Drexel aims to mark its territory

It is a battle for University City bragging rights tonight at the Palestra. After dropping all three of their Big 5 contests this season, the Penn men's basketball team (5-7) might be questioning whether Philadelphia is really the city that loves you back. But tonight at the Palestra, the Quakers will at least get the chance to see if the slogan applies to University City, when they take on Drexel (7-10) at 8 p.m. The Quakers' most recent loss came at the hands of Temple last Thursday, 44-40, and the Dragons are coming off a weekend road trip where they fell to both New Hampshire, 69-66, and Maine, 100-83. Both the Quakers and Dragons were riding high when they met last season -- each having won twice as many games as they had lost. But although both squads carry losing records going into this year's showdown, the game may be just as important. "They're having an OK season and we're having an OK season, so maybe [tonight] will be a season-breaking game for either one of us," Drexel point guard Bryant Coursey said. Coursey's teammate Mike Kouser agreed, without getting bogged down by records and statistics. "We're really struggling to get a win," Kouser said. "We've lost, what is it three straight? Three out of our last four? Well, it's something bad." Judging by the numbers, both Kouser and Coursey's play will certainly be a factor in which team leaves the Palestra with neighborhood bragging rights. Coursey, a senior co-captain, is averaging 11.6 points and 5.4 assists per game, while Kouser averages 18.2 points and 9.9 rebounds per contest. Penn senior Geoff Owens said that, while the game is not technically a Big 5 contest, it's close enough. "This is essentially a Big 5 game, when you consider their proximity to our campus," Owens said. "We expect that the intensity level will match a Big 5 contest, and we're going to be prepared." But according to Drexel freshman forward Robert Battle, the Dragons consider their exclusion from the City Series to be more than just a matter of semantics. "I take the Big 5 seriously, [even] though we're not in it when we really should be," Battle said. "It shouldn't be the Big 5, it should be the 'City Six' or something. To alienate us from that group is something that has plagued our school for a while. We've been trying to get in for the past few years now, and that's kind of a chip on my shoulder." That's not the only chip on his shoulder. Battle noted that memories of some unpleasant encounters with Penn students might be dancing in his mind when he takes the court tonight. "Just being here at Drexel right next door, this is a big game for me. Coming in, people say that some people from Penn think they're better than we are in general. You know, stuff like that," Battle said. "I spent a little time on Penn's campus myself and, I mean, a couple of people just brushed me off and I was like, 'Dag!' I asked for directions and the person just ignored me. I mean, I won't look at Penn just from one person, but I don't know." According to Coursey, last year's contest with the Quakers is also a bad memory. "They kicked our butt," Coursey said. "A lot of people will be coming [tonight] to try to see us win." Penn beat the Dragons 75-65 in that contest, led by Michael Jordan's season-best 23 points on 10-of-14 shooting. Coursey, who will match up man-to-man with Jordan, said the senior guard is more than just a regular opponent to him. "I've played with Mike since ninth grade. It's great to play against each other in a competitive atmosphere other than summer league, which doesn't really mean anything. It's a lot of fun," Coursey said. Coursey was doubtful, however, that his past experience playing with Jordan will help him tonight. "Mike brings something different every game," he said. "But, hopefully, I can catch on early and defend him." The Dragons are hardly the same team that came to Penn last year, though. For starters, they are now led by new coach Steve Seymour, who took the reigns last April when Bill Herrion left Drexel and took the head coaching job at East Carolina. In addition, senior co-captain Joe Linderman will also be absent this time around. The center, who has been suffering from lower back pain, is currently a candidate for a medical redshirt. The Quakers can breathe a sigh of relief at this development, as he scored 23 points in last year's match-up. Owens said that tonight's offensive strategy will be different from the Quakers' plan for Temple, since the Dragons will play man-to-man against Penn rather than a zone. "We just have to get good shots and make them," Owens said. "But it's not always that simple, obviously."

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