The view from Lincoln?

LINCOLN, Neb. -- On paper, Nebraska and Pennsylvania look identical. Both teams won their conference tournaments. They both have excellent guards. They both have limited -- or no -- success in the NCAA Tournament recently. And they both have stupid nicknames. I won't even try to explain Nebraska's nickname -- the Cornhuskers. It has something to do with our agricultural heritage and something to do with the fact the guy who thought it up was stinkin' drunk. On the other hand, Penn's nickname seems fitting. Quakers are peace-lovin', carriage ridin', oat-eatin', old clothes-wearin', barn-raisin', quilt-makin', cross-stitchin' maniacs. Maybe that explains the basketball team's antiquated style of play. I only kid the Quakers. Penn's composure and confidence is admirable. Winning two straight conference championships is remarkable, no matter how bad the league. (Just ask the Nebraska football team.) And having the fewest losses of any Division I team is commendable. So how could that add up to just a No. 11 seed? Here's the NCAA's unofficial justification: Penn survived a 26-game schedule with two losses. Between Penn's last game March 7 and the release of the seedings Sunday, the Big Dance selection committee took a snooze. Penn, then, got the screws. If prognosticators want to look at this matchup objectively, they should analyze the rankings. Penn was No. 24 before Nebraska even thought about peeking at the poll. Now, the Huskers are peaking -- with six wins in their last seven games -- and have pushed Penn out of the Top 25. Only problem is, Nebraska has been as streaky as a skunk in skid marks this year. Unfortunately for the Quakers, the Huskers have been on a hot string lately. Then again, Penn is on a role of its own. The Quakers have won 15 in a row, albeit most of them have come in the hardly A-1 Ivy League. But Nebraska doesn't like streakers. The fifth-ranked Missouri Tigers, seeded first in the West Region, also were on a 15-game winning streak -- against much better teams -- until the Huskers snapped it. But Nebraska has more than momentum on its side. Three other intangibles will add up to Nebraska's first-ever NCAA Tournament victory: · CBS's college basketball analyst, WFAN guru and all-around dork Mike "Incessant" Francesa picked Penn over Nebraska. Sorry oat boys, that's a huge jinx. · Unlike Penn players, who have had to study physics more than they have zone defenses, Nebraska players apparently haven't cracked open a book since August. More accurately, the Huskers have too many talented athletes who are also decent students. The Quakers have too many talented students who are also decent athletes. · Believe it or not, Husker hoopsters receive scholarships. If they play well, it's rumored that they even get expense accounts. Seriously, though, Nebraska will win because the Quakers have been off for a long time, which will either make them extremely hungry, or extremely rusty. The Huskers have been, well, on for a long time. Led by Eric "The Polish Rifle" Piatkowski's torrid shooting, Nebraska has beaten four ranked teams in its last seven games. Piatkowski, a probable first-round NBA pick, and the rest of the Huskers, don't want to lose in the first round of the NCAAs for the fourth straight year. They won't. Nebraska 71, Penn 64. Todd Cooper is a senior News-Editorial major from Lincoln, Neb., and sports editor of The Daily Nebraskan.