The last few years have been anything but consistent for Dartmouth basketball. The Big Green have finished everywhere in the standings from third down to last, with Ivy League records ranging from .500 to .071. And when the current seniors began their careers, Terry Dunn was not yet the team's coach.

Sometimes you just need a wake-up call. And that's exactly what the men's squash team got last week against No. 3 Princeton. Penn dropped all nine matches, but maybe that's just the motivation it needs to ensure success in this weekend's home matches against No.

Just as Bill Clinton was beginning to settle in to his second term as president, the Dartmouth men's basketball team knocked off Penn in a thrilling overtime contest in Philadelphia. Since then, the Big Green (7-12, 2-4 Ivy) have failed to hold up their end of the deal in the Ivy League series, losing in each of their last 19 games against the Quakers (12-8, 3-1 Ivy).

Taming a Thundering Herd from West Virginia. That is the task that Penn women's tennis team will face when Marshall rolls into West Philadelphia later today for a match that promises to excite and entertain. The Herd will arrive at Penn boasting a 4-2 overall record and a roster that includes one of the most talented singles players in the country, 18th-ranked Kellie Schmitt.

Yale's early-season reign on top of the Ivy League was a short one. The Penn men's basketball team completed its Ivy-home-opening weekend sweep with a 67-53 win over Harvard to take back its conference lead. The win moved the Quakers to 5-1 Ivy, while the Elis dropped their second game in the Ancient Eight (6-2) with a 1-point loss to Cornell.

Granted it was against a 7-12, 2-4 Ivy Dartmouth team without its best player at the Palestra, Penn looked great. The Quakers destroyed a sloppy Dartmouth team with pressure defense and a solid inside game for the 73-53 win. It was Penn's first home Ivy game this season, and they looked energized and much more comfortable than they were in John J.

When trying to come up with a way to describe this weekend's Ivy League meet, junior All-American Ron Berkowsky said it best. "This is the most important meet of the year." Both the men's and women's fencing teams will compete in the first of two Ivy League weekends, in which they will eventually play a total of six other Ivy League teams.

An Ivy League title is nice, but the National Championship remains the real prize. The Penn wrestling team will likely decide its Ancient Eight title fate when it wrestles Cornell and Columbia tonight and Saturday, respectively, in New York. But if the team is able to end Cornell's bid for a five-peat, it would only be a stepping stone.

VILLANOVA, Pa. After his team's clinic on how not to play basketball in Tuesday's loss to Villanova, Saint Joseph's coach Phil Martelli took the stand and entered his plea for the most severe charges. For the murder of the 116-year-old game of basketball: guilty as charged.

Last night, North Carolina and Duke started a new chapter in their age-old rivalry, with the visiting Tar Heels edging the Blue Devils at Cameron Indoor Stadium 79-73.

As the replacement for Brian Cusworth, Harvard junior Brad Unger has a large role to fill. Literally. When the 7-foot Cusworth left the team a week and a half ago when his eligibility expired, he was leading the team in points and rebounds with 17.4 and 9.

What could make a man like Simon Kirke - the famous drummer for the bands Free and Bad Company - stop a tour of the Northeast to pay Penn basketball a visit? None other than one of the Palestra's institutions - the Penn Band. The drummer-turned-music-insructor will perform Free's 1970 hit "All Right Now" along with the Penn Band when the Quakers takee on Harvard this Saturday, the Athletic Department announced this week.

Tri-captain Stephen Danley was an integral part of former coach Fran Dunphy's offense last season, leading the team in assists from the center position. But this season, especially as of late, has been a different story. Danley has averaged 9.5 points per game on the season, but only 2.

Ask any collegiate wrestler what the toughest thing about his sport is, and he'll probably tell you it's making weight. Between crash dieting, workouts and time on the scale, staying under that golden number is enough to keep the most dedicated grappler up at night.

Perry Bromwell, an all-time great for Penn, is back at the Palestra - but his job is a new challenge

Yale was on a mission last weekend to make sure Penn did not remain the only team undefeated in Ivy play. Result? The Elis swept Penn and Princeton at home for the first time since 2001-2002. Yale was on a mission last weekend to make sure Penn did not remain the only team undefeated in Ivy play. Result? The Elis swept Penn and Princeton at home for the first time since 2001-2002. Elis fans will be hoping that is an indication of what's to come.

Since 1956, 51 Ivy League men's basketball championships have been awarded, and Penn and Princeton have combined to take home at least a share of 48 of them. That history, along with geographic proximity, has fueled a great basketball rivalry. But it is about time the Tigers and Quakers had a real rivalry that went past the basketball court.