Penn men's basketball coach Fran Dunphy will be receiving visits from a couple of old friends this weekend.
Dunphy will patrol the sidelines against two coaches he knows well: Joe Jones of Columbia, previously a Villanova assistant, and Cornell's Steve Donahue, Dunphy's former assistant at Penn.
The Lions (12-7, 3-3 Ivy) visit the Palestra tonight before the Quakers (12-7, 5-0) round out the first half of their Ivy League season against the Big Red (9-10, 4-2) tomorrow.
The stakes will be high this weekend -- Cornell and Columbia are currently second and third, respectively, in the Ancient Eight behind the Quakers.
To some, the good fortunes of the teams from the Empire State are quite a surprise.
"I don't think anyone would have really expected that," senior forward Jan Fikiel said. "Especially with Princeton being eight and Yale being seventh."
Sophomore guard Ibby Jaaber said he would have responded with disbelief if someone had told him the current standings before the season started.
"I would have probably said that they were crazy ... but expect the unexpected," Jaaber said.
To Dunphy, however, Cornell and Columbia's success is no shock and he vowed not to take either team lightly.
"I can't emphasize how much respect I have for both Columbia and Cornell," Dunphy said. "This will be a tremendous challenge for us this weekend."
According to Dunphy, Donahue's tenure in the Palestra will give him a great advantage over other coaches who come in to face the Quakers.
"The fact that Steve was here for 10 years and knows our program extremely well makes it even that much more difficult for us," he said.
The Big Red also boasts a veteran squad led by a pair of versatile swingmen.
Senior swingman Cody Toppert is second on the team in scoring, averaging 12 points per game. Dunphy believes that he is a dangerous shooting threat and Fikiel echoed his sentiment.
"I know he's an awesome shooter and I think we're going to have to contest on him," Fikiel said.
When the ball is not in Toppert's hands, it can often be found in the hands of 6-foot-6 junior swingman Lenny Collins. The San Juan Capistrano, Calif., native is fourth in the Ivy League in scoring with 14.6 points per game. He also currently holds Ivy League Co-player of the Week honors for his efforts during the Big Red's sweep of Brown and Yale last weekend.
In those two games, Collins averaged 10.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 3 assists.
Before the Quakers can worry about Cornell, however, they must face a revitalized Lions squad.
Just two years ago, Columbia finished 2-25 and went winless in league play. Coach Armond Hill was fired and replaced by Jones, who is the brother of Yale coach James Jones.
In just two years, the younger Jones has significantly turned around Columbia's program, which is now among New York City's best. In addition, Dunphy believes that Jones' insight into the Ivy League and Big 5 will serve him well against the Quakers.
Leading the Lions is 6-5 senior forward Matt Preston who ranks third in the Ancient Eight in both points and rebounds, averaging 14.7 and 7.4 in each category.
The Lions also rely heavily on 6-8 forward Dragutin Kravic who can stretch defenses with his shooting prowess. The Serbian junior leads the team in three-pointers.
However, the Quakers will be ready for the problem he poses, as they have already faced shooting forwards such as Harvard's Brian Cusworth and Princeton's Judson Wallace and possess several of their own.
"I think we'll be ready for [Kravic]," Fikiel said. "It's not that hard to simulate that in practice."
Indeed, Fikiel himself has become a threat from deep, as evidenced by his trio of clutch three-pointers against Princeton.
With two wins this weekend Penn's magic number to clinch the Ivy League and make it back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2003 will drop to six, if not further. However, Columbia and Cornell will certainly be ready for the Quakers, who must avoid a post-Princeton letdown in order to further distance themselves from the rest of the parity-stricken Ivy League.
