The rivalry continues. Penn vs. Princeton

Penn and Princeton have historically reigned as the class of the Ivy League.

Between them, the Quakers and the Tigers own 40 of the 45 Ivy men's basketball championships since the league was formed in 1956-57. And, over the past 13 seasons, no other Ancient Eight team has won a title.

In Princeton's march to the Ivy title last season, it used two wins over second-place Penn to propel itself to the crown -- including a 68-52 blowout at Jadwin Gymnasium on Mar. 6, 2001, in the final regular season game.

But with a host of new contenders emerging, this year's title race may not consist of the same Penn-Princeton duke-it-out-for-the-NCAA-bid battle.

At 7-1 , Yale -- not Penn or Princeton -- is the current Ancient Eight leader.

While the Tigers are second in the conference at 5-1, Penn is a distant fifth, with a disappointing 3-3 mark.

This raises the question -- with neither team leading the Ivy pack, has the matchup lost some of its luster?

The Quakers don't seem to think so.

"It's Penn-Princeton, this is why you come to play in the Ivy League," Penn freshman guard Tim Begley said.

With Penn trailing Yale by two games, this year's first Penn-Princeton matchup will have a decidedly different flavor than years past.

When the Quakers tip off with the Tigers tonight at Jadwin Gym at 7:30 p.m., they will do so with their backs against the wall.

A fourth loss in the Ivies would almost certainly squash Penn's title hopes, eliminating almost any shot at an NCAA tournament bid.

"We have four losses, and it's over," junior guard David Klatsky said. "Everybody has to realize we need this game and play like we need it."

Realizing the game's magnitude should not be hard for the Quakers -- especially when a sea of Black and Orange taunts their every move.

"I think it's great playing there," Klatsky said. "We know the gym will be packed. It's just a great atmosphere for basketball."

While Penn heads into tonight's contest fresh off an 84-74 victory over Brown on Saturday night, the Tigers enter the game following a 60-50 loss to the Elis.

Despite starting the second half tied at 30, Princeton could not keep pace down the stretch.

Momentum, it seems, should be in Penn's favor if the Quakers can play a second straight solid game.

However, with the Jekyll-and-Hyde Quakers, two consecutive strong efforts are by no means a guarantee.

"I wish had the answer," Penn coach Fran Dunphy said. "I think it's just a total team focus that everybody has to have."

The Red and Blue will need to have this focus for a full 40 minutes if they want to have a shot at beating a solid Princeton squad.

After losing leading scorer Andre Logan to injury earlier this season, balance has defined the Tigers' offense. All of Princeton starters average between 6.9 and 8.6 points per game, with senior Mike Bechtold leading the way with 8.6 ppg on 42 percent shooting from the floor.

"Bechtold is a real good player," Begley said. "You give him an open look and you're dead."

Last season, it was another Princeton player -- Ahmed El-Nokali -- who was the thorn in the Quakers' side, leading the Tigers in scoring in each of their double digit wins.

Despite the quality of his starters, Princeton coach John Thompson III is not hesitant to go to his bench.

Including the starting-five, the Tigers have eight players who average double figures in minutes.

The majority of those minutes are spent playing skin-tight defense and weaving in-and-out of the offensive key, as Princeton maximizes the shot clock on nearly every offensive possession.

"They have a lot of interchangeable parts," Dunphy said. "Basically anybody can hurt us."

For Penn to score consistently against Princeton's defense, the Quakers' point guards -- Klatsky and Andrew Toole -- will need to be able to penetrate.

After an up-and down-weekend, Penn is counting on the Elon transfer, Toole, to rise to the occasion in his first matchup with the Tigers.

"Andy got himself into foul trouble on Friday night and he didn't do so well," Dunphy said. "And then Saturday night he played great."

Effective penetration by Penn's guards should translate into inside scoring -- a weakness for the Quakers last weekend. In the two Ivy games, Penn was outscored by 28 points on the blocks.

"Our big guys are really going to have to respond," Dunphy said.

With Penn and Princeton nearly even in terms of talent, the season's first clash between the Ivy titans will be decided by the intangibles.

"We have no advantages," Dunphy said. "We just need a little bit of intelligence, a little of bit of hard work and a lot of heart and we can get it done."

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