Men's Hoops has eye on the Tigers

March 9, 1995, was a freezing night outside of Lehigh's Stabler Arena, site of Penn's one-game playoff against Princeton to determine which team would proceed to the National Collegiate Athletic Association Tournament. But it felt even colder inside, as an overtime three-pointer by then Princeton freshman Brain Earl rattled around the rim and into the basket, sending the Tigers into the tournament with a 63-56 OT win and shattering the hopes of Quakers faithful. Penn's loss marked the end to three years of Ivy League domination and the start of a new role as second fiddle to Princeton, who have beaten the Quakers in their last two meetings. Tonight at Princeton's Jadwin Gymnasium, however, the Quakers will have a chance for revenge. In the biggest game of the Ivy season, Penn (14-9, 7-1 Ivy League) will take on No. 8 Princeton (20-1, 8-0) in a battle for the Ivy crown. A Quakers victory would drop the two teams into a tie for first place. A Princeton victory, by contrast, would likely cement their third consecutive Ivy title. "I expect us to play our best game," said Penn forward Paul Romanczuk. "I don't think we need a perfect game, but we have to be sound defensively and offensively." Knocking Princeton out of sole possession of first place in the Ivies will be tough. The Tigers have lost just once this season, falling to No. 1 North Carolina in a game the Tigers were actually winning in the first half. Princeton coach Bill Carmody knows how to slow the pace of a game, while every member of the Tigers' starting five can deliver the knockout punch, from 6'10" center Steve Goodrich (12.2 points per game) in the middle straight down to 6'2" Brian Earl (13.7 ppg) at the point. "A lot of the same guys have played together for three years," Goodrich said. "We have a solid core. But the Quakers counter with weapons of their own. The pinnacle of attention, as always, will be Michael Jordan, who leads the team in both scoring (16 ppg) and assists (4.8 apg). Jordan scored 36 points in two games against the Tigers last season as a freshman. And this season, Jordan's taken his game to new heights. While Princeton knows they're the favorites to win, they also know that beating the Quakers is no small task. "Every team in the league is gunning for us," Goodrich said. "But Penn is the team we look forward to playing most."