The Penn State men's basketball team had its confidence shattered once again on Wednesday after another 20-point loss on the road in the Big Ten. The Nittany Lions (7-15, 1-8 Big Ten) will have to pick up the pieces before tomorrow's matchup with Ohio State (16-8, 5-5) -- a job that is getting harder and harder to do, especially early in games.

"Some guys do, you can see it in our eyes -- especially on the bench," Penn State guard Danny Morrissey said about losing confidence. "If we make a couple of shots ... usually it is the first five minutes of the game that will dictate how we play."

Any coach will say that the way a team comes out in the first is usually a sign of what they've done that week in practice. If that's the rule, then Penn State is finally an exception to a rule but not in a good way. Junior forward Travis Parker was visibly frustrated after the Wisconsin game on Jan. 29 because the Lions came out flat after a good couple of days of practice, and it seems as if Wednesday's game was deja-vu for Penn State.

"We had two of the best practices Monday and Tuesday [before the Purdue game]," Penn State coach Ed DeChellis said. "That's why [the Purdue game] was kind of a shock to us as a team and as a staff. I couldn't have scripted the practices any better than they went. And going out and really not have the same level of basketball was really shocking."

Another shocking event on Wednesday was the horrendous shooting of the team's only post presence -- junior forward Aaron Johnson. Johnson finished the night with a goose egg in the field goals made section of the stat sheet. His shooting the last two games has been well below par for the Lions' leading scorer; maybe he has something against Wednesdays, but DeChellis thinks he knows what's wrong.

"When [Johnson] did get his opportunities in the post he rushed his shot a bit," DeChellis said. "Were going to show him on tape today that he rushed his shot and he was not taking it through contact ... he seems very uncomfortable. He just need to slow down a bit."

Ohio State and Penn State have gone in entirely different directions since the Buckeyes 68-62 win in Columbus on Jan. 26. The Lions have lost three in a row while Ohio State has won three of its last four, which includes a loss at Michigan State that the Buckeyes were in until the last 15 minutes.

Tomorrow's game against the Buckeyes gives the Lions another chance to avoid the quicksand that the team found itself in at the end of last season -- losing 11 in a row -- and get something they so desperately want.

"I think it's just about a win right now, whether it be at home or away," DeChellis said. "I don't talk about streaks -- positively or negatively -- as a coach ... we're just trying to win a game."