COLUMN: March Malaise, not Madness

From Scott Mulhauser's, Commentary CBS' coverage of the NCAA basketball tournament will, in all likelihood, not involve the young, frustrated Pennsylvania Quakers. The much-ballyhooed freshman class is not yet ready to dominate the Ivies. The revolution -- and the hype of Dick Vitale and the spot on the national stage -- will have to wait. With three losses already, the Quakers must hope for miraculous collapses by both Princeton and Dartmouth to remain in contention when March rolls around. Penn's road to the NCAA tournament has thus far been laden with frequent potholes and the dream of March Madness is rapidly diminishing to a reality of March malaise. The baby Quakers, who last night started two freshmen, two sophomores and a junior, were the better team for much of the first half. Despite the heroic efforts of freshman guard Michael Jordan, the Red and Blue were outmatched and outplayed by a Princeton squad that shot an astounding 76 percent in the second half, scoring on 14 of their first 16 trips down the floor. The Quakers' loss last night indicates much about the state of the Penn hoopsters and the whole of Ivy basketball. First and foremost, Princeton is the undisputed king of the hill. At 17-3, the Tigers are accumulating votes and looking to crack the top-25. To come into the Palestra and rock the Quakers by 15 on their home court was a message sent from Princeton to be heard from Harlem to Hanover. The Quakers have long been dominant on their home floor and a home loss to Princeton -- evil incarnate for Penn fans -- is a bitter pill to swallow. Princeton is now 7-0 in Ivy play and has swept through the first half of their Ancient Eight schedule with reckless abandon. Despite the loss of coach Pete Carril, the Tigers have continued to prosper under the leadership of rookie coach and Carril-disciple Bill Carmody. The Princeton system remains intact under Carmody, and was run to perfection as the Tigers' broke through the Quakers' defense to dominate the second half. Most of the second-half baskets came on easy lay-ups and open three pointers. The passing was crisp, quick and precise and finding the open man became only a matter of time for the Tigers. Princeton's claim is clear: last year was no fluke, and they remain atop the Ivy heap. It was two former Penn recruits that did the most damage. Guard Brian Earl led the Tigers with 17 points and center Steve Goodrich chipped in with 14 points and four blocked shots. The ease of the repeated lay-ups, and the inside presence of Goodrich were doubly frustrating for a Quakers squad that has searched for consistent production from its big men. Starting center Geoff Owens picked up two points and four fouls in only nine minutes of action, and forward Paul Romanczuk was plagued by early foul trouble as well. Penn's recent class of recruits has thus far seemed less destined for Dick Vitale, March Madness and the rest of the hype surrounding the NCAA tournament. Princeton's win last night stakes a clear claim to be broadcast throughout West Philadelphia and to hoop mavens across the land: If you want to watch Penn players in meaningful games in March, try to catch a glimpse of graduates Jerome Allen and Matt Maloney in the NBA. But when it's tourney time, look out for the Tigers.