New top team at Palestra

History doesn't lie. The banners are there to prove it. Walk into the Palestra and you'll see for yourself -- an abundance of banners glorifying the Penn men's basketball team. 20 Ivy titles, two trips to the NCAAregional finals, one final four appearance. It's all there. But there's an empty spot in the southwest corner, devoid of glory and prestige. For all of the men's accomplishments, the women's basketball team has never won an Ivy League championship. They are nowhere to be found on the ceiling of college basketball's most historic gym. But in this 2000-2001 season, it seems that the times are changing. The men's team is still searching for itself with just three weeks left in the season, while the women are on target for their first-ever Ancient Eight crown. There's a new top team at the Palestra. Watching the men's game the night before last was an excruciating experience. It was a lifeless performance by the Quakers. They allowed their Ivy nemesis to walk into their house and wipe the floor with them. Six points in the first 16 minutes, fouling while down 15 with under a minute left, hearing thePalestra faithful chant for garbage time during a good portion of the second half. It was a joke. Penn coach Fran Dunphy still says that his team is "still not exactly sure of who we are." Well, the search has certainly been going on for a while. And I've got news for you. Any team that doesn't know who they are in February is not going dancing in March. It's that simple. It's hard to pinpoint the exact problem of the men's basketball team, because, to be quite frank, there are so many. Turnovers, missed free throws, inconsistency...the list goes on and on. The Red and Blue still have a chance to turn things around and recapture the luster that has followed them the last two seasons. But first they have to start playing some good basketball. And with just seven games left, they have to start doing it in a hurry. On the other side of the court, though, the women's team is doing something special. With each victory, the Quakers are moving further and further into the record books. Fourteen straight wins -- a program-record. A 7-0 Ivy start -- a program-record. The Quakers haven't lost in over two months and are rewriting history with each passing game. (Well, the men's team is also creating history. Six points in 16 minutes might be some kind of record. Forgive me if I don't have the stomach to look it up.) The women's team is now halfway home. The lady Quakers have beaten every Ivy team -- five of which have come on the road -- and are in prime position to win the conference. The Red and Blue are two games up on their nearest foe with just seven games remaining. I think it's just about time to start reserving a tournament ticket. These girls are going to the Big Dance. The differences between the men's and women's teams are endless. For instance, the women's team has what every great team needs -- a superstar. The Quakers boast All-Ivy, All-Big 5 and potentially all-American forward Diana Caramanico. The senior captain is currently in the top 10 in the nation in both scoring and rebounding, and has terrorized her Ivy opposition. The men's team, on the other hand, lacks a player who can take over the game. Down the stretch last season, the Quakers could always count on star guard Michael Jordan to pull them out of a sticky situation. To an extent, seniors Geoff Owens and Lamar Plummer have filled that role this season. But Owens has disappeared for many games, failing to be the dominating inside force that the 6'11' center could be. And while Plummer has been a pleasant surprise after last season's leave of absence, he has been as streaky as John Starks. The guard's 2-of-12 (0-for-6 from three-point range) performance against Princeton helped doom the Quakers. And after a tremendous freshman campaign, sophomore Ugonna Onyekwe has vanished from the limelight. The women's team, on the other hand, features a balanced starting lineup led by Caramanico and senior guard Erin Ladley, a first-class sixth man in Ivy League rookie of the year candidate Jewel Clark, and a superb second-year coach in Kelly Greenberg. For the Penn women's basketball team, the pieces to the puzzle are all there. Yes, there certainly is a new top team at the Palestra. And the banner will soon prove it.

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