The Princeton-Penn men's basketball game set for tomorrow at Jadwin Gym is officially sold out.
This is what happens when your team gets to the Sweet 16. People want to come see you play the next year.
It's also a by-product of the rivalry, which is the greatest in the history of Ivy League sports. TigerBlog, in his highly unbiased opinion, will take Princeton-Penn men's basketball over any other matchup, including Harvard-Yale football, the only other rivalry in the conversation.
Princeton has won 28 Ivy League championships. Penn has won 26. No other team is close, as in, no other team has reached double figures.
Between 1963 and 2007, there were only three years that the Ivy League's NCAA tournament bid went to a team other than Princeton or Penn — 1968, 1986, 1988. That's it.
Yes, that's a very special rivalry.
It seems fitting that the teams are playing this weekend, which also happens to be the 25th anniversary of one of the greatest games college basketball has ever seen. It was on this date, actually, Feb. 9, in 1999, when Princeton and Penn met at the Palestra in what is commonly referred to as "the Comeback Game."
Princeton and Penn were both 6-0 heading into the game. The Tigers had won three straight Ivy titles, but graduation losses such as Mitch Henderson, Steve Goodrich and the late James Mastaglio made it a more even race between the Tigers and Quakers.
Princeton led 3-0 on a Brian Earl three-point shot. Penn then went on a 29-0 run. It was 33-9 at the half. It was 40-13 with 15 minutes to play.
Princeton won 50-49.
How was that possible? And how is it possible that 25 years have gone by since?
TigerBlog has a feature story about the game that you can read HERE. For the story he spoke to Princeton's Chris Young, Penn's Matt Langel and game official Ed Corbett. Their comments are fascinating.
By coincidence, TB spoke to John Thompson III earlier this week. JT3 was a Princeton assistant coach in 1999, one year away from becoming the head coach.
TB mentioned that he was writing the feature, and Thompson said that he has in his office — and has had in every office he's had since that night – a framed ticket from the game.
Twenty-five years later, the world of Ivy basketball is quite different. The regular-season champion does not get the automatic bid. That, instead, goes to the winner of the league's tournament, which will bring the top four teams to Columbia's Levien Gym next month.
As was the case in 1999, the first Princeton-Penn game is the seventh game on the league schedule. As the Ivy season reaches the midpoint, there are apparently two different storylines.
First, there is the battle for first place. Cornell and Yale are both 6-0, and they will meet tomorrow at 2 in New Haven in their first matchup of the season. Princeton is next at 4-2, with losses to both Cornell and Yale.
Both of those games, though, were on the road. The Tigers will host Yale next Saturday (the 17th, 8 pm) and Cornell March 2 in the second-to-last game of the regular season.
Then there is the battle for fourth place, or what for now appears to be fourth place. Princeton, Cornell and Yale are unbeaten against the other five league schools to this point, with a combined record of 16-0. That, of course, could change radically with this many games to go, but Princeton now has a two-game lead over fourth place.
Heading into this weekend, Columbia, Brown and Harvard are 2-4 each. Penn and Dartmouth are both 1-5.
Obviously this is a huge game for both teams. Princeton is looking to keep pace with Yale and Cornell, especially since one is guaranteed to be 7-0 after the game. Penn needs all the wins it can get as it chases an Ivy tournament spot, and the Quakers are only one game out even at 1-5.
There is a long way to go. It'll be a fun race.
Remember, Princeton's Sweet 16 run last year came after the Tigers went 10-4 in the regular season, tied for the league championship and then won the Ivy tournament.
For tomorrow, it's Princeton-Penn. No wonder the building is sold out.
The rivalry is still the best the league has to offer.
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