Following a respectable showing in the Franklin National Bank Classic this past weekend, the Penn men's basketball team will continue to be shown in highlights on ESPN's SportsCenter as they play several high-caliber teams over the holiday break. With a tournament in California, a game against a city rival and the beginning of the Ivy League season, the break will be everything but relaxing for the Quakers. Their only break from basketball is during reading days and finals, during which no official practices are scheduled. "This break sometimes almost separates the seasons," Penn coach Fran Dunphy said. "We are off three full weeks without playing games, so it doesn't help us a great deal. Hopefully the kids will use this opportunity now to recharge their batteries a little bit." Heading for a warmer climate, Penn travels across the country to San Francisco, Calif., for the Cable Car Classic from December 29-30. Their first-round game is against Santa Clara, a team remembered for upsetting then No. 2 seeded Arizona in the 1993 NCAA Tournament, 64-61. Opening the season with a 99-73 loss to Kansas, the Broncos have not lost since and are currently 4-1. Similar to the Quakers, Santa Clara is dominated by perimeter play. A member of the West Coast Conference, the Broncos are led in scoring by guards Brian Jones, Lloyd Pierce and Craig Johnson. Following the first round game, Penn will either take on No. 10 ranked Stanford (5-0) or Rhode Island (4-1). The Stanford-Rhode Island game will be filled with controversy as first-year Rhode Island coach Jim Harrick's team will take the court opposite Stanford freshmen Jason and Jarron Collins. Last year, Harrick lost his job as head coach of the UCLA basketball team in part because he illegally attempted to recruit the Collins twins. After losing current Cleveland Cavalier starting point guard Brevin Knight to graduation, Stanford, led by forward Mark Madsen (17.0 points per game, 7.6 rebounds per game) and guard Arthur Lee (12.4 ppg., 4.0 assists per game), has continued to be one of the more dominant teams in the Pac-10. A member of the Atlantic 10, Rhode Island is led by guards Cuttino Mobley (18.0 ppg., 4.5 rpg.) and Tyson Wheeler (15.5 ppg., 4.3 apg.). Under the basket, the Rams offer 1995-96 Atlantic 10 rookie of the year 6-7 forward Antonio Reynolds-Dean (12.5 ppg., 5.5 rpg). Five days after the New Year, the Quakers will get their first peak at Temple's new 10,205 seat Apollo of Temple Stadium. The No. 20 Temple Owls (5-1) christened the new arena Tuesday night against No. 18 ranked Fresno St. (3-2) and won big, 76-61. The Penn-Temple match-up will be the fifth in the new arena and Penn's first Big 5 contest this year. "We are really excited about playing in the new stadium," Dunphy said. "I think it is good for college basketball, for the city of Philadelphia and most importantly for Temple University." With a dynamic guard tandem of Philadelphia native Rasheed Brokenborough (11.4 ppg, 2.4 apg.) and Argentine Pepe Sanchez (9.0 ppg., 4.6 apg.), Penn guards Michael Jordan and Garret Kreitz will have their hands full. With Brokenborough hitting only 22 percent of his attempts from behind the 3-point arc, the Quakers plan to focus more on Temple's frontcourt stars, Lamont Barnes (12.0 ppg, 6.0 rpg.) and Lynard Stewart (7.4 ppg, 3.6 rpg). The plan to play physical under the basket should be an advantage to Penn as Barnes is only .500 at the foul line. "They have good balance," Dunphy said. "Barnes and Stewart inside present as much of a problem for us as the guards do." Following the Temple game, Penn will begin their transition into the Ivy League season. After a disappointing 9-5 record last year in the Ancient Eight, the Quakers know they will have to play sharp to have a chance to win the Ivy League crown. The January 9-10 weekend march into New England is expected to be a successful one for Penn, as Brown (2-6) and Yale (1-5) have shown little resistance to opponents. "They will be absolutely ready to play us that weekend," Dunphy said. "Hopefully we will start to play our best basketball at that point. Our final goal is to go undefeated in Ivy League basketball." If the Quakers enter the games with the same confidence that affected last year's team, the outcome could be a rude awakening. The last time Penn played Yale, the Elis came back to defeat the Quakers, 60-58, at the Palestra. During the three-week hiatus from classes, the Penn men's basketball team will have enough to keep them busy on the court. Although playing high-caliber teams gives Penn a chance to be in the national spotlight, the Ivy League holds Penn's chance of making it to the tournament in March. "We have our hands full, but we are looking forward to it," Dunphy said.
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