One would think a team that’s already gone toe-to-toe with No. 1 Kansas and compiled a 14-3 non-conference record would have already cleared its biggest hurdle.
But Cornell has a lot on its plate this weekend — the result of an unexpected bump in the road two weeks ago at the Palestra.
After hosting second-place Princeton tonight — while Penn squares off with seventh-place Columbia — Cornell will get a second shot at the Quakers tomorrow in Ithaca, N.Y.
With the Big Red (23-4, 9-1 Ivy) clinging to a one-game lead in their quest for a third straight Ivy title, the Quakers are expecting a dogfight in the rematch.
“They’re definitely pretty upset about what happened at the Palestra,” junior Dan Monckton said. “I’m sure they’re coming with a little aggression.”
Point guard Zack Rosen, who scored 22 points in Penn’s Feb. 12 upset, is anticipating “a very focused Cornell team” this time around.
In the teams’ first meeting, the Quakers (5-18, 4-5) held the Big Red’s three-point shooting attack — ranked second in the nation — to 64 points, which, at the time, was a low for Cornell in League play.
The Ivy favorite has since fought off its two biggest challengers, Princeton and Harvard, by a combined 12 points.
Penn will have the benefit of owning the formula to defeat a team that has lost just four times to Ancient Eight opponents in the last three years. Though it will be difficult to duplicate the 79-point outburst the Quakers posted earlier in the month, Penn isn’t backing down from a chance to dethrone the Big Red.
“Whether we’re playing the Lakers or Cornell, we’re trying to do the best that we can,” Rosen said.
But in their home slate, the Red and Blue followed the upset-of-the-season with a dud against the Lions (9-15, 3-7).
Penn fell behind 33-19 early on and couldn’t complete a second-half comeback attempt, ultimately falling, 66-60.
This time around, Penn coach Jerome Allen can focus more of his attention on containing the Lions’ offense.
At the Palestra Feb. 13, the Quakers held the Ivies’ fifth-leading scorer, Columbia sophomore Noruwa Agho, to just five points but allowed middling senior guard Niko Scott to get free for a career-high 29.
“Although I was appreciative of the effort we did on Agho, they put five guys on the floor that could hurt you at any time,” Allen said. “We have to pay more attention to detail.”
As Monckton acknowledged, it will be difficult to hold down Agho for a second-straight game, but the Quakers certainly will have Scott in the forefront of their minds tonight.
“We need to know where he is at all times,” Monckton said.
Columbia heads into tonight’s contest having struggled mightily in its past two games. Last weekend, the Lions gave Dartmouth its lone League win.
But the Quakers have had low points of their own this season. They will arrive in New York in the same situation as the Lions: out of Ivy title contention, but still chugging along.
“We’re working hard and we’re going to keep playing until the end of the season,” Rosen said. “We’re gonna try to make the most out of these five games that we have left.”
Penn’s road to the end of the season begins with a grueling trip through New York, where a favorite and a cellar dweller are waiting.
“It’s a lot less sleep,” Rosen said of the road. “It’s a lot less comfortable … You’ve got to be that much more concentrated with the tasks that are at hand.”
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