M. Hoops faces tough break

It's been four years since the Penn men's basketball team last started its season 1-4, but the current Quakers head into exam week and winter break in just that predicament. While wins against then-No. 12 Kentucky and current-AP No. 6 Auburn would have been early Christmas presents for Penn, the Quakers expected to head into the holiday season having posted different results against Penn State and La Salle, but both edged Penn in close games. "It hurts [to be 1-4], especially when it's your last time lacing up the sneaks. You know you only have 20-some games left, and each loss hurts," Penn senior co-captain Matt Langel said. On Saturday, Penn received a confidence booster of sorts, giving Auburn a down-to-the-wire scare before losing by a final of 77-70 in Birmingham, Ala. Still, there is a sense that things have not come together this year for the Quakers the way many expected. "Last year, we were a team that won the close games, but this year it's a little different," said Penn center Geoff Owens, whose Quakers knocked off then-No. 6 Temple early in the '98-99 season. After battling the Tigers, the Quakers are off until after Christmas. But Penn's winter break schedule hardly presents a slate of creampuffs on which the Quakers can feed until they get back above .500. Penn heads to the Golden Bear Classic on December 28, where it will face Portland State and then either host California or Boston University. On January 4, the Quakers pay a visit to AP No. 8 Kansas before returning home to host Villanova and Lafayette before ending the break with a game at Lehigh. "Each game is the biggest game of the year when we're struggling to get wins like we are," said Langel, who is averaging 10.6 points per game." Portland State (4-2) features the youngest coach in Division I in 29-year-old Joel Sobotka, the only Division I coach born in the '70s. Senior swingman Ime Udoka leads Portland State in scoring (15.1 ppg), assists (4.0) and rebounds (7.7). With a win in their first-ever meeting with Portland State, the Quakers would most likely face host Cal. The Golden Bears are 5-2 but suffered a 25-point loss to unranked Houston in November. Four days into the new millennium, Penn plays arguably its toughest game of the season when it faces Kansas (7-1) at the legendary Allen Fieldhouse, where the Jayhawks are 484-97 all-time. Last year, the Quakers began their season by playing Kansas at home; the then-No. 8 Jayhawks trailed at the half but emerged from the Palestra with a five-point win. "If you're not excited about [this game], then you're in the wrong job situation," Penn coach Fran Dunphy said. The Quakers return to Philadelphia eight days before the start of classes to face Villanova (3-1) at the Palestra in their second Big 5 game of the season. 'Nova beat Penn State last week by 12 and would be undefeated if not for a one-point loss at UMass in which the Wildcats blew a sizable lead. In a four-point win over Lafayette on November 23, senior forwards Malik Allen and Brian Lynch each chipped in 20. The Leopards, who follow their fellow felines into the Palestra on January 11, are certainly not to be taken lightly. At 4-2, Lafayette has already beaten Ivy squads Cornell and Columbia. Former Penn assistant Fran O'Hanlon has done a marvelous job in Easton, Pa., crafting his team into the class of the Patriot League. The Quakers have a final tune-up before second semester when they visit Lehigh on January 15. Penn has taken seven straight from the Engineers, including a 100-58 win three years ago. Little has changed this year in Bethlehem, Pa., as the Engineers are off to a 1-5 start.