Crimson has plenty to worry about against Penn, 11th ranked Princeton

Hey, folks, the circus is in town!

But it's not a smiling show--there are no clowns. Indeed, ferocious beasts are descending upon Lavietes Pavilion as the men's basketball team (9-8, 3-3 Ivy) entertains its most prestigious guests-the Quakers of Penn (9-9, 3-1 Ivy) and the league-leading Tigers of Princeton (16-1, 4-0 Ivy).

Face it, squash-lovers and soccer-buffs, there are only two sports on the college level that capture the imagination of the entire country--football and basketball. A successful, especially ranked team in each sport, gets into the first ten minutes of SportsCenter every night. They are B-I-G news. It's American sports at its purest.

It's been half a century since Harvard has met a nationally-prominent opponent in football. Yet, every February, two peculiar and potent basketball teams venture into our 'hood, one night after the other.

Consider the first show. On Friday, the Quakers are led into town by 6'0" sophomore phenom, Michael Jordan. And, yes, he does wear number 23.

"Penn is an up-tempo team with very strong starting players," said Crimson junior point guard Tim Hill.

Indeed, all five starters average in double figures, with MJ leading the pack at 16.4 points per game. They are the highest-scoring unit in the league, pouring in excess of 70 points per contest.

The Crimson counteracts with Second Team All-Ivy selection Hill, senior shooting guard Mike Scott, and freshman swingman Dan Clemente, who each hover at approximately 14 points per game. In addition, Harvard boasts the league's leading rebounder, junior Paul Fisher, and the 4th-best 3-point shooter in the nation, junior guard Mike Beam.

Defensively, Harvard has had better statistics than Penn, but in its last contests against Brown and Yale--both embarrassing and unexpected losses--the Crimson has had the disturbing tendency of letting minor players explode on them.

"Our defense hasn't been as intense as it should be, especially with Penn and Princeton coming up," said Hill.

Besides, Penn's stats are skewed by the high level of competition that the team has faced.

Its journey this season has been venerable indeed. The Quakers beat Pac-10's Washington State earlier this season, and played tough in losses to top-notch teams such as George Washington, Temple, Rhode Island and Kansas. Meanwhile, the Crimson has faced the likes of BU, Northeastern and Texas Arlington.

But the main draw of the weekend is Princeton on Saturday. If you don't have tix now, you probably won't get any. The Tigers have had a large Sports Illustrated article dedicated to them, a 1st place vote in the AP poll, and an overall No. 11 ranking nationally. They were a fingernail away from toppling top-rated North Carolina in Chapel Hill, and that remains their sole loss of the season.

The Tigers are expected to feast on the rest of the league. A few sports pundits have remarked that the weak level of Ivy play will hurt Princeton's seeding in the NCAA tournament. What a shame.

Frankly, this weekend comes at a rotten time for Harvard. The team is discouraged after poor performances against Brown and Yale; had it won those games, it would be 5-1 in the Ivies and knocking on Princeton's door. Now, it is in the middle of the pack, and even a stunning upset of Princeton will not help its standings significantly.

But that won't happen. Let me say this. If you are a fan of beautiful basketball, there is no place in the NBA, the NCAA or anywhere else that you will see the brand displayed by Princeton. The Tigers run THE [backdoor] PLAY!

Some variation of THE PLAY involves some player running somehow past his defender after some couple hundred passes for an easy layup. I don't know anything else about it, and you must see it to believe it. Chances are that the Crimson will be doing lots of watching themselves.

Harvard, of course, has a chance. If injured Beam and Clemente are at full strength, the Crimson has a good group of young talent.

"If we establish our inside game early, we can utilize our guard strength," said sophomore guard Damian Long.

In any case, both games may become shooting showcases, as the nine most accurate long-distance strokers in the Ivies reside on the three featured teams.

Go this weekend. Harvard has a chance to gain a step on the Quakers in the race for second-place in the Ancient Eight. This No. 23 IS stoppable, and Harvard should do well on the boards against the Quakers. Then, go to the circus on Saturday night and root the valiant Crimson to a noble defeat at the hands--or claws--of the greatest Tigers in the world.

"If we win, we'll probably run home and tape SportsCenter. It'll definitely be the cover story," Long said.