Only pride at stake for m. hoops at Penn

When the Ivy League champion men's basketball team strides onto the floor of the Palestra tonight at 7:00, plenty will be on the line. Once the ball is in the air, get ready for another fierce battle in the epic war between two schools sworn to eternal hatred.

Sure, when it comes to the final standings, the game is irrelevant. But this is Penn-Princeton — the contest will be intense no matter what the occasion.

Moreover, the Tigers (19-7 overall, 12-1 Ivy League) haven't forgotten the 67-52 drubbing the Quakers (17-9, 10-3) gave them on Feb. 10 at Jadwin. Princeton might not admit it in so many words, but the Tigers are desperate for revenge.

And then there's the matter of vindication. Even though Princeton has locked up an NCAA bid, whispers persist that it was merely the luckiest team, not the most deserving. Only with a defeat of the Quakers will the Tigers silence such critics and gain the respect they feel they deserve.

"We think we're the best team; they think they're the best," junior forward Andre Logan said. "We want to prove us right and them wrong."

Of course, beating Penn is easier said than done, but another blowout is unlikely. In truth, the squads are more evenly matched than they appeared to be last time. The Quakers benefited from Princeton's worst performance of the season. That's not to say Penn didn't play well — when the Quakers shoot over 50 percent and commit just six turnovers, it's nearly impossible to beat them.

"I don't want to take anything away from them," head coach John Thompson '88 said. "We played very poorly here, but a lot of that was how they played."

Chief amongst Princeton's problems against Penn in January was a lack of offensive execution. The Tigers committed 15 turnovers and often looked lost. Once they fell behind, they appeared to panic rather than calmly fight back. Even though they couldn't hit from the outside, they kept on firing, digging into an even deeper hole.

Since the first Penn game, however, much has changed for Princeton. The Tigers have shown an ability to play from behind, as seen in comebacks from double-digit first-half deficits against Brown and Yale. More importantly, junior center Judson Wallace underwent a personal renaissance and is again playing like the All-Ivy League center he was expected to be.

It's crucial for Princeton to establish Wallace as an offensive force from the start and stick to its game plan. Wallace, Logan and freshman forward Harrison Schaen all should be able to score against Quaker big men Adam Chubb and Mark Zoller.

"I think we have a bunch of guys who can exploit that advantage in the post," Logan said.

That said, it was Zoller's offensive performance that broke the Tigers' backs in February. Time and again, the normally low-scoring freshman drained open midrange jump shots, finishing with 16 points on 7-of-9 shooting. Princeton must improve its defensive rotations to prevent him from getting open looks again tonight.

Perimeter threat

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The Tigers also must do a better job of defending the Quakers' perimeter players. Another 9-for-15 performance from beyond the arc, and Penn will likely once again walk away victorious. Senior guard Jeff Schiffner was the most deadly of the Quaker gunners, finishing with 22 points, including five threes.

Ironically, Princeton may be better equipped to stop Schiffner without one of its normal stalwarts, senior guard Ed Persia. The co-captain will likely miss his fifth straight game with a deep thigh contusion, though Thompson said Persia might have played if the Ivy title were on the line.

While Persia could not contain Schiffner, his more physical replacement, freshman guard Max Schafer, may be better suited to do so. Or, Thompson could put junior guard Will Venable, the team's best individual defender, on Schiffner. Last time, Venable limited the effectiveness of Penn's number two scorer, Tim Begley. Alternately, Thompson may go big and assign Logan or Schaen to cover Schiffner.

Either way, the Tigers must be more aggressive on both ends of the court than they were last time, when the Quakers controlled the flow of the game. Ultimately, the outcome will depend on execution. Both teams will have plenty of motivation.

After all, whenever Princeton and Penn play, the prize is pride.