Game of the Week
Penn (6-5) at North Carolina (12-1) – Wednesday, January 3, 8:00 pm ET (ESPN)
The Quakers have played poorly against major conference teams this season, so taking on the second-ranked team in the nation doesn’t figure to help matters. North Carolina has no visible weaknesses on paper, ranking above average nationally in every meaningful statistical category — and in the top 50 in most categories. The only thing working in Penn’s favor is that the Tar Heels aren’t forcing a lot of turnovers (22.5-percent opponent turnover rate), so if the Quakers are able to hit their shots, they might have a chance to keep it close. A national television audience will be watching on ESPN, so a respectable showing by Penn would be a welcome development for the league.

Line of the Week

12.23.2006 at Seton Hall TOT-FG 3-PT REBOUNDS FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT TP A TO BLK S MIN Zoller, Mark………… 6-10 1-3 10-12 4 8 12 23 5 4 0 1 37
Impressing – Princeton taking care of business. The Tigers’ schedule has turned out to be abnormally weak, but they’re beating bad teams like a decent team should. The fabled Princeton offense has been underwhelming at 0.96 points per possession, but the defense has been particularly strong, ranking 81st nationally in defensive efficiency at 0.89. – The Brown backcourt. Brown’s improved play the past month has been due in large part to the play of guards Marcus Becker, Damon Huffman, and Mark McAndrew. Craig Robinson’s three-man backcourt is averaging 39.9 points, 10.6 rebounds, and 8.6 assists in the past seven games and shooting 49 of 102 (48.0 percent) from three in that span. – Big men back for Big Green. Dartmouth’s post game got a boost when Dan Biber and Brian McMillan returned from injuries in Saturday’s win at UMES. Biber was very effective, scoring 14 points and grabbing four rebounds in 17 minutes off the bench, while McMillan scored a bucket and grabbed a rebound in four minutes of playing time. – Yale overcomes Flato injury. When leading scorer Eric Flato went down with an ankle injury midway through the first half on Saturday, James Jones turned to Alexander Zampier to run the point. The freshman responded with the first double-digit scoring game of his collegiate career as the Bulldogs picked up an important road win at Navy. – Koncz back on track. Following a strong start, Kyle Koncz went through a rough three-game stretch last month with a total of just four points. But Koncz has bounced back nicely, averaging 17.0 points per game on sizzling 13-of-21 (61.9 percent) three-point shooting and 16-for-26 (61.5 percent) overall shooting in the past three games.		Distressing – Shocking loss for Lions. Columbia couldn’t have imagined losing in Brooklyn on Saturday to a St. Francis team that came in with one win on the season, yet it did just that. The defense, which had been so improved up until the exam break, really has let down the Lions in their two recent defeats, with opponents averaging 1.09 points per possession. – Harvard’s dramatic dropoff. The Crimson was looking capable of making some noise in the league when its record stood at 7-4 following the big win at Vermont, but three straight losses have dropped it to .500. The trio of defeats has been characterized by extremely poor Harvard defense — to the tune of 1.20 points per possession allowed. – McMahon in a shooting slump. The Penn wing started out the season 9-for-25 (36.0 percent) from three-point range, but since missing the Navy game with back spasms, he has connected on just 1 of his last 9 attempts (11.1 percent) from beyond the arc. If McMahon isn’t knocking down his threes, his contributions on the court are very minimal. – Big Red slide continues. The 3-1 start is now a distant memory, as Saturday’s loss at Iowa was the program’s sixth loss in seven games. After outscoring opponents early on, Cornell’s offensive efficiency has slipped from 1.09 points per possession the first four games, to 1.03 over the past seven, and the defense has given up 1.07 over that span. – Nwachukwu struggling with consistency. Ben Nwachukwu has scored 16 or more points on five occasions this season, but has been held to six or fewer points five times as well. Partially due to foul trouble, Columbia’s junior center is averaging just 5.3 points and 3.0 rebounds in his last three contests, two of which have been losses.