Ed DeChellis hasn't ever been quite the zone man. The Penn State men's basketball coach said player size and poor ball containment on the perimeter forced him to drop man-to-man defense altogether, but the switch is not night and day.

"You still have to do the same kind of things," DeChellis said. "You still have to defend on perimeters. You still have to defend the basketball."

Critics of the team's play this year might now raise their hands, exclaiming -- Yes, you still have yet to defend on the perimeter! -- and then rattle off the names of perimeter shooters who've had a hand in beating the Nittany Lions this season.

DeChellis is keenly aware of this, and of the magic number 35. In all but two Big Ten games, when Penn State allows its opponent to shoot above that percentage from 3-point range, it loses. When it doesn't, it wins. So there are kinks to be worked out.

"We've won games when we've stopped people from the perimeter shooting the basketball," DeChellis said.

Its most recent game, a win Saturday at Purdue, is a shining example of this. According to Penn State assistant coach Kurt Kanaskie, a combination of execution and the Boilermakers' 21 percent 3-point shooting produced success for the Lions' defense.

In the Lions' attempt to carry over that same success vs. Indiana's perimeter shooters tonight, they will adjust their basic 2-3 zone -- a top line of two players, a back line of three -- that flexes rather than remains rigid. DeChellis said the approach allows his team to position itself better for rebounds, which is nearly as critical for victory as limiting perimeter shooting.

"We're not playing a strictly stand-around-and-wave-our-hands kind of 2-3 zone. We really try to match up out of it," DeChellis said."

Against Purdue, the Lions didn't have their top two defenders guard the corners -- that assignment fell to the players on the back line. That left the top two more free to guard the middle and sides of the 3-point arc. Kanaskie said he thought the zone would be effective, and as Purdue guard Chris Lutz (1-of-8) missed three after three, it was.

But Indiana is a different look, generally playing four players at the perimeter with 6-foot-8 forward Marco Killingsworth clogging the paint. So the Hoosiers' shooters will force all but the man under the basket to run out and contest 3-point shots.

Penn State assistant coach Hilliary Scott said Killingsworth presents some problems. If, for instance, the ball is on the left side of the court on the perimeter, the Lions will have the back line player on the right side help guard Killingsworth.

Indiana is also an odd look at the moment, shooting only 18 percent from 3-point territory in its most recent game at Illinois.

But the Hoosiers shot slightly above 35 percent in Penn State's 71-68 win a week ago.Now that he's a zone man, DeChellis will have to see if Penn State can limit Indiana to under the magic barrier.

"If you hit 'em on a night when they're really shooting the basketball, it could be a long night for you," DeChellis said. "They're due for one of those breakout games, you're just hoping it's not against you."