Column: One year later, a familiar story

Fast-forward 52 weeks, switch the jerseys and nothing has changed. One season after Princeton’s thrilling run to the NCAA Tournament, Penn — surprisingly still in contention on the final day of college basketball’s regular season — is trying to do the same. Only two years removed from a 6-22 record and a midseason coaching change, the Quakers have won seven straight games and could send expected Ivy League Player of the Year Zack Rosen off in style — but they’ll need to win at Jadwin Gymnasium tonight to keep the dream alive.

With so many storylines, the journalist in me almost feels guilty rooting against the Quakers, partly because I would love to see Rosen in March Madness, partly because there would be a real possibility of two Ivy League teams making the NCAA Tournament, but mostly because another Ivy League playoff would be awesome. But it’s not as if the Tigers have nothing to play for. They seem likely to qualify for one of the lower-profile postseason tournaments, especially if they win tonight; still, this is the last game on the schedule right now, and senior captains Doug Davis and Patrick Saunders may never again play in Jadwin.

And they’ll definitely never get another chance to beat the Quakers. Other rivalries have surfaced in recent years, but this is still Princeton-Penn, and it still matters. On the concourse of The Palestra, there is even a scoreboard showing the all-time series, which Penn leads 123-102. Of course, on the ledger that really matters — Ivy League championships — the Tigers have a 26-25 edge, which they can maintain only with a win tonight.

Last year, when Princeton won number 26, it did so in front of a somewhat depleted Penn crowd. That game received lots of attention from Boston and New Jersey, but the Quakers at times seemed almost like a third wheel, especially with their student section on spring break. Even after Penn went on a 23-4 run to lead after halftime, the Tigers were never out of it, reversing the momentum to score 51 points in the final period and win going away.

Contrast that with January’s meeting, during which Penn’s students were at full strength inside an obnoxiously loud Palestra. Penn led at the break and the Tigers rallied, but the Quakers’ crowd would never let Princeton back in the game. Jadwin is known as one of the toughest places to play in the Ivy League, but which atmosphere will it resemble more tonight?

Another difference between this game and last year’s: The final hurdle to an Ivy League championship is tougher. Penn was no pushover last season, but the Tigers had proven themselves to be a much stronger team.

This year? Thanks to home-court advantage and both teams’ performance to date, Princeton actually enters the game as a five- or six-point favorite, according to betting lines and several projection systems. Penn has been quite lucky to get to 11-2 in Ivy League play, going 5-0 in conference games decided by one possession; that luck tends to run out eventually, especially in places like Jadwin.

However tonight’s game turns out, one thing is certain: It will be exciting. Even as every other conference holds its postseason tournament in the second week of March, the Ivy League has shown over the past two years that the 14-Game Tournament can sometimes provide the best entertainment of all.