Must-win game awaits Quakers at Princeton

After all the glitz and glitter and Dick Vitale one-liners that accompanied so many games during ESPN's Rivalry Week, the Penn Quakers will, without much promotion or press, travel into New Jersey today to face the hated Princeton Tigers and renew one of college basketball's most storied rivalries.

"The Penn-Princeton rivalry is the biggest one in the Ivy League and that's the game that we look at every year and realize that it will probably make or break our season," Princeton forward/center Judson Wallace said. "The Penn-Princeton rivalry is when we get the most fans out and everyone is most excited."

For Penn head coach Fran Dunphy, past memories of classic matches only serve to strengthen the rivalry.

Dunphy was referring to a game that yesterday celebrated its five-year anniversary. It was one of the most memorable comebacks of all time, a game now known as "Black Tuesday." The Tigers, playing at the Palestra, were able to overcome a 33-9 halftime deficit and beat Penn, 50-49.

Rather than looking back upon Black Tuesday as a negative, however, Dunphy remembers nothing but the positives that accompanied what at the time had been such a demoralizing loss.

"That was the most significant game I've ever coached," Dunphy said. "The fact that we lost but then the team went 7-0 and closed the season out by beating Princeton in the final game of the season."

If the Quakers are to go into Jadwin Gym and walk away with their first conference road win of the season, they will need near perfect performances on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball.

"We've been in this position before," senior Adam Chubb said. "It's just a matter of confidence and knowing that we can go into their gym and come out with a win."

The Princeton offensive attack is led by Wallace. He leads the team in both points and rebounds per game with 13.6 and 5.8, respectively.

Wallace also comprises one half of the Tigers' self-proclaimed two-headed monster at the center position.

Junior Mike Stephens, the other head of the Princeton monster, is a pivotal bench player who allows the Tigers to leave two big men on the floor and create multiple matchup problems for the opposition.

"Mike's been great this year. He comes in for me or with me and he's been outstanding," Wallace said. "He just continues to get better and better and surprise people every day."

Dunphy felt that defensive recognition and the ability of Penn's starting big men Mark Zoller and Chubb to rotate coverage of the two centers would be key.

Wallace is "a very good player, the offense really runs through him and it's going to be a good matchup for me," Chubb said. "We haven't come up with a concrete game plan yet, so we haven't decided if we will attempt to double him or [play man coverage]."

For the Penn offense, last year's first-team All-Ivy League performer Jeff Schiffner will be looked upon to lead the team in scoring, which he did in both games over the weekend.

Playing in his fourth and final game at Jadwin Gym, the senior and leading scorer will be the key to the Quaker offense as well as the focal point of the Princeton defense.

For upperclassmen like Schiffner and Chubb, just participating in such a highly contested rivalry is incentive enough.

"It's always a great atmosphere, I love the Penn-Princeton matchup," Chubb said. "I only have two left so I'm just going to go in there and have as much fun and play as hard as I can."

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