Life in the Big Ten doesn't get any easier for the men's basketball team tonight. A respite from hostile gyms and hostile fans brings the league's most hostile player.

The Lions (8-6, 1-4 Big Ten), coming off a winless two-game road swing, will host No. 7 Purdue (16-1, 4-1 Big Ten) and national player-of-the-year candidate Glenn Robinson at 8 p.m. in Rec Hall.

Robinson, averaging 28.2 points and 10.5 rebounds per game, combines incredible inside and outside capabilities in a 6-foot-8 frame. He can play everywhere, do everything.

"He can really do it all," Lion Coach Bruce Parkhill marveled. "The guy can do it all."

But the Lions must stop more than just Robinson. Boilermaker forward Cuonzo Martin was the Big Ten player of the week, and is averaging 16.4 points per game. Guards Matt Waddell and Porter Roberts are solid, and center Brandon Brantley is rebounding well.

Purdue's one blemish was a six-point defeat at No. 16 Wisconsin. The Boilermakers are coming off a 38-point victory over Ohio State.

Of course, the last time the Lions hit the Rec Hall floor, they pulled off a miraculous defeat of Minnesota. But a lot has happened since then.

The Lions are nursing a couple of key injuries. Shooting guard Michael Jennings is bothered by an ankle injury suffered in a loss to Ohio State, while backup point guard Donovan Williams is doubtful for tonight due to a dislocated finger.

The Purdue press may pose problems for the Lions, who struggled at times against Ohio State's and Iowa's pressing defenses.

"It really is a combination of things," Parkhill said. "Spacing, decision making, sometimes simply making a pass."

Penn State held Robinson to 36 points in two games last season, the second-lowest total of any Big Ten team. Purdue, however, beat the Lions twice -- 61-54 in Rec Hall and 57-49 at Mackey Arena.

"We have to react to the situation and find a way to win," Purdue Coach Gene Keady said. "It was one of those games (at Rec Hall) last year that could have gone either way, and we found a way to win."