Hidden gems in the men's basketball schedule

While the die-hard Penn basketball fans are booking their airfare to Los Angeles for the UCLA game and Raleigh-Durham for Duke, there are still a handful of great games to be played on 33rd street. Here are a few hidden gems in the 2011-12 schedule:

Monday, Nov. 14: Temple

There’s nothing more exciting than the home opener, and this year, daddy’s coming back to the Palestra as Fran Dunphy — The Quakers’ great coach from 1989-2006 and mentor to Jerome Allen ­— brings his Owls to Penn to kick off Big 5 competition.

This will be the earliest Big 5 game in Penn history, and there’s a lot on the line: Penn hasn’t beaten Temple since 2006-07. Adding salt to the wound, the last four losses have been by an average of 18 points. Despite the apparent mismatch, there’s nothing like a little Big 5 magic in the Palestra to even things up.

Saturday, Nov. 19: Robert Morris:

Not a big-name team, but like Temple, the coach is a former Quaker. Robert Morris head-man Andy Toole officially returns to the Palestra for the first time since graduating from Penn in 2003 with two Ivy rings. The game is part of the Hoop Group Classic tournament, which also features Pitt and James Madison.

Monday, Jan. 30: Princeton

“It’s Princeton,” as former Quakers captain Jack Eggleston once put it. Enough said.

Friday, Feb. 10: Harvard

Last year’s home game with the Crimson was a double-overtime thriller for the ages — in front of a full house. With the Crimson a heavy favorite to win the Ivy again this year, Penn will have to go through Harvard when Tommy Amaker and his squad come to visit.

Friday, Feb. 17: Cornell

Ever since Penn knocked then-No. 22 Cornell out of the rankings for good in February 2010, there’s been no love lost between these teams. Worse, the Quakers haven’t won a game against the Big Red since.

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