The Lions haven't played a game since Nov. 11 when they fell to conference rival Northwestern, 1-0, in the opening round of the Big Ten Tournament. That time off could be seen in either a positive or a negative light.
The two-week reprieve has given Penn State considerable time to heal, as senior defender Pasi Karppinen and midfielder Gabe Bernstein should finally find their way back on the field.
On the negative side, however, it's difficult to tell how the Lions will bounce back after not playing a real game in 12 days.
"It looks like we're healthy," Penn State coach Barry Gorman said. "We'll probably have our strongest lineup on the field."
It might be an added benefit that Penn State is competing against Tulsa at home this time. Earlier this season, the Lions were forced to travel into hostile territory to battle the Golden Hurricane.
Needless to say, the atmosphere should be drastically different.
"There's a special electricity in the air," Gorman said. "Playing a night game on Jeffrey Field is something special.
"You get the feeling that the ghosts of players gone by are right there and are pulling with you, and it's just something that you have to experience as a player or have to experience as a long-time fan or supporter of the program."
Although the two teams are familiar with one another -- a lot has changed since September.
The Golden Hurricane seem to be a bit more worried about Penn State's offensive attack.
"I think they're one of the best attacking teams in the country," Tulsa coach Tom McIntosh said. "They scored quite a few goals, so that's probably their biggest strength."
While it's certainly not their weakness, it has been a problem for the Lions in the last few weeks.
Penn State has tallied eight goals in the past seven games, while Tulsa has 19 scores in the same span.
The Lions have had difficulty with capitalizing on their scoring opportunities, although a lot of that can be directly attributed to their opponents packing the box with anywhere from eight to 10 defenders.
Luckily for Penn State, it doesn't seem like that should play much of a role in this game, as both teams aren't exactly known for playing conservatively on defense.
"I know Barry quite well, and I don't think either one of us is going to do that," McIntosh said. "Both of us like to attack, so I wouldn't foresee that from either one of us."
The Golden Hurricane's biggest attacking threat, forward Ryan Pore, also recorded two goals -- and should play a crucial role in Tulsa's success. Pore has more goals this season (19) than Penn State's top three combined scorers (18).
"We're going to have to pay him special attention," Gorman said. "I think last time he surprised us a little bit, especially with his speed -- and the fact that he single-handedly dragged Tulsa back into the game."
It's been a different story at Penn State, though -- 15 different players have recorded at least one goal for the Lions.
