On paper, the Penn State men's basketball roster (10-6, 1-2 Big Ten), littered with juniors and seniors, seems to be the makeup of a veteran squad led by several experienced upperclassmen.

But head coach Ed DeChellis warns that the appearance of his team taking the floor against Michigan (14-4, 2-1 Big Ten) at 8 tonight in Ann Arbor may be deceiving.

"We do [have experience] but maybe not in true senior minutes or junior minutes," DeChellis said. "We've got one guy [guard Ben Luber] that's really played senior minutes. So, we're not [filled with] four-year seniors."

DeChellis cited the lack of game experience of his team, most notably junior center Brandon Hassell, who is seeing his first significant playing time in college. The 6-foot-11-inch man, adjusting to his large frame, only played in two-thirds of Penn State's games during his first two seasons, averaging only eight minutes per contest.

Meanwhile, senior guard David 'Mooch' Jackson arrived in State College a year ago as a junior college transfer, meaning he only had two years of eligibility remaining. Although Jackson, 24, is the elder statesman of the team, he only played one season of Division I basketball.

With the addition of redshirt sophomore guard Danny Morrissey, who missed last season with a knee injury, the current Lions appear rather youthful and green.

With Luber now coming off of the bench, the main lineup is composed of junior swingman Geary Claxton, sophomore forward Jamelle Cornley, Morrissey, Jackson and Hassell, which experience-wise is like having a junior, three sophomores and a freshman on the court in key situations.

But Cornley said that even with the inexperience, if the Lions can snap their current two-game losing streak and string some wins together, the season could change quickly.

"We need to establish some type of momentum. In this league, when you get momentum, it helps things carry over and get better," he said. "We realize the winner of the Big Ten may have three or four losses this year, because that's just how tough this conference is, we're still in it. We need to stop looking at the big picture and focus on one game at a time."

If the Lions hope to get back in the win column tonight, it will have to come against the most veteran team in the Big Ten. Michigan boasts four seniors and a junior in its starting lineup, which leads one of the league's most stifling defenses. The Wolverines lead the conference in blocks and surrender less than 60 points per outing.

Luckily for Penn State, which has allowed an average of 11 three-pointers per game during conference play, Michigan does not shoot the ball well from the outside. The Wolverines average five threes per contest and rank last in the Big Ten in every three-point statistical category.

Whether it's by outscoring the deliberately offensive Wolverines or by limiting Michigan's open looks from the perimeter, the Lions know they greatly need a win to get out of the bottom half of the conference.

"We can't get too far behind [the Big Ten leaders]. We've got to stop the losing streak where it is, and if we can win this one, we get back to .500 and we can make a move," Morrissey said.

"There are a lot of opportunities if we win [tonight]."