is, how many of them can dunk?

Nobody that I know of, but Tiffany Tomlinson is 6-foot-7. How many players on the men's team can? And I mean in games, not practice.

Give me a minute . . . Well, let's break the teams down instead, starting with the coaches.

You really want to open that can of worms? Penn State women's basketball coach Rene Portland won earlier this season with basically six players, while on the men's side Jerry Dunn can't even keep all the players on his bench.

So two players have left, cut the guy some slack.

I have no problem with Dunn, I feel bad he has been hung out to dry so early this season. Basketball fans are so fickle, especially in this town but these are just some of the reasons why I go to more women's games than men's.

So what are you trying to say, don't attend men's basketball games?

No, not at all. There's nothing worse than a fair-weather fan. The women's team deserves just as much support as the men's team does from the students.

But students do go to men's games.

They don't go to women's games, and that is the problem. Although it was great to see over 10,000 people for the Mazzante-bobblehead game on Sunday, the team can draw attendance with its own merits.

I'm not quite sure where you are going with this.

My point is, while there are people who go to women's games, more fans need to get out consistently and see one of the better programs in the country.

All right, you convinced me, but how much is this going to set me back?

You can buy tickets for the remaining games for less than the price of a 12-pack of Natty Ice.

I see now; students and the public alike need to recognize this team and its accomplishments, although it's not the traditional basketball they are used to.

It's definitely not your father's Penn State basketball, but that's the point.