CLEVELAND
All eyes will be on Penn today. It doesn't happen much in the sports world. That's the reason why all of your dad's friends think you go to Penn State.
But whenever the Quakers make the NCAA Tournament, the nation's sports media shines its spotlight on the Ivy League school.
This year has been no exception.
National college basketball pundits, who spend their whole year talking about Duke, North Carolina, Kentucky and Kansas, are talking about the Quakers.
They love to talk about how Penn can compete with these bigger schools, despite the fact that it has higher academic standards and lacks the ability to give scholarships.
They love to talk about Penn's great basketball tradition and the fact that they play in the Palestra, college basketball's most historic gym.
Coach Fran Dunphy suddenly appears on ESPN and in the pages of Sports Illustrated, as was the case this week. The pundits start talking about Dunphy in the same breath as the some of the all-time greats in college basketball coaching.
It seems like everyone wants Penn to win.
But usually the Quakers lose -- and all of the attention and praise goes away. The media finds another darling -- a team that was able to pull off that miracle upset.
Penn goes back to being Penn State.
This is why today's game against Boston College is so important -- not just to the players on the team or the squad's biggest fans. This game is important for all who have a connection to this university.
We all know Penn has an identity crisis.
It's the reason we wear those "Not Penn State" T-shirts. It's the reason why the school keeps changing its colors and logos.
But in academic circles, everyone knows about Penn. I've never had a professor ask me about how the Nittany Lions were this year. It's because, to the academic community, Penn is about just as good as it gets. Researchers work in the highest quality labs, and classrooms are outfitted with the finest technology. Penn's professors are always the ones getting published in the most prestigious of journals.
In athletics, on the other hand, the Quakers are far from the top of the heap. Their games aren't nationally televised. They don't fly on elegant, chartered jets.
It's rare that little kids stop the team in the airport for their autograph, as they did when the team stepped off their commercial flight in Cleveland.
It's rare that, as happened after their practice yesterday, the team held a press conference that was broadcast live on ESPN2.
Sophomore Ibby Jaaber said his teammates, seniors Tim Begley and Jan Fikiel, were "giggling like two little girls" as they walked from their locker room to the media room yesterday.
It's even rarer when at your press conference is famous sportswriter Bob Ryan of The Boston Globe, who frequently comments on ESPN. After Ryan asked Begley a question, the Penn captain replied by saying, "I'm a big fan of your show, Mr. Ryan."
Dunphy loves seeing Penn on a national stage, not worried that all of the media attention might take the team's mind off of the task at hand -- winning a basketball game.
"I think we're grateful for the attention that we get," he said. "There are days where you'd like to just be with your team and concentrate on some things, but it's what comes with the territory and I wouldn't trade it for anything."
The Penn coach is able to use this media attention to keep his teams competitive year in and year out. He has taken a team to the Tournament five out of the last seven years.
But a win tomorrow would go so much further. The Quakers will be the talk of sports fans around the nation. The names Begley and Jaaber will roll off the tongue of basketball enthusiasts. The story of Penn's upset will fill every major newspaper in the country.
A Penn researcher would have to cure cancer to get better press than a win by the Quakers today. It will do more to establish Penn's image nationally than the most prestigious of marketing firms. A win would put Penn on the map, not just as the home to a great basketball team but a great university.
Turn on CBS this afternoon and you'll get a rare treat. You'll see your fellow students representing your school on the banks of Lake Erie. Even if you're not a big sports fan, take notice because if the Quakers win, we'll all reap the benefits.
David Burrick is a junior urban studies major from Short Hills, N.J., and is executive editor of The Daily Pennsylvanian His e-mail address is dburrick@sas.upenn.edu.
