The Penn State men's basketball team looks to break its 31-game road losing streak in the Big Ten when it faces No. 12 Michigan State (21-5, 12-3 Big Ten) at 8 p.m. tomorrow.

The Nittany Lions (7-21, 1-14) are coming off their most impressive half of basketball against Big Ten competition this season.

Penn State racked up 43 second-half points against a Minnesota team that needed a victory to keep its NCAA tournament hopes alive.

"We're going to show them some tape of the positive things we did [Wednesday night] during our comeback," Penn State coach Ed DeChellis said. "We're going to accentuate the positive as we get ready for Michigan State."

Pointing out the positives is the Lions' only option at this point.

After another disappointing season, the only way DeChellis can get Penn State out of this rut is by keeping the young guys positive and not letting them lose too much confidence.

One Lion who seems to be gaining confidence as the season progresses is freshman sharp-shooting guard Danny Morrissey.

The 3-point specialist has gained a tremendous amount of confidence in his shot lately, which was evident when he took the wide-open three during a Penn State fast break Wednesday night. That is the type of play for which Illinois guard Dee Brown is famous, and something the Lions offense desperately needs.

The Pepper Pike, Ohio, native is also becoming more aware on the defensive end -- taking two charges in Wednesday's game.

"Danny's figured a few things out. For the past two weeks [assistant] Coach [Kurt] Kanaskie has been telling the guys that you're either a shot-blocker or a charge-taker, and I think Danny has really bought into that," DeChellis said.

"When Danny's open he needs to shoot it, that goes with having confidence. I tell him if he takes a bad shot, but if he's open he should shoot."

Penn State will need Morrissey's shooting when it tips-off in East Lansing because, quietly, the Spartans are once again one of the better teams in the country and are currently penciled in as a No. 4 seed in the Albuquerque bracket with a first round match-up against Holy Cross, according to ESPN.com.

Michigan State coach Tom Izzo once again has a dominating rebounding team. Michigan State is averaging more than eight rebounds per game more than their opponents. Add to that the Spartans' home-court advantage, one of the best in the nation, and it's equal trouble for Penn State.

But, DeChellis is looking for any advantages available.

"I think we catch them during their spring break," he said, laughing and crossing his fingers.