It's been 10 years since Penn State and Rutgers have been conference rivals. Back in the old Atlantic 10, the Nittany Lions and Scarlet Knights faced off at least twice a year. And while both programs have moved on to elite basketball conferences, neither has been able to establish itself as a power.

When the Knights (3-1) visit the Bryce Jordan Center tonight to play the Lions (3-2), the old foes will resume pleasantries after a 12-year hiatus. Though time has passed, both teams are still looking to gain respect on the national stage.

"I don't think you can set your goals to say, 'We want to win five games,' " Penn State coach Ed DeChellis said.

"I don't think we want to say, 'Well, OK, we're going to win seven games.' Then when we win seven games, now what? I'd rather have to readjust them down than to have them set up."

Though the Knights have just a .479 winning percentage since 1999, they've gotten the better of play recently compared to the Lions, winning 30 games in the past two seasons compared to the Lions' 14. Twenty-five of those wins, however, have come at home, where the Knights have hung with some of the top teams in the nation. However, on the road, things are different. They are a far more pedestrian 5-21 away from Piscataway, N.J. in that span.

The Lions are coming off their second loss of the season - a humbling 64-37 loss at intrastate rival No. 20 Pittsburgh, where the team seemed to revert back to its old, bad habits of the past two years, after showing signs of breaking through in its previous three wins.

According to DeChellis, the problem is that his players just aren't yet familiar with the practice of winning, something they need to get used to.

"We haven't been in that position," DeChellis said after the Cleveland State game.

"We're just so young, we just think that we can relax and that's something that I have to work on all year."