If they were boxers, the tale of the tape would be pretty even on the two starting freshmen point guards. Picture it -- Madison Square Garden and announcer Michael Buffer is doing the introductions.

In the Illinois corner, wearing the blue trunks, standing 6-feet-2-inches tall and weighing in at 176 pounds -- from Chicago, Illinois, No. 22 Kiwane Garris.

In the Penn State corner, sporting white trunks with blue trim, at 6-feet-3-inches tall, and tipping the scales at 175 pounds --from Medford Lakes, New Jersey, No. 10 Dan Earl.

Let's get ready to rumble!

Penn State (10-6 overall, 3-4 in the Big Ten) versus Illinois (11-5, 4-3). John Amaechi versus Deon Thomas. Earl versus Garris -- the matchups take place at 8 p.m. today on the Rec Hall hardwood.

While this will be the first time they have faced off in college, tonight's game will not be the first head-to-head matchup between the two guards.

"I played against him, I think, at Nike camp or somewhere along the line," Earl said. "He penetrates real well, and you can't stay that far off him because he has a good outside shot."

Earl might be in luck though, because he may not draw the primary assignment of guarding his freshman counterpart. That duty will fall on guard Michael Jennings' shoulders in Penn State's defensive scheme.

Not the easiest of assignments for a senior, let alone a freshman. Garris is second on Lou Henson's Fighting Illini squad in scoring, averaging 16.6 points per game. He also leads his team in assists at a clip of 4.4 per contest.

"That's a lot of points coming into the league as a freshman scoring 16.6," Jennings said. "You can't get better than that -- it's gonna be a good test for me."

Note:

-- Penn State Coach Bruce Parkhill said that backup center Michael Joseph is "doubtful" for tonight's game with Illinois.