As attrition from the Penn State roster begins to mount with its latest loss, small forward Jammal Tate, and depth becomes more and more of a problem, the Nittany Lions' three-man freshman class will have to bear more of the load.

DeForrest Riley, Brandon Cameron and Robert Summers have all become much bigger parts of Penn State's rotation, with Riley, a forward, and Summers, a center, already forcing their way into the starting lineup.

All three will be key tomorrow when the Lions (0-6) go for their first win against Northeastern (2-3) and its own freshman sensation, Jose Juan Barea, a 5-foot-11 guard from Puerto Rico averaging 19 points a game.

"The freshmen have to step up," Riley said. "It's about having confidence in what you know and what you've done your whole life. The coaches recruited us to play basketball in the Big Ten and we have to play like it."

Following an embarrassing 16-point loss to Yale nearly two weeks ago, Penn State men's basketball coach Jerry Dunn became fed up with the current state of the team and began to tap into the ability of the newest Lions.

Riley backed up Dunn's confidence in him and his classmates by scoring 18 points in Penn State's next game at Clemson.

Since then, although the Lions are still winless, their play has been tougher and the effort has been strong.

Cameron, a Gary, Ind., native, has been receiving more and more minutes at point guard, playing nearly half the game against Temple this past Wednesday.

That's saying something when he competes for minutes with senior Brandon Watkins, a stalwart in the Penn State lineup for two years now.

"My comfort level with Brandon is improving,'' Dunn said. "He's the best we have at putting pressure on the ball and he'll always play hard. He also sees the floor extremely well."

Against Temple, Cameron's game ranged from the freshman that he is to the strong player he has the potential to become.

Several times, his lazy passes were stolen and returned for thunderous Owl dunks. Other times, Cameron looked calm and steady as he sunk jump shots, including an NBA three-pointer that pulled the Lions to within four late in the game.

The matchup with Northeastern tomorrow begins a five-game stretch that should prove to be Penn State's easiest of the season.

Bucknell, St. Francis, Robert Morris and Buffalo will all come into the Bryce Jordan Center over the break.

But then the Big Ten comes calling with daunting trips to Indiana and Michigan waiting to help the Lions open the new year.

The rest of the season will prove to be tough and the Lions freshmen will need to deliver.

But leave it up to a veteran, junior Sharif Chambliss, to put things into perspective.

"This is a tough time, there's a lot of pressure on us," he said. "We just have to stick together and come through it."