EDITORIAL: Basketball's 'good old days'

Despite the final score, last nigjt's match-up against Princeton revived lost enthusiasm. More of us were able to watch the NCAA Tournament play on television, when the Quakers proved to the nation that brains can compete with brawn on any level. But a loss to Dartmouth Feb. 9, 1996 brought the streak to a halt. And with the end of the reign came an end to the enthusiasm. Without a dominant team, there hasn't been much to gather around as a student body. Instead, we reminisce about "the good old days" of Penn basketball: 48 consecutive wins, three undefeated seasons, three straight Ivy League championships, four NCAA Tournament games. Yesterday's match-up against eighth-ranked Princeton, however, brought back some of that excitement. Jadwin Gymnasium was packed to the rafters. More than 1,000 Penn fans took the trek across the Delaware River to watch the premier Ivy contest of the season. It would have been great to win. It would have been great to see two Ivy teams headed toward the NCAA Tournament. It would have been great to start another streak. There's no denying that the 71-52 loss was a disappointment. But while our dreams may not have been realized last night, we were able to recapture some of the pride in our school that has been missing for some time. Don't let the excitement die down. The gritty Quakers have held on through a tough season to a solid second place, and they deserve support. So let's pack the Palestra for the March 3 showdown on home turf, where Penn is sure to give the Tigers a run for their money. A win over Princeton would be a notable accomplishment and lock Penn in for a National Invitational Tournament bid -- not to mention help knock the Tigers out of their top 10 national ranking.