M. Hoops | Lin hopes to leave Quakers seeing red

Penn coach Glen Miller doesn't know exactly how Harvard's Tommy Amaker handled his squad after it upset then-No. 17 Boston College earlier this month, but he did have some ideas.

"I only speak for ourselves, but the first thing I would do with my team, if we had a win like that over somebody, is I would have a difficult practice the next day," Miller said.

Maybe his team can give Amaker and his boys a few other pointers when the Quakers (4-10) hit the road to open their Ivy League slate against Harvard (9-7, 1-1 Ivy) tonight at the Lavietes Pavilion.

The first lesson will have to be on containing a prolific scoring threat. Exhibit A: 6-foot-3 junior guard Jeremy Lin, who is averaging over 18 points and five assists a game.

"Whoever's on him has to know that he can drive and he can shoot," Penn guard Kevin Egee said. "He can pretty much do it all and you've just got to respect his game."

Boston College, which had beaten then-No. 1 North Carolina days before playing the Crimson, apparently didn't - and saw Lin drop 27 points, eight assists and six steals. Miller even said his game has looked like Ivy Player of the Year material at times.

With Lin the clear leader of the team, the Crimson rely on a mix of other players for the rest of their offensive production. No other player regularly hits double digits, and Amaker has given four different freshmen starting nods, including using Oliver McNally at point guard in place of veteran Drew Housman at times.

Without the presence of a true big man, Harvard has struggled on the boards during its non-conference slate. Penn could provide another tutorial with aggressive rebounding, which has been paced this season by Jack Eggleston's 5.9 boards per game.

If the high point of Harvard's season so far was its first-ever win over a ranked opponent, the low has to be its most recent game. The Crimson fell in overtime Saturday to a Dartmouth team with just two previous wins to its name. Lin tied the game with two seconds remaining, but just four Harvard points in the extra period couldn't top the Big Green, as the Crimson lost, 75-66.

Easing into their Ivy schedule after a rocky non-conference go-around, the Quakers realize they need to adjust their own game a bit.

"It's a different way of playing; it's a lot more movement," Penn sophomore Tyler Bernardini said of the Ivy games. "You've got to be focused on your entire game. You can't have any lulls where you can just kind of be tied up playing one-on-one, it's a real team game."

Just like Penn, the Crimson are dealing with injuries. Senior Evan Harris has missed the last six games and, even if he returns, might not be at full strength. Junior Pat Magnarelli hasn't stepped on the court this season after injuring his knee, and freshman Andrew Van Nest is out for the year with a shoulder injury. (All three are forwards.)

If Penn comes out on top tonight, Miller will likely use the same tactics he recommended for the Crimson. He'll say to the Quakers: "That was a great win, but yesterday's gone and this is today."

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