For a team low on experience and even lower in expectations, tomorrow's season opener against Cornell will serve as a measuring stick for a squad in great need of confidence.

The Nittany Lions host the Big Red at 12:30 in the Bryce Jordan Center, the first opportunity for nine Penn State players to see regular season action for the Blue and White.

Cornell (1-1) lost 67-62 in a near upset of No. 16 Syracuse last Wednesday and brings an unorthodox offensive style to the Jordan Center.

The Big Red typically plays with one post and four players on the perimeter, meaning that the Lions playing the four spots will have to guard out on the perimeter.

Another concern for Penn State men's basketball coach Ed DeChellis is the size of Cornell's wing players, which could allow the Lions' guards to be posted up inside should the Big Red choose to pursue that advantage.

"Cornell has big wings, and if you've got Mike Walker, Ben Luber or David Jackson trying to guard those guys, now he's gonna try to post him up, and we have to do things different defensively," DeChellis said.

While Cornell has had two games to sort out personnel issues, the Lions are still tinkering with lineups and rotations. As of Wednesday, sophomore Brandon Hassell was the starting center. That starting spot is up for grabs, though, as freshmen Joonas Suotamo and Milos Bogetic are also competing for playing time, and should factor into Penn State's low-post plans.

"We're trying to get our personnel straight and figure out where guys will be able to help us, what they'll be able to do for us," DeChellis said.

The season-ending injury to shooting guard Danny Morrissey confused personnel matters even further, as Penn State now has fewer options in the backcourt.

And if they needed any more uncertainty, the Lions do not have a set backup for sophomore Geary Claxton on the wing.

The original game plan remains intact, though, and Penn State will look to push the ball up the court as much as possible.

"We're gonna push the basketball, that's been our emphasis all fall," DeChellis said. "If we're not, then we're not doing what we're supposed to."

DeChellis said that early in the season he will favor players that he is comfortable with -- even if that means going to a three-guard lineup with Luber, Jackson and Walker and sacrificing a bit of size.

"We're really small; rebounding is going to take effect," DeChellis said. "Do I wanna go that way [with three guards]? No, it wouldn't be my first choice. But early in the season it's a comfort level as well, and right now it's a comfort thing with those three guys knowing exactly what they're doing back there offensively."

The lack of height may hurt the Lions on the glass tomorrow since any second opportunity for Cornell on the offensive end may be taken advantage of in the form of a 3-pointer. Cornell is shooting 43.6 percent from behind the arc this season and sank 11 against the Orange.