STANDING ROOM ONLY: Princeton still a huge game

Remember back in September when you got your first glance at the 1994-95 Penn men's basketball schedule? Immediately, some of the words practically jumped off the page at you. Michigan?St. John's?Massachusetts?. So you paused, and thought about those words for a minute or two. At which point a few names and faces came rather quickly to mind. Jimmy King?Felipe Lopez?Lou Roe?. Ah, but that wasn't all. You continued across the schedule and noticed four letters, repeated several times on the page -- ESPN. And of course, there was another lightning-quick moment of reflection. Bill Raftery?Dick Vitale?SportsCenter?. Just like me, most of you were probably pretty excited by all of this. Making housecalls to national powers isn't common in the Ivy League, so I'll bet most of you were very enthusiastic about Penn's visits to Ann Arbor, New York and Amherst. In fact, some of you were probably so enthusiastic you missed something. Impressed with the new, you overlooked the old. Excited about the words added to the schedule, you barely noticed one word that had never left. Princeton. A small word, really. Rather insignificant when placed in the context of national college basketball. Just an old Ivy League institution. And a funny little wizard for a coach who waved his magic wand and came up a few hardworking and competitive teams. But for Penn fans, that insignificant little word -- Princeton -- means everything. Each of its nine letters are saturated with enough basketball history to fill countless volumes. Rivalries are what make athletics so special, and there are only a precious few better than Penn and Princeton. That's just the way it is in the Ancient Eight. Since the Ivies began annual league competition in 1956-57, Penn and Princeton have combined to win 32 Ivy titles in 38 years. From Bill Bradley in the Orange and Black to Jerome Allen in the Red and Blue, it has always been about these two teams. Quakers and Tigers. The rest is just details. Tomorrow night, another chapter will be written in the storied history of Penn versus Princeton. In front of a sell-out crowd, the two fabled foes will clash on the hallowed hardwood of the Palestra. And while the non-conference hoopla and exposure was truly fantastic, tomorrow night has always been Penn's most important game. In light of this, the home court advantage is critical. For the past few years, there has been a palpable electricity in the Palestra air before each and every game against the Tigers. That should again be the case tomorrow. If you're going to be part of that sell-out crowd tomorrow, I implore you to contribute all you can to the atmosphere. Get to the game with plenty of time before tip-off, and start cheering as soon as you arrive. Make it loud, and make it real loud. When the tip goes up, stand. No matter what the alumni around you say, don't sit down. Just remain standing and keep cheering. The adults in the place may not like it, but college basketball is a different game today -- students don't just come to watch, they come to make a difference. This is your team, and it's your school, and don't let anyone tell you otherwise. The five Penn senior starters are slowly running out of home games. They certainly have earned some appreciation for the memories they have given us all. Since most of you will miss their final home game in March during spring break, tomorrow night -- against Princeton -- might be a good time to start giving it to them. In fact, it would be perfect. Lee Goldsmith is a College junior from Huntingdon Valley, Pa. and a sports writer for The Daily Pennsylvanian. He is also Dick Vitale's "guy".

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