M. Hoops | Quakers refuse to watch the Barnett show

When Dartmouth takes the floor at the Palestra tonight, try to pay close attention.

Look nice and hard at the Quakers when they're on defense, and you'll notice something. They might be looking out for their man, but keep your eyes locked on theirs, and you'll see that their peripheral vision is entirely focused on one guy.

Meet Alex Barnett - the Big Green's big star, a do-it-all forward who can do damage from all over the floor.

And there's only one way to contain him.

"If he doesn't touch it he can't score," Penn senior center Cam Lewis said, "so I think that's the best strategy."

Denying Barnett the rock might seem like an easy answer, but stopping him has proved a tall task for almost every team on Dartmouth's schedule. He's been held to single-digits in scoring just twice this season (he averages 19.5 points per game), and he dropped 24 on the Quakers in a Dartmouth victory three weeks ago.

The senior also pulls down 5.5 rebounds per game, hits two three-pointers per contest and averages over a steal and a block.

While Barnett has become almost a one-man show, Penn coach Glen Miller knows there were other reasons his team left Hanover, N.H. with a bitter taste in its mouth last time out.

"I wouldn't say [he's] the reason why we lost the game up at Dartmouth," Miller said. "We had some critical mental mistakes down the stretch . and we really kind of lost our composure a little bit."

The Quakers, however, have come a long way since the end of January. After shocking losses to the Big Green and Columbia, Penn has buckled down.

The ever-evolving rotation has seen increased minutes for Lewis - whose offensive performance has improved in lockstep with the team - and guard Harrison Gaines, who has seen his role increase to that of a go-to scorer.

"When you have two point guards on the floor at the same time it gives teams lots of problems because they have two guards who they have to guard . and we can break them down off the dribble," Gaines said. "We're just really starting to gel right now."

Dartmouth's answer to Gaines' energy may come in the form of freshman Jabari Trotter, the only player on its roster besides Barnett to have started every game this season. The 6-foot-1 point guard is still somewhat raw, but he has been likened to Baron Davis by coach Terry Dunn and is the team's second scoring option at 7.5 points per game.

The Big Green haven't swept the Quakers since 1959 - in fact, they had been riding a 23-game losing streak to Penn before this season's first matchup.

While, from a personnel standpoint, Dartmouth caught the Quakers at the right time this season, this weekend may be a different story.

With three consecutive road victories to its name, Penn will likely be raring to go on its home court.

"Our confidence is up a little bit," Miller said. "We're on a little bit of a streak, and the guys feel good about that obviously. There's a huge difference between winning a game and losing a game in the way you feel."

And the Quakers, no doubt, want to keep the good times rolling..

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