To say things haven't been looking good for the Penn State men's basketball team would be an understatement.

After starting the season 5-2, the Nittany Lions (6-9, 0-2 Big Ten) have lost seven of their last eight contests. In the team's two most recent outings, it has fallen to Big Ten foes Michigan State and Minnesota by more than 20 points each.

Oh yeah, and the Lions travel to play the top-ranked team in the country, undefeated Illinois (16-0, 2-0), tomorrow night.

Sounds a little daunting, doesn't it?

"We're still trying to climb the mountain one step at a time, one day at a time," Penn State head coach Ed DeChellis said yesterday at his weekly press conference.

"When you have as many guys on the floor that have not played Big Ten basketball before [as his team has], you just have breakdowns. Athletically, we have breakdowns, and then mentally we have breakdowns."

Making matters worse, DeChellis said sophomore guard Marlon Smith will miss his second straight game tomorrow due to illness.

The coach said the sophomore was doing better but there is still no timetable for his return.

The loss of Smith only makes things tougher for the Lions.

"He's just a guy who can break you down with the dribble and get somebody else a shot," DeChellis said. "He helps you defensively because he knows what [the team is] doing on the floor."

Smith's absence only adds to an already depleted Penn State roster. On Dec. 11, redshirt freshman center John Kelly left the team with plans to transfer.

One week later, senior Jamaal Tate decided to become an inactive member of the team. Tate continues to support his teammates by attending practices and games.

Until Smith is healthy, however, Penn State has only 10 active players.

This is nothing new for DeChellis, who dealt with a similar roster situation last year when numerous players transferred.

But that doesn't make it any easier.

"It's one less in the rotation, [we have] only one perimeter sub," DeChellis said. "So that's challenging as well. ... We're really one injury away from really making everything interesting."

On the positive side, the coach has seen improvements from his young squad during the adverse conditions.

"I think guys are understanding hopefully now what it takes to play at a level in terms of energy and how hard you have to play," DeChellis said. "I don't think they really understood that every night was going to be a war in terms of tough, physical play."

One player in particular who has stepped up is forward Geary Claxton. The freshman had a season-best 20 points against Michigan State and leads all Big Ten freshmen with an average of 6.1 rebounds per game.

"Geary's done a great job," DeChellis said. "He's very athletic, he can score over guys, he can put the ball on the floor and drive it to the basket. ... He just wants to win."

Against the Spartans, Claxton was 5-of-9 from the floor and 10-of-14 from the free-throw line, while contributing three blocked shots and a steal on the defensive end.

"I think his maturation has been very, very fun to watch because he came in the fall and worked extremely hard," DeChellis said. "[He] didn't understand a lot of things but is really a very good listener and has really caught on extremely well.

"We're hoping that him as well as our other freshmen continue to improve."