M. Hoops is three wins from title

The Penn men's basketball team looks to move two steps closer to an Ivy title with wins over Columbia and Cornell. The signs on Locust Walk yesterday said it all: "Three wins and we're in." Brushing off a non-conference loss to Villanova on Tuesday night, the Ivy-leading Penn men's basketball team (18-5, 10-1 Ivy League) once again turns its attention to league foes, trying to pick up the first of these 'W's against Columbia (10-14, 5-7) tonight at 7 p.m. at the Palestra. This weekend means a great deal to the Red and Blue -- it marks the last two home games of the 1998-99 season for the team and the first time in three years that the Quakers control their own postseason destiny at this point in the season. In addition, this will be the last home game for Quakers seniors Paul Romanczuk, Jed Ryan, Mike Sullivan and Brendan Cody. A special celebration of the 20th anniversary of the Quakers' '78-79 Final Four team will take place at halftime of tomorrow's Cornell game. "It's going to be a great weekend," tri-captain Romanczuk said. "It's my last two games at home so it's going to mean a lot. And it's also big because it's two big games for us. "We need two wins -- two solid wins -- going into the last game at Princeton. So it's a big weekend on a lot of different fronts." Although the Quakers defeated both Columbia, 67-51, and Cornell, 86-62, on the road earlier this year, the team still needs to focus itself on sweeping its sixth consecutive Ivy weekend and not getting caught looking ahead to Tuesday and beyond. "I think Penn and Princeton might be kind of looking beyond this weekend for next Tuesday's matchup," said Lions senior forward Justin Namolik, who is second on the team with 11.2 points per game. "So we're just going to go in there and work hard and try to make a game out of it -- for both of them." Both New York schools swept Ivy cellar-dwellers Yale and Brown last weekend and came in upbeat, healthy and without any pressure to win -- the dire opposite of the Quakers. The Penn front line took a huge hit when Geoff Owens fractured his jaw against Dartmouth, and although the 6'11" junior will play this weekend, his durability over consecutive nights remains a big question mark for the man whom his teammates affectionately call "Big." Seeing significant minutes again on the front line, as a result, will be Josh Sanger. Although the 6'8" sophomore forward brings three fewer inches and a smaller repertoire of offensive moves to the table than Owens, Sanger did net six points and four rebounds in 22 minutes at Ithaca four weeks ago. Combined with Romanczuk -- fresh off a double-double at 'Nova -- the Quakers will remain tough to beat inside. Against Columbia, though, the Quakers may run into trouble with another aspect of their game -- turnovers and the man-to-man press. "I think [Columbia] may press us because if you look at the Princeton tape and Tuesday night, we had a couple of problems with the press," Quakers point guard Michael Jordan said. "I just have to come back and get the ball because I feel I can go past my guy and then draw somebody else and pass it off. I can't let people take me out of the game." Lions senior Gary Raimondo, in addition to leading his team in scoring, rebounding and field goal percentage, is also No. 1 in the league at 2.5 steals per game. Namolik and senior point guard Abe Yasser are also in the top six in the Ivies in this category, as the Lions average the most steals in the Ivies -- nine per game. This doesn't bode well for a Quakers squad which has turned the ball over 45 times in its last three outings. Tomorrow night -- the final home game and "Senior Night" at the Palestra -- the Quakers face a Cornell (11-13, 6-6) team that is entrenched in fourth place in the league. Critical to the Big Red's game is the interior combination of senior Jeffrion Aubry and junior Keirian Brown. Aubry, the Ivy leader in rejections with 62, and Brown, who scored 44 points in two games last weekend, are eager to improve upon their showing against the Quakers the first time around. That night saw the two Big Red big men combine for seven points and seven rebounds against nine fouls and five turnovers. Still, these two are the main reason the Big Red lead the Ivies at 34 rebounds per game and are one of only two Ivy teams to top the Quakers in the battle of the boards in '98-99. Cornell coach Scott Thompson, though, does not see his team's efforts on the glass to be much of an indication of strong play or possible victory. "The reason we have so many rebounds," Thompson said, "is because we've missed so many shots so far this year. We do have some guys that work hard for rebounds but [in the end] we're just going to have to make some baskets. We expect some tough games this weekend." The Big Red have a far more balanced attack than the Lions do, with sophomore small forward Ray Mercedes, freshman point guard Wallace Prather and Aubry all averaging between 10 and 14 points per contest. Fueled by the recent success of Keirian Brown, the Big Red have won five of their last six games. The Quakers, however, are easily as balanced as both of their New York opponents. Getting consistency out of this balanced offense, though, is another thing. Quakers junior shooting guard Matt Langel, who shot an astounding 13-for-20 in last weekend's sweep, shot only 1-for-10 against Villanova. Filling the hole, though, was senior Frank Brown, who came off the bench to net 14 points and 8 boards after not leaving the pine at Harvard. This weekend, from which Penn could emerge guaranteed a share of the Ivy crown, has the potential to bring the most excitement to campus since the goalposts came down. And just like the Ivy title, tickets are still up for grabs -- and the team would appreciate all the support it gets this weekend. "Big games. Big games. Must win," Jordan reiterated. "It's good to be back home, playing in front of the Palestra and the crazy fans -- it should be two great games."

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