Take a look down the Penn State men's basketball roster, and one thing immediately jumps out: a lack of height.

And the team's depth in the post has dwindled with injuries to Jeff Brooks and Billy Oliver.

"I think we've got smart enough players hopefully that we can stay out of foul trouble," senior forward Jamelle Cornley said. "Physically, we're very well conditioned, so I'm not worried about that. As long as we can stay out of foul trouble and not pick up immature fouls, we'll be able to make a good run."

Brooks continues to be day-to-day after suffering a concussion last Thursday, while Oliver, a freshman, has seen very little action in the preseason because of two concussions.

The team's tallest player at 6-feet-10 is Villanova transfer Andrew Ott, but he will not be eligible to play until after fall finals because of NCAA transfer rules.

The injuries to Brooks and Oliver have left Penn State with just five post players in practice -- Cornley, Ott, Andrew Jones, D.J. Jackson and walk-on Steve Kirkpatrick.

"We're trying to rotate those five guys and keep them as fresh as we can," Penn State coach Ed DeChellis said. "You need four on the floor at all times so we only have one sub for both teams. So we're trying to keep guys fresh but it's a challenge in practice everyday to try to keep guys going and give them a blow when they need it."

Jones, the tallest available player for games at 6-foot-9, will be counted on to eat up a lot of minutes at the center position. While Cornley remains the focal point of Penn State's inside game, Jones is developing as another threat for the Nittany Lions in the post.

Although Jones is playing just his sixth season of organized basketball, assistant coach Lewis Preston said it can be an asset because he doesn't have bad habits and can learn things quickly.

Despite some depth concerns, Jones said he doesn't feel pressure to stay out of foul trouble but is focused on avoiding unnecessary reaches and over-the-back calls.

"He knows that we need him on the floor," Cornley said. "We can't afford for him to be in foul trouble early in the game because we're going to need him for the stretch. He's developed a great amount, he's put on a lot of pounds, he's getting stronger and understanding what we need from him.

"We need a lot of defense and a lot of rebounds from him."