Michigan, Vitale loom on the horizon

There were going to be several chances for the Penn basketball team this season. Several chances for national exposure and respect. More importantly, several chances to show the rest of the college hoops world what it could do. About a month ago, the Quakers blew their first chance. They gave away a second-half lead at home in the opening round of the Preseason NIT Tournament against Canisius. The game was all but won, the nation was watching, and Penn let it slip out of reach. Tomorrow night at 7:30 p.m., the Quakers will get another chance. The arena will be sold out. The ESPN lights will be on and press row will be packed. Dick Vitale will be at courtside. And the nation will again be watching as Penn travels to Ann Arbor for a much-anticipated date at Crisler Arena with perennial Big Ten powerhouse Michigan. Perhaps the Quakers were too excited for that Nov. !6 game with Canisius. Maybe they focused too much on the implications and not enough on the task at hand. In any case, Penn is making every attempt to see tomorrow night for what it is -- a big game, a tough game, but nothing more. "We've talked about how this is a game against a quality opponent," Penn coach Fran Dunphy said. "It's against a program that has established itself on a national level for many years. It's on ESPN, so we can show the rest of the country that we have some guys who can play. But there's pressure in every single game we play." The pressure may be a bit greater than usual for Penn (3-1) tomorrow night. Even at this early juncture coach Steve Fisher's team has been tested by a grueling schedule. Michigan (4-3) defeated two highly regarded teams in Tulane and Utah at the Maui Classic preseason tournament. All three of its losses have been to top-25 teams -- Arizona State (in Maui), Arizona (in the Direct TV Great 8 at Detroit), and Saturday at Duke, 69-59. "We have a young team, with a lot of sophomores and freshmen," Michigan assistant coach Jay Smith said. "But we also have some senior experience. We've started different lineups every game. It's not really who starts the game that is important for us, but who finishes it. That gets determined during the game, and I think the competition we've had has made us better." Two players who also make the Wolverines better are senior guard Jimmy King and senior forward Ray Jackson, the only remaining members of Fisher's storied Fab Five recruiting class of 1991. That class led Michigan to NCAA championship games in 1992 and 1993. King is a silky-smooth scorer who can create virtually anything off the dribble. With a solid perimeter game to compliment his hang-time ability, he leads the Wolverines in scoring with 15.9 points per game. Joining him in the backcourt is junior point guard Dugan Fife, the only returning Wolverine to have started all 32 games for the Maize and Blue last year. The combination should give Quaker guards Jerome Allen and Matt Maloney all they can handle tomorrow night. "I think we just have to play our game and do what we always do," Allen said. "We have to play with poise against them. That's the key for us in any pressure situation -- we have to keep our poise and be relaxed." Jackson, King's fellow Texas native, also presents an intriguing dilemma for the Quakers. When he played with the likes of Chris Webber and Jalen Rose, the quiet forward was primarily a defender. This season he has added offense to his arsenal with 15.3 points and three assists per game. Dunphy will have to effectively platoon senior Scott Kegler and junior Ira Bowman if Penn is to keep Jackson in check. "On the defensive end, Scott may not be as quick to the ball as Ira," Dunphy said. "He may have to play off of Jackson when he's in the game to prevent a quick first step. Ira may be able to play him up tight and stay on the ball because of his quickness." Jackson also leads the team in rebounding (6.4 per game). The Wolverines as a team have been strong on the glass, outrebounding their opponents by 30 in their first seven games. Two of Ann Arbor's monsters on the boards are freshmen Jerod Ward (4.7) and Maurice Taylor (4.1). Forward Shawn Trice and center Eric Moore must limit Michigan's second-chance points. "We've got to rebound to the ball," said Trice, a Michigan native who will be playing in his home state for the first time in his collegiate career. "I don't think we've been attacking the boards enough. Our guards have helped us out, but we have to do more rebounding ourselves." Along with crashing the glass, Penn must control the tempo. Michigan is an athletic team that wins and loses games on explosive runs. The Wolverines outscored Duke 24-0 for a nine minute stretch on Saturday, but also let the Blue Devils win the game with 14-0 and 15-0 spurts. While these runs are unpredictable, this much is clear: Michigan is not taking this game for granted. "Everyone knows about Penn," Smith said. "I don't know how they can sneak up on anyone with athletes like Jerome Allen and Matt Maloney. Those are players who have seen everything and might have a slight edge due to experience. We might have an edge because it's in our backyard. It should be a great game." For Penn, it could be more than a great game. It could be their second chance.