A FRONT ROW VIEW: Buy a ticket for M. Hoops

and Jed Walentas Tomorrow night at 7 p.m., senior captain Jerome Allen and the Penn basketball team will open the 1994-95 season against Canisius at the Palestra. As of now, the game is not sold out. This is a total disgrace. There is no reason for each and every one of you not to have a ticket. Granted, a lot of you already do. For the rest of you, here are a few reasons to consider a trip to the ticket office? Reason No. 1 -- The Quakers. Penn returns four starters from a team that went 25-3 and finished the season ranked No. 25 in the national coaches' poll. The Red and Blue devastated Big 8-champion Nebraska in front of a national television audience in the first round of the NCAA tournament. With Allen and senior floor leader Matt Maloney, Penn promises to showcase one of the premier backcourts in America. This year, the Quakers add another weapon to their arsenal in junior forward Ira Bowman, an explosive transfer from Providence College. Bowman helps seniors Eric Moore and Shawn Trice solidify what looks to be a much-improved frontcourt. Reason No. 2 -- The Golden Griffins. If your classmates' credentials are not enough to motivate you, maybe the game itself is. Despite the campus consensus, Canisius is an excellent basketball team -- with the exception of Temple, this could be Penn's toughest home game. The Griffs have four starters back, including Philadelphia native and leading scorer Craig Wise. Last season, they reeled off 16 wins in a row en route to an impressive 22-7 record and a regular season MAAC championship. Although this may shock some of you, Canisius figures to give the Quakers all they can handle. Reason No. 3 -- The Preseason National Invitation Tournament. Featuring three Associated Press Top 20 teams, the NIT should once again kick off the college basketball season with a bang. Teams can only get an invite once every four years to the field of 16, and the tournament always provides a solid indication of what lies ahead. There will, as always, be plenty of excitement and hoopla as the NIT starts the ball rolling. More importantly for you, though, the Quakers have a legitimate chance to make some noise. If a crazed Palestra crowd can help ensure a win over Canisius, then Penn will jump it up against No. 12 Syracuse or George Washington on ESPN Friday night. Winning that second-round contest with Dick Vitale at courtside would land the Quakers in Madison Square Garden and in the Top 25. Reason No. 4 -- Now or Never. Most Penn fans choose not to talk about it. Coach Fran Dunphy tries not to think about it. But let's face it -- four starters from the best team West Philly has seen since Penn reached the Final Four in 1979 will graduate after this season. Fans may never see so much talent on the Palestra floor again. This abundance of senior talent and this year's strong schedule make it even more crucial for Penn to start off with a resounding victory at home. A sellout crowd would greatly improve the chances of this happening tomorrow night. Reason No. 5 -- The Palestra. Everyone knows the Palestra is one of the most historic arenas in college basketball. More importantly, it can be one of the loudest and most intimidating places for an opposing team to visit. Everyone who witnessed the frenzied atmosphere in the closing minutes of last year's sold-out Princeton game can attest to this. On that snowy March evening, the Penn crowd was undeniably a factor. The roar was deafening. That can only happen when the seats are filled. The burden is on fans to make the hallowed halls of the Palestra come alive. It has been a truly spectacular place for decades. It can be a truly spectacular place tomorrow night. If you don't yet have a ticket, get one. You won't regret it. Lee Goldsmith is a College junior from Huntingdon Valley and a sports writer for The Daily Pennsylvanian. Jed Walentas is a College junior from New York City and a sports writer for The Daily Pennsylvanian.

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