Beware of the Lions

For whatever reason, Columbia hasn't lived up to its athletic reputation in the past few years on the hardwood against Penn. While everyone is getting geared up for the Penn-Cornell showdown on Saturday, the Quakers could find themselves in a real jam if they overlook tomorrow night's game.

The brief rundown of the recent history, in case you forgot...

Last year, Penn got destroyed at Columbia, 74-58, thanks to the hot shooting of K.J. Matsui. Penn could not defend the three. In Philadelphia, the Quakers squeaked out with a win, 69-67, in the last game of the season.

Three seasons ago, the Lions dealt Penn its first Ivy League loss of the season. That Penn team would go on to win the Ivy League that year.

Columbia has played relatively well this season -- Niko Scott and Matsui remain viable perimeter threats, and freshman guard Norwua Agho has been coming on very strong as of late. Agho, like Ibby Jaaber and Darren Smith, is a product of the Peddie School in Hightstown, N.J.

It's easy for everyone to get absorbed in the Cornell hype, but if the Quakers can't put Columbia away tomorrow, they won't be in very high spirits heading into Saturday night. With such a young team, mental preparation is paramount. For this reason, Columbia cannot be overlooked. The Lions will come to play tomorrow, and Penn better be ready. It's not yet time to be thinking about Saturday.

Having had almost a full week to think about the collapse in the final minutes last week to Dartmouth, the Quakers should be chomping at the bit to get out on the court. And I have faith that Glen Miller has hammered these points home already.

P.S. It would be remiss of me not to acknowledge the blatant absence of Penn basketball coverage on The Buzz in the past week. There is no excuse for it, and I personally regret the lack of posts. But you're not looking for an apology -- you're looking for regular commentary on the Quakers. All I can do for my part is promise to do a better job of bringing that to you on a consistent basis. Thanks for reading.