VILLANOVA, Pa., Dec. 1 - The Big 5 season opener is always a highly anticipated event and is almost always a hard-fought battle. This year's edition was pretty much over from the minute the opening tip was tossed. In front of a packed Pavilion crowd, Villanova was in control from the start en route to an 87-61 dismantling of Penn.

VILLANOVA, Pa. There are many different things that can explain the Quakers' early-season struggles - perimeter defense, rebounding and turnovers to name a few. But it's what happens before tipoff that's the real killer. "We came out, and we had some jitters in the first half," freshman starting point guard Harrison Gaines said.

It was a miracle comeback that not even a Big 5 game could produce. Villanova's defensive intensity and fullcourt pressure in the opening minutes rattled the Quakers. By the time Penn finally settled down to outscore Villanova in the second half, the Wildcats had already removed their full-court press.

After a disappointing loss this week to Lafayette, the men's basketball team won't have to wait for a chance to atone thanks to a quick turnaround. Unfortunately for the Quakers (2-5), atonement will not be easy to come by as they travel to the Main Line to take on Villanova in this season's Big 5 opener tomorrow night.

This weekend the Penn women's squash team will compete against some familiar faces as it battles Yale, Brown, and Columbia over a two-day span. Some of Penn's competitors are former teammates. Coach Jack Wyant and freshman Annie Madeira became familiar with some of Yale's competitors over the summer working on the Junior National team.

Look through the Villanova men's basketball roster and you'll find every player is from the Northeast or mid-Atlantic. Every player except Frank Tchuisi. Tchuisi [TWEE-see] hails from another continent altogether: Africa. "I was born in Douala, Cameroon," said the 6-foot-8 forward, who still bears a heavy accent.

How badly do they want it? When the men's squash team plays host to Yale and Brown this weekend, its desire will be put to the test. The Quakers (0-2, 0-1 Ivy), who remain winless this year after two early-season losses to Cornell and Western Ontario, will look to rebound when they face off against the Bulldogs (0-0) and the Bears (0-1, 0-1) at friendly Ringe Courts this weekend.

Coach Pat Knapp and his team might want to look for a fallout shelter, because when they face Villanova (4-1) tomorrow, it'll be bombs away. Tomorrow, Penn will have to deal with a squad that has already developed a reputation of being a huge three-point threat.

Villanova's Pavilion only seats 6,500 people - compared to the Palestra's 9,821 - and the Penn Band nearly found itself in the unlucky 3,300 or so. But thanks to a long-standing tweak in Villanova's policy concerning visiting bands, the Band will be playing at the men's basketball game in Villanova, Pa.

The calendar may read November, but the Penn wrestling team might think it's March when it sends its varsity squad to the Las Vegas Invitational, held tomorrow and Saturday. This 48-team national tournament includes No. 7 Missouri, No. 9 Wisconsin, No. 10 Michigan, No.

EASTON, Pa., Nov. 28 - How quickly a lead can come and go in college basketball. After a hard-fought first half that saw the Quakers head into the locker room down five, they came out strong after the break. Penn clawed back and took a one-point advantage with 12:09 to go.

Clinging to a three-point lead with 19 seconds left, there was no doubt which player Penn would lean on to put the game away. Junior forward Carrie Biemer calmly nailed a three-pointer from the top of the key to effectively end the game as the Quakers finished off a 66-58 victory over the Broncs (3-3).

No more afternoon practices. No more Saturday games. No more road trips, no more victories and no more losses. No more football. You likely won't see this year's graduating seniors in the NFL, so with the close of their Penn careers comes the close of their football careers.

The Penn men's and women's swim team will face off against unfamiliar faces this weekend at the second annual Kenyon Invitational. A change from the usual Ivy competition, the Quakers will compete against powerhouses like Kenyon and Kansas. Because the Invitational is scheduled the same way as the Ivy League Championships, with the preliminary events in the morning and finals in the afternoon, it gives both teams a good opportunity to prepare for the championships at the end of the season.

EASTON, Pa., Nov. 28 - The last time Penn and Lafayette met, the Quakers hit the century mark. Satiated students went to bed with cheesesteaks in their stomachs. Not last night, when the return game was played some 70 miles from Abner's. There would be no cheesesteaks, no hundred points, and certainly no win.

Lafayette lives and dies by the three. For a Penn team that has struggled defending the long ball thus far, that could spell trouble. The Leopards (3-2) have made ten or more three-pointers in four out of five games this season, and they will get another chance to tonight when the Quakers (2-4) visit.

Even when Ron Berkowsky screws up, he wins. The senior fencer still remembers - with a twinge of embarrassment - a miscue during a 2005 championship match. His hand (with a foil in it) collided with his opponent's head. The opponent stopped, took off his mask and started spitting blood.