COLUMN: Krug gets the best of Gilpin

With 2 minutes, 12 seconds remaining in the game and the Quakers up by 24 points, Krug finally went to the bench, but the damage was already done. In what was billed as a battle of the Ivy League's top two centers -- Krug and Big Green big man Brian Gilpin -- the matchup could not have been more one-sided. Krug had his finest all-around performance in a Quakers uniform -- quite an achievement for a guy who already owns three league championship rings and tops the Penn all-time leaderboard in blocked shots. But Krug has never put on a show like he did Saturday. He scored 16 points on an assortment of three-pointers, baseline jumpers and fast-break dunks. He was an absolute monster on the glass, pulling down a career-high 15 boards. Quite simply, Krug was everywhere. And although his four blocked shots against the Big Green were three short of his Penn single-game record, Krug surely set the mark for net distance traveled by the ball after the block. Known for his interior shot-blocking ability, Krug actually rotated around to swat a three-point attempt by a wide open P.J. Halas into the Palestra bleachers. In the green shorts with the white trim, Gilpin did a disappearing act that would have made Salman Rushdie proud. Blanketed by Krug for most of the game, the 7-foot Gilpin -- the Quakers' primary concern entering the game -- was held scoreless on the evening. In the first game between the two schools, it was Gilpin who was the star, scoring 17 points and forcing the entire Penn offense to resort to a perimeter game. In round two, Gilpin was a total non-factor on both ends of the floor. Gilpin could not keep up with Krug's inside-outside offensive arsenal. Krug would float outside the three-point arc and lose Gilpin. Krug would take the ball to the hoop and lose Gilpin. Even Krug's trademark pump fake at the top of the key and drive to the rim was working. Krug finally found the perfect blend between inside low-post play and the perimeter and transition offense that separates him from other Ivy centers. There are some big men who can bang with Krug. And there are some who can step outside with Krug. But no one in the Ivy League can stop Krug when he has both his inside and outside games going. Dartmouth coach Dave Faucher then tried to slow Krug down by shuffling Asa Palmer in and out of the game, keep a fresh player on Krug at all times. But that did not work either. Palmer scored just four points, two on a what should have been called offensive goaltending. While Gilpin was just ineffective, Palmer looked just plain lost. Palmer apparently was asleep when Faucher was going over game film of Penn. Krug would pump fake outside the three-point arc, Palmer would jump to block the shot, and Krug would dribble around the airborne center for the easy two. With 13 minutes remaining, Gilpin picked up his third foul, and Faucher threw in the towel, pulling his 7-footer from the game. Gilpin would not return. Eleven minutes later, Krug exited the game to a standing ovation. It was the first time all night Dartmouth managed to stop Tim Krug.