Minutemen cry: 'The Quakers are coming!'

Thanks to our friends at ESPN, the Penn men's basketball team will be travelling to Amherst, Mass. on Saturday, January 14 for a 9:00 p.m. game against U. Mass. The the Minutemen have the honor of joining Michigan, Temple, Ohio State, Villanova, La Salle, and possibly St. John's, Syracuse, and Virginia on the Quakers schedule. Despite the impressive looking schedule, the Quakers remain confident that they can repeat or even improve upon last season's 24-2 regular-season record. "I don't seeing us having any more losses than last year," junior forward Tim Krug said. "Our schedule strength will help as far as seeding is concerned come tournament time." Unfortunately for Krug and Penn fans, a schedule filled with numerous Top-25 opponents may vanish after this season with Penn seniors Jerome Allen, Matt Maloney, Shawn Trice, Eric Moore, and Scott Kegler. According to sources at ESPN, Penn's agreement with the U. Mass. is a one-time affair -- they are not expected to be coming to the Palestra any time soon. The Minutemen, perennially one of the best teams in the nation, knocked the Quakers out of the 1993 NCAA Tournament in the first round by a 54-50 count. Penn will be looking for revenge against an Atlantic-10 foe that has yet to lose a game in its two year old Mullin Center. The Quakers hope to break that streak, but they know that will be a difficult task against the likes of senior forward Lou Roe and sophomore center Marcus Camby. Penn may have an advantage in the backcourt with Allen and Maloney. The game, however, is a clear signal of Penn's now-recognized arrival as a legitimate hardwood power. "We're very big on Penn," ESPN programming executive Dave Brown said. "We had a hand in putting it together. We owed U. Mass. a game contractually and thought the Quakers would create a great matchup. Penn had an open date and Coach Dunphy and his staff were very cooperative. They're good people to work with." ESPN is also televising the game at Michigan on December 13 at 7:00 p.m. ESPN2 plans to cover the titanic Ivy League Penn-Princeton matchup from Jadwin Gym on March 7. Originally, it was hoped that the game at the Palestra would be shown, but the game at Princeton is expected to be more competitive. The downside is that the Quakers may have already clinched their third consecutive Ancient Eight title. ESPN will also carry all of the Penn's action in the pre-season NIT once the Quakers advance past first-round opponent Canisius. "It's a prime-time high-visibility game that will be great for the grogram," Assistant Athletic Director Fran Connors said. "Obviously, it will be one of our tougher games," Penn assistant coach Fran O'Hanlon added. "It's great exposure, though."