We got game

Ivy League athletics are gaining respect in the national spotlight. This past weekend, Princeton showed that its winning percentage was well earned by easily dispatching the University of Nevada at Las Vegas in the first round of the NCAA men's basketball tournament before bowing out in the second round. The real shocker, however, was Harvard's women's team, seeded 16th in the West Regional, defeating top-seeded Stanford 76-71 in Maples Pavilion at Stanford in the first round of the women's hoops tourney. Led by the nation's top scorer, Allison Feaster, Harvard became the first 16th seed in either the men or the women's tournament to beat a No. 1 seed. Until Saturday's game, top seeds were 75-0 in the first round of the tournament. The win also snapped Stanford's 59-game home win streak. Harvard's head coach, Kathy Delaney-Smith, was reportedly irate when her team's 16th seed was announced. She expected to be put at least two or three spots higher. Complaining wasn't going to change anything, so Harvard went out and proved that it did deserve more respect by pulling what's -- on paper -- the biggest upset in tournament history. Princeton performed admirably as well, staying close to Big 10 regular season champions Michigan State in the second round before falling in the final minutes. Without athletic scholarships, the Ivy League will never rival the ACC or the PAC-10, but for one weekend, two Ivy League schools made the country take notice that the league can compete on a high level. This same recognition does not have to be a once a year event. All Ivy League schools should follow Penn's lead and schedule demanding non-conference games. The men played both Rhode Island and Kansas this year, as well as other tournament entrants George Washington and Temple. The women played tough teams from the Big 5 and Villanova during their season. Skeptical students should also take notice -- exciting and quality athletics can be as readily found in person on campus as they can on television.