They're physical. They've got great guard play. And most importantly, they've emerged as the second-best team in the Ivy League this season.
But you don't have to tell Glen Miller what Brown (15-3, 7-3 Ivy) does well. The former head man in Providence, R.I. knows just what to expect tomorrow night - after all, he recruited most of the Bears' starting five.
So when he lavishes praise on Brown senior guards Mark McAndrew and Damon Huffman, it's tough not to take his word for it.
"It's difficult because they are very experienced players, are skilled, they're two of the better guards in our conference," Miller said. "So they're very good competitors, experienced players, difficult to guard."
Two weeks ago this one-two punch combined for 39 points in a 66-61 victory over Penn (10-16, 5-4 Ivy). It's a formula that is becoming more and more familiar - and vexing - to Brown opponents.
McAndrew's 16.9 points per game is tops in the conference, and Huffman is not far behind with 14.5. What's more, the two combine for almost five three-pointers per game, making perimeter defense an even more salient point for the Quakers tomorrow.
"They run a Princeton-type offense, so there are a lot of things that you've got to do," senior guard Brian Grandieri said. "You can never go under a screen because they'll just step back and shoot it. . When they're open, they're going to shoot it and it's going in."
While McAndrew and Huffman can certainly alter opposing defenses with their outside shots, Brown's physical play inside may have allowed them to escape with the win last time out.
The Bears did out-rebound the Quakers 31-26, but for Miller, the key was even simpler.
"It's winning the battle at the foul line," he said.
Penn sent Brown to the charity stripe a whopping 26 times, and the Bears converted on 16 of them. The Red and Blue, on the other hand, hit just two of six.
This aggressive style - which induced Penn starters Tyler Bernardini and Kevin Egee to foul out last time - will be necessary for Brown if it wants to stay in the title race.
"Brown definitely out-physicaled us," Grandieri said of the last time the two played, "and that's why they won."
Penn will have to rely on its big men - namely defensive stalwart Cameron Lewis and foul-prone Andreas Schreiber - to bang down low and avoid committing excessive fouls.
If they do, tomorrow might be just as close as last time, when the Quakers came back from a 13-point second half deficit and made it interesting.
But if they don't, Brown could put up a ton of points and keep itself in the Ivy race.
For Grandieri, the key lies in coming out and playing two halves of basketball, and not having to resort to playing catch-up at the end.
And perhaps more than anything, the Quakers will have to make sure they don't fall asleep for even a second.
"We've got to be conscious right from the tip that these guys can score and score in bunches," he said.
