The Penn State and Temple men's basketball programs are set to hook up for the second time this season.

Only this time, the stakes are a bit higher.

The intrastate rivalry adds another page to its history tonight, when the Nittany Lions (21-11) take on the Owls (21-12) in Atlanta's Georgia Dome shortly after 10. The winner moves on to the NCAA Tournament's Elite Eight and the loser goes home.

In their first meeting, Penn State defeated the Owls 66-60 at The Bryce Jordan Center Dec. 9.

Since then, these two teams have taken similar paths, both witnessing their shares of ups and downs. But according to Penn State guard Joe Crispin, it's not about what has happened in the past, but what's going on right now.

"At this point, it's not about Xs and Os anymore. It's what we've got in here," Crispin said, pointing to his heart. "That's what we've played on the past couple of games. Our hearts were laid on the floor each night."

Both teams emphasize what March Madness is all about. The Lions and Owls weren't expected to get this far, but have left a trail of upsets along the way.

The No. 11 seeded Owls defeated No. 6 Texas in the opening round of the Tournament last Friday in New Orleans, then followed that performance by holding No. 3 Florida to just 36 percent shooting in their win against the Gators.

Most of Temple's success has come from the solid guard play of seniors Quincy Wadley and Lynn Greer.

Wadley had 24 points in the win against the Gators and Greer contributed by playing smart Temple defense that prevented Florida from getting into its fast-moving style of play.

"They're on the same page as a team," Penn State head coach Jerry Dunn said. "The seven players who are playing the majority of the minutes really understand what's required of them and what they have to do to win. They're playing with a greater sense of urgency."

Just like Temple, Penn State has shocked a few teams down the stretch with a win against Michigan State to solidify a berth in the NCAA Tournament a few weeks ago. But maybe none of its wins were as big as the win against North Carolina this past Sunday.

The Lions as a whole are playing more as a team than they have before. Not only is Penn State receiving solid production from seniors Crispin, Gyasi Cline-Heard and Titus Ivory, but the bench has filled in nicely for the Lions when the trio is in need of a break.

Leading the charge is forward Marcus Banta and shooting guard Jamaal Tate. In the game against Carolina, Banta chipped in with two points and five rebounds in the nine minutes of play, while Tate has been solid contributor throughout the latter part of the season.

The bench is another place where the Lions hold the advantage against the Owls. Since Dunn has at times gone eight and nine players deep in the last few games, his belief in his bench has grown since the last time Temple saw Penn State.

The solid bench minutes have enabled the Lions to give players such as Crispin and Ivory a chance to regain their strength. The Owls bench is not deep at all. Normally the Owls will only play seven, leaving starters like Greer out on the floor to play the whole game.

"Penn State was not the same team as it is now," Temple head coach John Chaney said earlier this week. "These people in Philadelphia, they don't know nothing. I've heard comments about how we're going to be favored and how we're going to beat Penn State, but hey, they beat Michigan State. They beat Kentucky at Kentucky.

And I mean, you could go on and on, but some of the teams they have beaten are great teams. They beat Carolina and Carolina didn't look as though they knew what was going on. I mean, it looked as if Penn State was laughing as they were beating them. I think they know what they're doing and they're better than many people think."