Warning: You are approaching a dangerous and tiring time of the year. Enter at your risk.

The men's basketball team (12-5, 6-3 in the Atlantic 10) enters those dangerous waters at 2 tomorrow afternoon in Rec Hall against St. Joseph's (4-13, 2-7). After the game with the Hawks, the Lions will play six games in the next two weeks until their nationally-televised showdown on Feb. 22 with West Virginia at Rec Hall.

The schedule maker has been good to the Lions so far this season. They've had a week off for the first time since early January and are ready for "the fun time of the year."

"We've had a week off and I'd like to see us play a little better than we have our last couple of games," Coach Bruce Parkhill said. "Obviously, you'd like to see your team play better down the stretch in February. I'd just like to see us in the month of February begin playing our best basketball."

"This is the crunch time for us," center Ed Fogell said. "So, this is really going to make or break our season right now. And we really have to perform because every game is a big one."

The week off came at the right time for the Lions because of back injuries to both Fogell and James Barnes. Both injured their backs last week and Parkhill said, even though they are at "85 percent," they will start tomorrow.

Playing with the same injuries against George Washington, the pair combined for 38 of the Lions' 77 points. They will have to play up to their best today as well because the Hawks could take a bite out of the Lions as they enter the water.

"St. Joe's has been playing a whole lot better the past couple of weeks," Parkhill said. "They beat Rhode Island, who beat us handily (71-61), and they played Loyola-Marymount to a buzzer game (99-96). They really proven that they can play really well."

The Hawks lost Wednesday to Temple, 78-63, but they were leading 38-30 at halftime. Temple ran off a 30-2 run to win. The Hawks have three people averaging in double figures: 6'7" forward Chris Amos (14.2), 6'4" forward Richard Stewart (12.3) and 5'8" guard Chris Gadler (11.6).

"They have been struggling a little bit, which is I guess to our benefit," Fogell said. "But we realize that they're not a bad team and we're going to have to come out and still focus on what we have to do."

The Hawks aren't the only ones struggling -- as a team the Lions are shooting only 46.3 percent. Fogell (63.0), James Barnes (59.1) and DeRon Hayes (53.1) are hitting the water in stride, but guards Freddie Barnes (37.1) and Monroe Brown (31.6) aren't.

"Jimmy, Eddie and DeRon are doing a real nice job," Parkhill said. "I couldn't be happier with those guys. We thought Freddie and Monie would be in double figures. It's not a real big surprise, but it's more of a surprise that the other things happened with the shooting slump."

The Lions will have to end that shooting slump to get to their ultimate goal of a 20-win season.

"If we win 20 games this year, with the strength of our non-conference schedule, that should put us on the bubble for an NCAA bid and certainly enable us to get in the NIT if we don't get in the NCAA," Parkhill said.

Notes: The Lions' 6-3 conference record ties them with Rhode Island for third and behind Temple (9-1) and West Virginia (7-3) . . . Penn State is 8-0 at home this season and have won 37 of their last 47 at home . . .