Somebody needs to stop the bleeding.

Nine losses in a row calls for a very large tourniquet. But if the Penn State men's basketball team is going to muster any hope or confidence before the Big Ten tournament, the hemorrhaging has got to end tomorrow night in Minneapolis.

As of now, the Nittany Lions (9-17, 3-12) already hold a better record than last year, but as the season draws to a close, team morale is a mirror image of the losing past.

"I just want to try and win a game," Penn State men's basketball coach Ed DeChellis said. "Whether that's [tomorrow] or in the first round of the tournament to go out on a positive."

With a fortunate draw for their last regular season game, at least the Lions get to play the single team ranked below them in the conference. The Minnesota Golden Gophers (10-17, 2-13) are the only thing standing between Penn State and dead last.

That means there are actual consequences in this battle of the cellar-dwellers. The Lions and Golden Gophers are fighting to be the next-to-worst team in the Big Ten and fighting not to draw the disastrous 11-seed in the conference tournament.

"I think it's important but it's not the end of the world," DeChellis said about tomorrow's game. "I think it's important to take another step, to try and get double figures in wins and double the conference wins from last year."

The tangible outcomes of the Minnesota game are virtually meaningless, though. With such a degree of separation in talent between the top teams in the Big Ten and those at the bottom, there is little chance for a first-round upset for either the Lions or Gophers.

The only real value of a win for Penn State would be in the form of confidence. The post-season tournament offers one comforting prospect for all of the teams involved -- a clean slate.

If the Lions have any chance of seeing the second round, they will need to play with the belief that they actually are on the same level as any opponent.

"I think tournament atmosphere is somewhat different," DeChellis said. "Great things can happen in tournaments. Cinderella stories happen and if we can wear a slipper, great."