Under the Radar Game of the Day: Penn at Princeton

Penn at Princeton, 6:00 PM Eastern, ESPNU

When it comes to great college basketball rivalries, especially for us Under the Radar fans, Duke and North Carolina is an afterthought.  The Rivalry of all Rivalries is the one in the Ivy League between Penn and Princeton.  Tonight, at 6:00 PM Eastern on national TV, these two teams will be matching up for the 239th time, with Penn looking to extend its 125-113 series lead.  To put this Rivalry in context, from 1963 to 2007, one of these two teams took the Ivy League crown in all but two seasons.  Although Penn has the series lead, Princeton currently has a 26 to 25 lead in Ivy League titles.  And, in not much of a surprise, these teams once again look like two of the best in the conference.

Penn enters tonight’s game at 5-0 in Ivy League play and 15-6 overall.  The Quakers are coming off a home win over Yale on Saturday, as four different players scored in double figures.  One of Penn’s most notable wins all season (other than the 4 overtime thriller over Monmouth) came back on December 27 when 15 players scored points, including an NCAA record 10 players that hit at least one three-pointer in a blowout win over Delaware State.  AJ Brodeur is the player that Princeton probably has to key in on tonight, as he has pulled down at least 8 rebounds in every Ivy League game so far and is capable of putting up big scoring numbers, such as the 30 he scored earlier this season against Columbia.

Princeton enters tonight’s rivalry game at 3-2 in league games and 11-9 overall, though the Tigers hold perhaps the biggest win for Ivy league teams this season when they won at USC, 103-93 in overtime, back in December.  The Tigers are coming off of a tough 102-100 overtime loss to Brown on Saturday, after slipping by Yale Friday night 76-73 in overtime as well.  Five Tigers were in double figures in Saturday’s loss, led by 27 from Devin Cannady and 23 from Myles Stephens.  Amir Bell was one rebound short of a double-double in the loss, and did have one in Friday night’s win.  The Tigers will need another strong effort from their key players tonight if they want to pull within a game of first place and avenge a 76-70 loss at Penn back in early January.