Jessica Tuchinsky: Where were you last night?

Last night, Penn guard Andrew Toole returned to the floor for the first time in nearly a month to contribute six points on two three-pointers.

Last night, freshman center Nameir Majette scored his first collegiate bucket to cap off Penn's 75-49 drubbing of Florida International University.

And, perhaps most importantly, last night the Quakers extended their current win streak to three and brought their record to 9-3, the team's best start since the 1974-75 season.

And yet, for all of the excitement surrounding this year's team, few fans were in the stands to watch the Quakers victory.

Officially, the Palestra was one-quarter full, with the tally putting 2,202 bodies in the arena's 8,722 seats.

But the student sections stood largely empty.

The chairbacks -- usually rowdy and jam-packed -- showed large gaps in between students.

The bleachers behind the basket were sparsely populated.

And the upper tiers were almost completely deserted.

Surrounded on three sides by vacant blue chairs, the Penn Band actually looked lonely from its perch high atop the court.

One would have thought the Palestra would be packed, through a combination of the team's winning ways and a homework-free student body after only one day back on campus.

"First day back, we were expecting a little bit more fan support," Penn guard David Klatsky said. "Maybe [fans will show] as the season goes on, and we keep winning."

But the lack of fan support showcased yesterday goes beyond last night's game. It first reared its ugly head before the season began, when a paltry 75 students showed up for The Line, an annual tradition giving the best season tickets to the hardiest, most faithful Red and Blue fans.

It turns out the majority of Penn students aren't all that faithful.

One 12-17 finish and the student fanbase for Penn basketball apparently shrivels up.

But it's time for students to forget about past disappointments.

"It's a whole new season in many ways," Penn coach Fran Dunphy said. "We're not fixated on last year's team -- that was last year's team. We don't ever think about it, we don't ever worry about it."

And Penn fans need to do the same. This year's team has a new look, new players and new promise.

In the frontcourt, the Quakers have an electrifying one-two punch in forwards Ugonna Onyekwe and Koko Archibong, who combined to score 37 of the Quakers' 75 points against FIU.

And in the backcourt, the trio of Toole, sophomore Jeff Schiffner and freshman Tim Begley can be deadly -- either driving through the lane or from behind the arc.

This is a team that beat Villanova in overtime, lost a close one to St. Joseph's and rejected Temple for only the second time in 20 years.

This weekend, Penn heads into the Ivy League portion of its schedule, traveling to Dartmouth on Friday night and Harvard on Saturday.

It's crunch time for the Red and Blue and, right now, their 9-3 overall record and 2-0 Big 5 start mean nothing.

Right now, where it matters, in the Ivy League, the Quakers stand at 0-0.

They are very possibly on the verge of a season to remember and on their way to reclaiming the Ivy title and a trip to NCAAs.

Now is the time to go out and support this team. Buy tickets. If you already have, show up to games.

"I hope that everyone gets behind this team and really likes what they see," Dunphy said. "It would be great to have as many people here as possible, and it would be great to have as many students here as possible."

You live with them. You eat with them. You go to class with them. Now go out and cheer for them.

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.