It didn't figure that lowly Cornell, winless in the Ivies and just one night removed from an embarrassing loss to Princeton, would give Penn much of a test Saturday. But as the Quakers are finding out early in this Ivy campaign, the trouble with being king of the hill is someone is always trying to knock you off. Never was this more apparent than in a couple of contests against Ivy foes Columbia and the Big Red at the Palestra this weekend. The Quakers, everyone's overwhelming choice to dominate the league, aren't sneaking up on anyone this year, except maybe the Vegas oddsmakers. Penn entered both games as 20-plus point favorites, but failed to blow either team out of its home gym. The Quakers emerged victorious both nights, by 12 and 11 points, respectively. But the seemingly comfortable margins were misleading. Cornell tied the score four minutes into a second half in which the Penn lead hovered precariously in single digits. On Friday, the score was tied three times in the first half, and while the Quakers managed to pull away in the second half, the Lions remained within striking distance until the end. Ever since Penn pried away Princeton's choke hold on the Ivy title last season, the Quakers have found themselves in the highly visible position of defending the crown. And as Penn has ascended to the Ivy League throne, it has invariably become the team that everyone else is gunning for as well. "The Ivy League championship has to come through Philly," senior captain Barry Pierce said Friday night following the Columbia game, "because we have it now and teams are going to be coming after us like they never came after us before." The Quakers might as well get used to their opponents getting up for games against the champs. On Friday, freshman guard C.J. Thompkins, making his first start ever, scored 18 points to keep the Lions within reach. On Saturday, Cornell senior forward Justin Treadwell, the league's leading scorer, was better than that, pouring in 28 points. "It would have been great if we could've knocked off the defending champs," Treadwell said. "They're definitely the best team in the league and that was definitely extra motivation." "The pressure was all on them," said Thompkins. Cornell and Columbia's other games this weekend provide a striking example of how much tougher teams are playing the Quakers this season. Princeton hosted the Big Red Friday and the Lions Saturday, blowing them out 74-48 and 78-46, respectively. If a team loses to the Tigers, presumably the second best team in the league, by 20, but by only 11 to the best team, there must be another factor at work. "They have nothing to lose and everything to gain," said Pierce of other Ivy squads. "I think when anybody goes undefeated in the league, teams are going to be up to play you." In recent years, a win over Princeton was the highest to which an Ivy pretender could aspire. But now, in the Penn reign, teams are looking at a victory over the Quakers as a way to launch their programs. Both losing coaches mentioned that a strong performance against Penn inspires confidence in their team and could be the thing that lifts them into contention. "It's great to come into the Palestra, with the atmosphere and the crowd," Cornell coach Al Walker said, "and to leave here knowing we gave Penn a good game that we can build off of for the remaining month of the season." "The ultimate thing for a young club would have been to come up with an upset," Columbia coach Jack Rohan said. Defending the crown comes with its own potential problems. Ivy teams are now circling Penn on their calendars as the biggest game of the year. The added pressure necessitates a more businesslike approach to winning games. And while the season might not be as exciting as last year's title chase, the Quakers are happy to be in the driver's seat. It's still good to be the king.
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