Freshman backcourt mates Ben Luber and Marlon Smith have become the heartbeat of the Penn State men's basketball team.

When the duo plays well, the Nittany Lions' (9-9, 3-4 Big Ten) offense is full of life. But when teams like Michigan and Illinois pressure the guards, they flat-line, as do the team's chances of winning.

Purdue men's basketball coach Gene Keady will attempt to put the Lions into cardiac arrest when his Boilermakers (14-6, 4-3) take the court at Bryce Jordan Center tonight at 8.

The Boilermakers under Keady traditionally pressure the ball heavily, but the dean of the Big Ten could be without his top scorer and reigning Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, senior Kenneth Lowe. The Boilermakers could also be without their main post threat, senior Chris Booker, who Keady listed as day-to-day with academic issues. Keady also listed Lowe as day-to-day on Monday with an elbow injury suffered against Indiana on Jan. 27.

"Everybody plays off of him [Lowe] with the energy on defense," Keady said. "With him averaging around 14 points, it's hard to get that void filled with guys who haven't played much."

A player who has played a lot and will need to step up if Lowe is unable to go is sophomore guard David Teague. Teague is the team's second leading scorer and, along with junior guard Brandon McKnight, will provide the pressure on Luber and Smith. Penn State men's basketball coach Ed DeChellis knows his team has to stop more than Teague to be successful.

"David Teague is a very good player, but we've got to stop them all," DeChellis said. "Our problem is we don't have a stopper. We kind of had to do it with different guys on different nights and different defenses."

DeChellis knows that Keady will bring the pressure regardless of who is playing and is worried about how Luber and Smith will react, considering they cannot simulate Purdue's defense. He said that his assistants had to play in practice to give a look like what Purdue will show tonight.

"Our guards have got to be able to handle the ball pressure," DeChellis said. "Our post has got to be able to get open. If not, it will be a long night for us offensively."