It's a question that anyone associated with this program has trouble answering -- why can't the Nittany Lions win on the road?

Even Penn State men's basketball coach Ed DeChellis had to stop and lean back in his chair when considering the question.

After some thought, he said, "They haven't done it."

A simplistic answer, to be sure, but possibly the one that makes the most sense.

DeChellis and his team talked a lot about mindsets after Wednesday night's overtime win against Northwestern and about the need to carry momentum over to tomorrow night's game at Iowa (10-7, 3-3 Big Ten).

"I think it's important that guys feel good about themselves," DeChellis said. "I think we're 4-1 in games decided by five points, so we're trying to convince them that they can win those games."

The Lions (9-8, 3-3) have had seven of their wins come on the floor of the Bryce Jordan Center and are already gaining confidence when they play there.

"I expected to win that game," forward Aaron Johnson said of the 63-61 win over the Wildcats. "It felt normal to win the other night and that's good because it gets to be contagious."

It's been a long time since a win felt normal for this program, and the fact that it's slowly becoming a reality speaks well for this year's team.

Now, the challenge is to get that same feeling on the road.

"On the road, we're out of our comfort zone," Johnson said. "We have a better mindset here because we have won here."

To win in Iowa City, however, the Lions will need to show more composure than they did on their last road trip to Michigan State and Illinois.

Containing Iowa sophomore guard Pierre Pierce and his 16.9 points per game will be a main focus of the game.

DeChellis used different matchups against Northwestern's star guard Jitim Young, putting forward Ndu Egekeze on him when he was in the game, rather than another guard.

Whether he uses a similar plan against Pierce remains to be seen, but it shows that DeChellis is willing to experiment to get an advantage.

"This is a huge game," Johnson said. "If we beat Iowa, coaches are going to start getting concerned."