The season of expectations starts for the Penn State men's basketball team at 7:30 tonight in The Bryce Jordan Center.

The Nittany Lions host their annual intra-squad Blue-White scrimmage, pitting teammate against teammate in a friendly, yet competitive basketball contest that is free to the public.

Donations will be accepted for the Centre County United Way and students and Penn State basketball fans will be encouraged to come to the game because local companies will be giving away free prizes.

The 2000-2001 Nittany Lions team is filled with a lot of questions and a lot of expectations.

Lions senior guard Joe Crispin said earlier this week in a Web chat on the Penn State Athletics web site that anything but an NCAA Tournament bid would be a disaster.

With four seniors on the squad in guards Crispin and 6-foot-4 Titus Ivory, inside force Gyasi Cline-Heard and big man off the bench Scott Witkowsky, finishing the season not included in the field of 65 would be disappointing.

But coach Jerry Dunn might be more disenchanted after the season if the Lions continue to be only NIT contenders, because the sixth-year coach is in the final year of his contract and Penn State Athletics Director Tim Curley has not yet renewed Dunn's deal.

"There's always pressure. Maybe there's more than I'm aware of," Dunn said at Penn State Basketball Media Day earlier this month. "In this business, every year there is a sense of urgency."

Penn State doesn't start its exhibition schedule until Friday, Nov. 3, when the Lions host an exhibition game with Marathon Oil.

Last season in the Marathon exhibition game, Penn State was victorious 81-75 behind 19 points and eight rebounds from Jarrett Stephens.

Unfortunately for Penn State, he graduated, and now a question mark as to who will fill Stephens' spot is in the mind of Dunn and his staff.

An early leader has to be Cline-Heard, but 6-foot-10 Marcus Banta, 6-foot-9 Stephan Bekale and others will contend for playing time in the frontcourt this season.

"The majority of the teams out there don't have true centers," Joe Crispin said. "Many teams have gone to 6-foot-8, 6-foot-9 big men. But I think with the strength of our guards and Gyasi's (Cline-Heard) experience, we'll be fine."

After Penn State's two exhibition matches with Marathon and the Down Under All-Stars, the Lions, who are picked by most to finish in the bottom half of the Big Ten, open their regular season schedule with Loyola at home Nov. 22.

A trip to Kentucky and then a game at North Carolina State completes the month of November and should put the Lions in a position to gauge themselves for the remainder of the season.

Crispin is confident the Lions will be better this year than any other season he has worn the Penn State jersey.

"We have to prove ourselves and we will," he said. "There's a big difference between having two seniors with playing experience and four with playing experience. It's vital to know how to win."