M. Hoops | City of Brotherly Love?

Nothing adds fuel to the fire of a fraternal rivalry like a little game of one-on-one. No blood, no foul.

Usually the older brother will do whatever it takes to hold off his younger sibling.

Columbia's freshmen point guard Steve Egee learned this reality all too well from growing up with his brother Kevin, Penn's senior two-guard.

"To be honest, he usually wins," Steve said. "But you know how that goes."

But come Friday, their rivalry will extend beyond the backyard, as the Lions travel to Philadelphia for the teams' first meeting of the season. It will also be the Egee brothers' first game against each other in organized competition.

The Ridley, Pa., natives played on the same Ridley High School squad when Kevin was a senior, with Steve playing a supporting role as a freshman coming off the bench.

However, Kevin has acted as his younger brother's mentor and advisor more than anything else, especially as Steve emerged as a highly sought-after high school recruit.

Kevin's experience and familiarity with Ivy League recruiting and college life served as a valuable resource to Steve - who also quarterbacked Ridley's football team as a senior.

"Kevin was great through the whole process," Steve said. "Not only did he go through it himself, but he's seen a lot of kids come through his program."

Yet Kevin never pushed his younger brother to Penn, despite the Quakers' interest in him. Columbia contacted Steve early on, and he "loved" the school.

"I'm very happy with my decision," he said. "I'm loving the basketball, loving New York City - everything about it - so it's going really well."

At least for now, Steve seems to have made an ideal choice. In just his first season, he has logged considerable playing time, averaging 14.9 minutes per game in a role that has increased throughout the season. He has started five games already, including a Madison Square Garden contest against Virginia Tech.

Still, the Palestra holds tremendous significance for Steve, who came to most of his brother's games at Penn while he was in high school.

"I'm looking forward to playing there," he said. "It's one of the best gyms in America, I think. I used to love going to games there."

With all of the knowledge he has about the Ancient Eight from his brother, Steve is taking a particularly mature approach to Friday's meeting at Penn.

"It should be a lot of fun, but you have to remember that it's also another game in the Ivy League where every game really matters," he said.

Despite his intimacy with Penn basketball, Steve claims not to have input into the Lions' gameplan. But if there's some switching on defense, he could get to match up against Kevin.

And if Columbia wins, it might just make up for Kevin's one-on-one dominance. Either way, there are some serious bragging rights on the line.

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