In a game where the stakes are a little bit higher due to Penn State's recent struggles, Penn State and Iowa will be put to the test tonight in a battle that will keep NCAA Tournament hopes alive for one team, while the other's will likely fall by the wayside.

At 7 tonight the Nittany Lions (16-9, 6-8) will look to rebound from a pair of disappointing losses to Northwestern and Michigan State as they travel to Iowa City, Iowa, and do battle with the struggling Iowa Hawkeyes.

The Hawkeyes will be without top player Luke Recker, who is down with an injury and will not return to action until the Big Ten Tournament.

In Penn State's first meeting with Iowa, the Lions came up just one point short. In the 86-85 loss Penn State managed an 11-2 run that tied the game with less than a minute left to play. However, the Lions were unable to stop Recker as he hit a mid-range jumper with less than a minute left to play, and then sealed the Lions fate with a pair of free throws.

What was lost in the Iowa win was Joe Crispin's 35-point effort.

Since then, Penn State has had an up-and-down season. The Lions won games that many thought the Lions would lose — such as Illinois — and lost games that many thought the Lions would win — such as Northwestern.

Each team enters the game with Tournament hope. However, due to each team's recent slide, many are wondering what team will show up for Penn State. Prior to the two losses, Penn State beat Minnesota and Purdue by 20 or more points in each contest.

Even after the loss to Michigan State, Tom Izzo was asked if Penn State is Tournament-worthy.

"They're a good team with a lot of good shooters," Izzo said. "I think they're 200 percent Tournament worthy. Crispin and Ivory are great players that can hurt you inside and outside. The Tournament would be lucky to have them."

Lucky or not, Penn State's perimeter shooting will need to be on target.

In the last game against the Spartans, Crispin and Ivory struggled throughout the contest as they combined for just 21 points in the loss, 16 points below their season average.

"We are not worried about the games ahead," Ivory said. "We know what we have to do, so we are just going to go out and play basketball."

Despite Ivory's calmness, the Lions will be facing a different team from the one they played almost two months ago.

Iowa has had to change their lineup since Recker went down. Since Recker has been out of the lineup, the Hawkeyes have lost five of their last six games. But they did pull out an overtime victory against Purdue Saturday, which has brought some poise back to Iowa.

"I think we're still in good shape," Iowa coach Steve Alford. "We just need to take care of business down the stretch. We've got to keep playing and fight through Luke's loss."

With both sides showing a poker face, all the cards will need to be shown tonight and the winner might be walking away with more than just a win.