The Penn State men's basketball team won't face more adversity than it got following the 67-61 loss to Division II Shipppensburg.

The response to this adversity? It can be found at 7 tonight at the Bryce Jordan Center, when Penn State tips-off the regular season against the Morehead State Eagles.

When the schedule was released in early August, this game was viewed as an easy win for Penn State. The Eagles, coming off of one of the worst seasons in school history and picked by coaches to finish last in the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC), were supposed to come to Happy Valley and play the role of sacrificial chicken while rendering a win to the Lions.

What a difference a couple of injuries and a preseason loss can make to lofty expectations.

Instead of being a potentially effortless win, this game now becomes as much of a must-win game as a season opener can be.

After Monday's loss, the Lions seemed stunned and astonished. Then, reality set in. The loss to the Red Raiders was horrible and embarrassing, but luckily for them, it was still only an exhibition.

"It's good because it doesn't really count in the win-loss column," senior Ben Luber said.

With its resume still unblemished, Penn State can get back to working on one of its goals -- an NCAA tournament appearance -- with a win tonight.

Head coach Ed DeChellis mentioned that since Monday's game was an exhibition, he might have coached differently than he will tonight.

"We didn't change defenses on purpose," DeChellis said, referring to the Lions' inability to guard Shippensburg's Chuck Davis man-to-man. "I just wanted to play man to show [Penn State] that we have to guard somebody. We could have changed to zone and camouflaged some things, but I told [the team] before the game that it was important for us to come out and play. He's the kind of guy we'll be facing all year."

Whether or not the Lions can defend man-to-man may be a factor tonight. MSU features 6-foot-6 senior swingman Shaun Williams, a preseason All-OVC pick after he averaged 16.4 points and 6.4 rebounds last season. The style of Williams' game is similar to that of the slashing Davis, which could equate to problems for Penn State. If Williams begins to dominate like Davis, the Lions may be forced to switch to zone. If they don't, it could be another agonizing night for the Penn State faithful.

Penn State will be aided by the return of senior David "Mooch" Jackson, who sat out the final preseason game with a sprained ankle. Jackson, a starter last season, should add more depth and might be the leader DeChellis has been searching for.

If the loss to Shippensburg did anything, it forced Penn State to reevaluate itself as a team. The defeat dampened some of the team's high expectations. It also forced the Lions to realize that this season isn't going to be easy, and there's still more work to do.

"It set us back to reality," Luber said. "You're never as good as you think you are."

But, regardless of what happened in the preseason, the Lions have the opportunity to get back to winning tonight and prove they're not as bad as it may seem.