Get ready for Madness

Penn, Nebraska to tangle tonight UNIONDALE, N.Y. -- Last year, it was more of a joy ride, a kind of crossing of the frontier into postseason play. We're just happy to be here, we hope to be competitive. This year, the Penn men's basketball team means business, and it will not be satisfied with anything less than a win. We can beat any team out here. Tonight at 7:34 p.m. (Channel 10, WOGL 1210-AM, WXPN 88.5-FM), when the Quakers step onto the Nassau Coliseum floor to face No. 22 Nebraska, all the sweat they shed, all the practice time they logged, all the sprints they ran, all the accolades they received and all the games they won this 1993-94 season will seem like a distant memory. Let the Big Dance begin. As the East Region's 11th seed, the Quakers (24-2) hope to do what no Ivy League team has done since 1984 -- win a game in the NCAA Tournament. In order to do that, they must first do battle with a Nebraska team that is red hot. If Penn wins, it will face the the winner of tonight's Florida-James Madison matchup on Saturday. If you think a ten-year losing streak for one conference is rough, consider sixth-seeded Nebraska (20-9). The Cornhuskers have lost each of the last three years, including an upset by 14th-seeded Xavier three years ago. So while the Cornhuskers are making their fourth-straight appearance in the tournament, they won't be happy unless they advance. "Our success this season would be tainted if we went out and lost our first round game," Husker forward Bruce Chubik said. "I'd regret it for the rest of my days." Chubik feels his team is more mature and better prepared this year because the 1993-94 squad has done something no other Husker team had ever done -- it won the Big Eight tournament, beating Oklahoma State in the tournament finals. They also handled Oklahoma in the quarterfinals and dealt No. 5 Missouri its only Big Eight loss of the season in the semis. This team is not suffering from a lack of talent, and it feels the emotional high gained from winning the Big Eight tournament will only have positive effects for tonight's game. Penn coach Fran Dunphy agrees. "How they played last weekend is extraordinary," Dunphy said. "They have been playing very well. Their preparation must have been phenomenal. They must be very confident." But the Quakers are no slouches either, entering tonight's game with the best winning percentage (92.3 percent) and second-longest winning streak in the country (15 games, one behind Charleston's 16). Penn is also a veteran team, one with postseason experience and one with a lot of talent. Penn knows it is talented, and even though the Quakers are the underdogs, they are here to win. "We're not just coming out to play, we're always coming into games to win," junior guard Matt Maloney said. "We're always going to be ready no matter who's out there." The most notable player who will be "out there" tonight will be Husker swingman Eric Piatkowski. The 6-foot-7, all-Big Eight selection has been Nebraska's leader the entire season, both on and off the court. What makes Piatkowski so good is that while he is the team leader in scoring at 21.5 points, he also excels in every area of the game, as his 6.2-rebound, 2.8-assist average illustrates. Piatkowski is also no slouch on defense, with 45 steals and 19 blocks on the season. Why does the Nebraska offensive scheme allow Piatkowski to shine? Because he has so many opportunities during a game. The Cornhuskers run at breakneck speed, taking a fast break at every possible opportunity. So for that reason, one thing the Huskers don't have trouble at is scoring. They pour in an average of 87.6 points a game, and have cracked the century mark five times this year. And these outbursts were not against teams like Haverford. So Nebraska's transition game is concern No. 1 for Dunphy and his troops. "We've got to stop them in transition, so we have to make sure that our selection is flawless," Dunphy said. As Dunphy alluded to, for Penn to make the right choices, it has to continually look for good shots. That's something Dunphy said has been present in the last 10 games. The shots will be there, as Nebraska gives up an average of 80.3 points a contest. However, if the Quakers rush their offense and throw up wild shots, it will simply add more fuel to the fire that ignites the Nebraska offense. Dunphy's best bet for good shots will be if senior Barry Pierce, along with the super backcourt duo of Maloney and Jerome Allen, handle the ball for the majority of each possession. Allen, two-time Ivy League Player of the Year, must use his quickness to penetrate the lane and look for a dish inside, or a kickback outside. Pierce has to take advantage of any hole in the Husker defense so he can drive the basket. And Maloney must continue his recent trend of not only taking smart shots, but making them. Penn's long-range bomber has been connecting from downtown in the Quakers' last three games, scoring 64 points on 20-of-37 shooting (11 for 20 from three-point land). If Maloney gets hot, then the Huskers may be in for yet another long night in the NCAA Tournament. But Nebraska feels this senior-led team has the maturity, the experience and the talent to rise above its past failures in postseason. "We're playing our best basketball of the season right now, we're peaking," Piatkowski said. "Our seniors have really stepped up lately, especially our defensive intensity, which has increased tremendously." Helping out Piatkowski in the Huskers' march to postseason respectfulness are guards Jamar Johnson and Jaron Boone. Along with reserve guard Erick Strickland, Nebraska's backcourt rotation possesses speed, agility and shot-creating ability. While the threesome may not be marksmen from the outside, their athleticism will keep Maloney, Allen and Pierce more than busy on defense. One positive for Penn is that Nebraska has no starter taller than 6-7. But that doesn't mean he Huskers don't have an inside game. Chubik and reserve center Tom Best have filled up the inside, especially during the Big Eight tournament, where the duo averaged 19.7 points and 19.7 rebounds a game. So the Quakers' frontcourt rotation of juniors Eric Moore and Andy Baratta, sophomore Tim Krug and senior Andy Baratta, while not outmatched height-wise, will definitely have their work cut out for them. But the Quakers are hungry, they are driven and they have worked all year long, they said, toward the very moment when they step on the floor tonight at Nassau Coliseum. They are driven by the desire to succeed, the desire to win. Let the Games begin.

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