LEXINGTON, Ky., March 14 - Three days to gameplan, 127 days of practice and an eight-game Tournament losing streak all lead up to 40 minutes today. The 14-seed Penn basketball team goes up against Texas A&M; in its third straight year in the NCAA Tournament, and is trying for its first win in the Big Dance since 1994.

It might seem like Penn's frontcourt can't look any smaller compared to Texas A&M;'s big men. But on Thursday afternoon it just might. Stephen Danley, the Quakers' biggest post presence, is a question mark for the game in Kentucky. Coach Glen Miller had suggested earlier that the senior would be fit to play, but sounded far less confident at practice on Monday.

Bruiser Flint has been waiting six years to get an ACC team to Drexel's Daskalakis Athletic Center, hoping that its hostile environment would unravel the major-conference opponent. But when North Carolina State finally showed up, it was Flint's team that lost its mettle.

LEXINGTON, Ky. It's surrounded by the land of bluegrass, thoroughbreds and bourbon. But at the heart of Lexington is one thing - the basketball scene. While divided loyalties make Philadelphia a special hoops town, in Lexington, there is no argument. The city bleeds Kentucky blue.

When the Penn women's lacrosse team takes on Delaware today at Franklin Field, one thing will be on its mind: revenge. "It's definitely a huge factor," senior tri-captain Sarah Eastburn said. "Last year we weren't supposed to lose to Delaware, and that definitely was one of the biggest disappointments of the season.

LEXINGTON, Ky., March 13 - When Penn's chartered plane landed here yesterday, it was probably the first time in the Bluegrass State for most of the passengers. "I don't know about Kentucky, I really don't," Ibrahim Jaaber admitted after the selection show Sunday.

How does Penn baseball plan on ending its recent slump? Easy. Look no further than coach John Cole's desk. "We're bringing it into the dugout tomorrow," Cole said, pointing at a bona fide Easy Button from the Staples commercial. After migrating to Florida for its first eight games, Penn returns north, looking for an win in its home opener against Temple this afternoon at Meiklejohn Stadium.

Here's a riddle for you: What do you get when a possible lottery pick guard teams up with a pair of uber-athletes, a 6-foot-10 Lithuanian paint-clogger and an all-Big 12 defensive first-teamer? Not a lot of leeway. Penn faces quite a conundrum as it prepares to take on heavily favored Texas A&M; in the first round of the NCAA Tournament tomorrow, but Quakers fans shouldn't give up on their team just yet.

Penn's December 2003 basketball game against St. John's may be remembered for a thrilling double overtime and former player Friedrich Ebede being punched in the face. However, it should be marked as the beginning of the Class of 2007 era, when Mark Zoller started his first career game.

The worst losses are the games that slip away. It seems more like your opponent did not really win, they just did enough not to lose. Fortunately in sports, a new season brings second chances and an opportunity at redemption for the ones that got away.

VILLANOVA, Pa., March 11 - The room full of Villanova faithfuls got a serious scare from Greg Gumbel on Sunday. "Maryland will play the Wildcats of ." What?! ". Davidson." Whew! The fans quieted down quickly during Sunday's NCAA Tournament selection broadcast when they realized their Wildcats were not the 13-seed forced to play the No.

History put Glen Miller in an unfortunate spot. Win, and he did what he was supposed to do. Lose and he was the second coming of Joe Scott. Get your seniors to roll with the changes, and it was just another Ivy title. Suffer a mutiny, and it was a disappointment of historic proportions.

After a week long tour of the Golden State, freshman Marissa Rosen emerged as Penn's top competitor. Although Penn (192.95) fell just short of Sacramento State (193.925) in its first meet over break, the highlight of the meet was Rosen's win in the all-around with 39.

It was a roller coaster affair Sunday evening at World Cafe Live - a far cry from the last two years, when Penn's seeding in the NCAA Tournament was quick and painless, over within a few minutes. This time, there were more than a few teams that Greg Gumbel called that got very different reactions from the assembled crowd, as the Quakers were among the last teams placed in the field of 65.

Over a month ago, as its league title hopes evaporated in a matter of one weekend, the future of the Penn wrestling team's season appeared grim. That weekend seems like a long time ago. Under the guidance of coach Zeke Jones and the team's seniors, Penn has admirably bounced back from losses to Columbia and Cornell, recording a third-place finish at the EIWA Championships over spring break to continue an impressive run.

A fired-up women's basketball team entered Jadwin Gymnasium last Tuesday evening just off its second Ivy-weekend sweep this year. It left as devastated 61-51 losers to rival Princeton in the final game of the season. "We don't like losing to Princeton," a sullen coach Pat Knapp said.

Coming into the 2007 season, Penn women's lacrosse coach Karin Brower believed that this year's freshman class was the team's best ever. Led by Ali DeLuca's team-high 13 points and 10 goals, the Class of 2010 hasn't disappointed thus far. The No. 15 Quakers went 1-1 over spring break, with a 15-7 win over Towson (2-1) on March 3, and a 13-4 loss to No.