EXPLORES AT A GLANCE: M. Hoops faces LaSalle tonight

Big 5 title is on the line at Spectrum When Penn took to the hardwood floor of the Civic Center early last season and steamrolled La Salle by 27 points, a few jaws outside the Philadelphia area hit the floor. After all, the Explorers boasted the reputation of being one of the top team's in Philadelphia, and a perennial NCAA tourney team. On the other hand, the Quakers were regarded as nothing more than a competitive Ivy team. But Penn went on to post a gaudy 22-5 record, including a near upset of UMass in the first round of the NCAAs. Meanwhile, La Salle finished 14-12, lost in the first round of its Midwestern Collegiate Conference tournament, and did not get an invitation to any post-season events for the first time since 1986. Reputations have been revised since that last encounter. Enough so that when the two teams face off at the Spectrum at 7 p.m. tonight (WSSJ 1310-AM, WNPV 1440-AM, WXPN 88.5-FM), Penn lays claim to the role of favorite, while La Salle appears the underdog. "We don't ever deal with [other people's] expectations," Penn coach Fran Dunphy said. "Our own expectations are to go out and play the best we can each night out. La Salle is a big team for us to play. There are scholarship players out there and we are not a scholarship school. I don't care what the circumstances are, this is going to be a hell of a contest for us. We've got to play well in order to win the game." Since the last encounter with Penn, more than reputation has changed for La Salle (8-8, 0-0 Big 5). The most important difference between last year's Explorers and the one the Quakers (10-2, 1-0) will face tonight is the play of junior co-captain Kareem Townes. Although the 6-3 shooting guard and Philadelphia native was less than impressive when Penn thrashed the La Salle when these two teams met last season (he went 0 for 16 from the field), he has thrashed opponents so far this season, averaging more than 24 points and almost three steals per contest. However, Townes's offensive prowess was always visible. In fact, the streak shooter led the Explorers in scoring in 24 of the team's 27 contests during last season's campaign. "He's a talented player," Dunphy said at practice yesterday. "He may be a streak shooter, and hopefully that streak doesn't come to the front tomorrow night." Joining Townes in the backcourt is fellow co-captain, junior Paul Burke. Burke has dished out 102 assists for the season to go along with 13.4 points per game. "He's the heart and soul of this team," La Salle coach Speedy Morris said. "He's the guy who makes our team go. When he's playing smart and making good decisions, we can be a good team." But aside from the maturation of Townes and the steady play of Burke, other changes in La Salle have been less positive. The Explorers lost three starters, the entire frontcourt, from last season's roster. Included in this group was 6-7 forward Blitz Wooten, the team's leading rebounder with 6.4 per game and its third leading scorer (8 ppg). The turnover of personnel has translated into severe problems for La Salle up front. Bluntly, the team has no experience in the paint. The Explorers now feature a four-man frontcourt rotation. The big men include 6-8 sophomore Terquin Mott (10.9 ppg, 5.6 rpg), 6-6 sophomore Romaine Haywood (11.6, 6.2), and freshmen 6-6 Derrick Newton (5.3, 4.6) and 6-10 Jasper Van Teeseling (6.7, 4.9) in the middle. The result of the inexperience: opponents have hurt La Salle on the boards, outrebounding the Explorers by almost 100 rebounds for the season, an average margin of about six per game. "We start three front-line people who have not played a collegiate game until this year," Morris said. "[Penn] bangs the boards well. I think our front line is coming around though." Penn has had plenty of time to practice for La Salle, with one week since its last game. However, that last game was considered by many to be a lackluster 88-71 win over Lafayette. So with the showdown with archrival Princeton less than a week away, and Ivy doubleheader play about to begin, Penn has one final opportunity to hone its skills in this La Salle game. "[The layoff is] not something you wish for," Dunphy said. "At this point, everybody wants to be playing as opposed to practicing and having a [layoff] like this. There's not a lot we can do about it though....It's down to that time of year when we get an hour and a half of practice each session, and hopefully we're going do well no matter what the layoff is." If the great contests of past Big 5 play are any indicator, then no one will have to worry about reputations, or layoffs, or anything except getting a good ticket. "We want to show well, and hopefully we'll again do what we need to do to win the game," Dunphy said. "But La Salle is a team that can jump up and grab you at any time. They have some talented players."