After taking two steps forward, Geary Claxton said his team took one step back on Wednesday when it suffered a 29-point setback to Wisconsin.

But bouncing back and forging ahead won't come easy -- the Penn State men's basketball team is slated to take on No. 11 Michigan State at noon tomorrow on the road.

"We'll be ready to play tomorrow," Claxton said. "We can't go out there like we did against Wisconsin or else it's going to be the same result."

Both Claxton and junior guard David Jackson agreed the blowout loss resulted from a lack of energy. The Lions came out flat and went on a 10-minute run where they didn't score -- falling early to the Badgers, 26-5.

Claxton cited poor shooting, and Jackson said his "lackadaisical" team was a little impatient and needed to improve on its rebounding.

"A couple times we had Wisconsin late in the shot clock, missing it and getting it right back," Jackson said. "And it kills you to play 35 seconds of shot clock over and over again."

On a positive note, the Lions won't have to worry about that against Michigan State.

The Spartans play a very fast-paced offense, and the shot clock shouldn't be much of a factor during tomorrow's matchup.

"They're almost the opposite of what Wisconsin does," assistant coach Hilliary Scott said. "Wisconsin is kind of a deliberate offensive team, where they take some time off the clock. Michigan State wants to get it off quick, make or miss, and push it up the court."

The Spartans utilize three guards in their starting lineup -- Maurice Ager, Shannon Brown and Drew Neitzel -- which may also cause some problems for Penn State's 2-3 zone. The trio has accounted for a combined 122 3-pointers this season.

The Lions' 15-man roster, on the other hand, has yet to record 100 treys. As a matter of fact, Wednesday's 43-point output was the lowest in 22 games (dating back to last season).

"The ball wasn't falling [on Wednesday] -- but it's gonna fall Saturday, I just feel it," Claxton said.

Claxton, who leads the team with 15.1 points per game, is one of three forwards who average in the double-digits. Oddly enough, Jackson leads all guards with only 7.8 points.

That stat-reversal doesn't worry Claxton, though. Despite the team's offensive struggles, Claxton said this team is still better than last year's -- and it's a lot different.

"Nah, nah, nah. Nobody's talking about losing this year," he said. "Sometimes, we kinda dwelled on it, and people were getting depressed.

"But I don't see that here. Everybody's upbeat."