For the next six games, Jerry Dunn and his coaching staff will stress one thing and that is defense. Defense. And more defense.

After having a bye week this past weekend, Dunn and his staff decided to go back and look at some of the positives and negatives that have plagued Penn State throughout the season.

What they came up with was they to go back to the basic fundamentals of basketball. The Nittany Lions (14-7, 4-6 Big Ten), enter tomorrow night's game against Minnesota ranked dead last in the Big Ten in defense.

Throughout most of Penn State's games this season, the Lions have had a hard time stopping their opponent's top gun.

In the overtime loss to Indiana, Kirk Haston dropped a career-high 29 points, including a three-pointer that sent the game into overtime. Ohio State senior Ken Johnson picked Penn State apart for 24 points and 10 rebounds earlier this season and Michigan State forward Andre Huston scored 20 points and ripped down 13 boards in Penn State's Big Ten opener.

Since the Lions' lone go-to big man appears to be Gyasi-Cline Heard they are having a hard time shoring up the post position, which Dunn hopes to address throughout these next couple of games.

"Defense is probably more important thing than anything else," Dunn said. "We have to do a good job both on the perimeter and on our interior defense. We are trying to work on some things that basically going back to the fundamentals."

A much needed break

After defeating Michigan 77-66 last Wednesday, Jon Crispin said the whole team needed some much-needed rest both mentally and physically. At the time, Cline Heard was struggling with a bug. Crispin and a few of his teammates were not playing at 100 percent and admitted they needed the break.

"Its nice to get away from basketball for a little bit," Titus Ivory said. "You know, I watched some basketball, but for the most part I tried to get away from it and just relax."

Controlling their destiny

Of his four years at Penn State, Joe Crispin admitted that this season might be the roughest year he has experienced.

"This might be the toughest conference anywhere compared to all the other conferences," he said.

With no one team running away from the rest of the pack, Penn State eighth in the conference, stands a legitimate shot at making the NCAA Tournament in March.

Big Ten Power

Although its not the smash mouth football that fills Big Ten stadiums every fall Saturday, the men's basketball programs are causing havoc from top to bottom, no matter how you look at it.

On Saturday, Northwestern upset Iowa at home and Ohio State upended Wisconsin on the road. So no matter how you cut it, no Big Ten teams can be considered a walk through.

"I don't think you can assume anything in this league," Dunn said. "Northwestern knocks off Iowa. Teams are ranked, some aren't, you've got to treat them all the same. I think every team in this is league is capable of beating you. I don't think that it gets any easier. It doesn't matter who plays who, you have to be ready to play regardless of who it is."