March Madness

In a little over two weeks, the NCAA men's basketball tournament will be under way. And after a win over Columbia on Saturday, the Ivy League Champion Penn Quakers will be among the 65 teams competing for the championship.

The Big Dance is easily the most exciting three weeks in college sports for every team involved, be they a top-seed from the Big Ten or a 16-seed from the Northeastern Conference.

That spirit of excitement has descended on the Penn campus before -- this will be the 21st appearance for the Quakers in the NCAA Tournament.

And it is that time of year again to get excited.

To help in this, the University should begin today planning for events on campus and, more importantly, for the trip to the tournament site.

The Quakers could be headed to Cleveland, Tucson, Boise or another of the eight host cities across the country. In any event, it should be in Penn's best interest to see that as many students and fans as possible make it to the game and represent the school in front of an audience of millions.

This could serve as a fine implementation of Penn President Amy Gutmann's vision for "eminence and excellence," as the University will be showcased as the Ivy League's elite. And it will be a great way to introduce Penn to those who may not know of it.

The Athletic Department should organize a student traveling party to the tournament, and we would like to see Gutmann -- who has been a visible supporter of the Red and Blue all season -- lead the way.

To get fans to the game, the University should organize travel and ticket packages that are easy for students to purchase. With any luck, Penn may be able to negotiate a group discount to make travel more affordable.

As March Madness approaches, Penn will be garnering national attention. It will be imperative that we make a good impression.

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