A FRONT ROW VIEW: College hoops at its finest

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- My seat in Crisler Arena Tuesday night was a good one, but it wasn't on press row. I didn't have media credentials for this one, so I didn't get the game notes or the free beverages. Didn't get to wear the suit and tie, either. Nope, I was one of the masses. Just one very excited fan in a sea of 13,562 very excited fans. I purchased a ticket like everyone else. In fact, I purchased two tickets, thanks to a last-minute upgrade to the second row. Total cost was 27 dollars. I would have paid anything -- this was Penn at Michigan. And I wasn't in the dignified GQ crowd that was the media. The Penn hoops shirt and hat wouldn't have gone over too well, I guess. You know what, though? As I look back at the kaleidoscope of images that is Tuesday night, I wouldn't have it any other way. Penn's scintillating 62-60 win over Michigan wasn't about notebooks and statistics. It wasn't about checking the numbers and planning interview questions. It was about emotion -- the essence of college basketball. The atmosphere from the tip to the final buzzer is one Penn fans who were there will not soon forget. Everyone knew from the start how big this one was going to be. Penn may hit some tougher opponents later on -- UMass and Villanova come to mind rather quickly -- but Michigan is Michigan. And ESPN is ESPN. And Dick Vitale, is, well, Dick Vitale. For Ivy League hoops fans, this is as good as it gets. The Crisler gates opened at 6 p.m. By 6:15, the Let's Go Quakers chants had begun. Meanwhile, the Michigan band kicked into high gear with Hail to the Victors. Dicky V. started on the autograph circuit. This was going to be big-time, and Penn had to capitalize on it. No one was disappointed. From a Penn perspective, only the word flawless desribes the first 10 minutes. The Wolverines tried to start with an alley-oop slam, but high-flying Jimmy King failed to convert. The Quakers quickly responded with their first shot, a Scott Kegler three-point attempt. Nothing but nylon, and then it was off to the races. The Quakers had a 28-7 lead before the Michigan faithful knew what was happening. I must admit I was a bit stunned by the early Penn tenacity, but I quickly began to enjoy the ride. Virtually the entire arena sat motionless while we screamed, yelled, chanted and taunted during each television timeout. Penn stayed in control and reached intermission up by a baker's dozen, 41-28. As the players headed for the locker rooms, Quaker fans got as up close and personal as they could with the Wolverines. Vitale stood and gave some of us a thumbs-up signal. It was all happening so fast, and halftime seemed to last just ten seconds. The message had been sent: Penn was ready for prime time. In the second half, Michigan tried to erase that message. The results were awe-inspiring, as Crisler Arena shook with each Wolverine spurt. The crowd erupted and no less than 13,000 fists soared amidst chants of Let's Go Blue. The deafening roar often seemed to rattle the Quakers, but each time Penn stopped the bleeding and hung on for dear life. The beautiful thing was watching the big plays down the stretch. By the time King knotted the game at 60, almost every Quaker had given all we could ask for as fans. Eric Moore had hit 10 free throws and scored 18 points. Matt Maloney had matched the 18-point total, including four treys. Kegler had drilled five from downtown and grabbed six boards. Shawn Trice had done what he had to, hauling in 11 clutch rebounds. But with 15 seconds remaining and the decibel level out of control, one Quaker still had a big play left. The last play of all. Jerome Allen's eight-foot leaning jumper that silenced the Michigan fans for good and sent us into a frenzy. It was a fitting end, as the biggest playmaker on the court came up with the biggest play of all. I couldn't have written a better conclusion. But then, I wouldn't have wanted to. I was too busy enjoying it for what it was. Pure insanity. Pure emotion. Pure college basketball. Lee Goldsmith is a College junior from Huntingdon Valley and a sports writer for The Daily Pennsylvanian.

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