I don't want to cut off the good discussion we're having about Cornell's Top 25 spot.  However, I've seen in a few places, including Soft Pretzel Logic, Yahoo and this ESPN video, that it appears discussions are moving forward to expand the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament to 68 or even 96 teams.

The expansion won't occur until the NCAA manages to opt out of its current TV deal with CBS -- who has had the broadcasting rights since 1982 -- and renegotiate a new one. But one source claims expansion is "a done deal" and could happen as soon as 2010-11. If the tournament were to expand to 96 teams, then a cable network would broadcast the first round(s) in addition to a network broadcaster covering the latter rounds.

Expanding to 68 teams would create a play-in game for all four regions, instead of just the one play-in game that currently exists. Personally, I wouldn't have any strong objections to this format. I've always thought that the one seed that played the play-in winner had an inherent advantage since the 16 seed has just three days to prepare. Then again, No. 1 seeds have never lost in the first round, so it's not exactly a huge advantage. In the end, the net effect would probably just be three more at large bids to power conference teams.

On the other hand, expanding to 96 teams seems a bit excessive. Frankly, it would cheapen the value of making the NCAA Tournament. Sure, 96 out of 347 Division I teams is still a small percentage. But let's be honest: those 32 extra at large bids are more than likely going to go to power conference teams that had middling overall records but a strong SOS, than decent mid-majors who have better overall records but subpar strength of schedules and RPI.

However, I could see some positives with 96 teams. They could create a rule that any small conference team that clinches the regular season title would be guaranteed a berth to the big dance. Right now these teams are already guaranteed an NIT bid, but I suspect the NIT will be basically worthless if the NCAAs are expanded to 96.  In addition, theoretically another round of single-elimination basketball sounds exciting. I just fear it would make subsequent upsets rarer.

So in the end, what exactly would the effect of expansion be on the Ivy League and Penn? If expansion just ups the field by three, the only impact would be that Ivy teams would get worse seeds, especially in years when there isn't a dominant team like this year's Cornell squad. However, if 32 teams are added, I could see a potential year like this one-- or at least before Cornell throttled Harvard -- in which two Ivy teams are in legitimate contention to make the tournament. And if somehow the NIT does survive, then I definitely could see an Ivy team make that with more frequency than they do now.

What do you guys think about NCAA expansion and its effect on the Ancient Eight.

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Here's the stat of the week for you: According to one Basketball-U poster, since 1990-91 Princeton has won the Ivy League every time it swept the Brown/Yale roadtrip, while every other year it's lost at least one of those games. Extending it back to 1980-81, the pattern holds for 11 out of 12 titles.

This past weekend Princeton swept those two.

Of course, that doesn't indicate they'll somehow beat Cornell once, let alone twice, and win the League. But as a history major, I'm certainly intrigued by interesting trends.

(HT Noah Becker)

Two games down for M. Hoops, and two losses to BCS teams. But as my colleagues Neil Fanaroff and Ari Seifter asked, how much can we learn from these two defeats about the 2009-10 men's basketball team? Neil believes, not much, since this is way to soon to make snap judgments about the team. Ari believes we can make broader statements about the team's ability to compete with top-flight teams.

Not to cop out, but they're both right.

Clearly this Penn team, especially this early in the season, isn't suited to compete with a top 5 team like Villanova. And there's a good chance the Quakers' trip to Cameron Indoor Stadium will result in an equally lopsided loss to Duke.  But that doesn't mean that Penn will be irrelevant against better competition forever.  Ivy teams in general aren't irrelevant nationally. Cornell beat Alabama this weekend. Harvard beat Holy Cross and Williams and Mary, two better mid-majors. Even Brown -- which was last in the Ivies last year -- was semi-competitive agains Virginia Tech. Penn has awhile to go before they can be as successful as Cornell is right now, but that doesn't mean they'll go winless in the Big 5 from now until they quit out of desperation.

On the other hand, Neil's right that losing to Penn State and Villanova tells us very little about Penn's Ivy chances. The fact of the matter is this season will be a success or failure depending on Penn's Ivy play. If Penn goes 4-10 in non-conference play like it did last year, people will surely be up in arms, calling for Glen Miller's head. But then if the team were to somehow go 10-4 in League play, perhaps beat Cornell at the Palestra, go at least 1-1 versus Princeton and not lose to Dartmouth -- twice. I'm not saying they necessarily would do that. And Tyler Bernardini's injury could affect them significantly. But frankly it's too early to tell if they can compete with teams more equal to their caliber.

I realize some of you already posted your thoughts on Ari's initial column. But feel free to do so again here on The Buzz, especially your thoughts on this year's team.

Also, read after the jump for two more Hoops items

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UPDATE: Here's the link to the pdf of the football supplement.

Tomorrow begins the 133rd year of Penn football. Unlike Harvard and Princeton -- which both mention how long they've been playing football in the headlines of the athletic releases linked above --- Penn rarely flaunts the fact it's played football for over 130 years. (For example, in the equivalent press release it's mentioned in the seventh item.) I'm sure some of our readers might consider it good marketing, but personally I think it's snobbish to say "Finally, 141st Football Season Arrives ..."

That said, for the annual DP football supplement (which prints today), our centerpiece story by Neil Fanaroff covers the last six score and 13 years of Penn football history. It's a long, long piece, but a must read for any Penn football fan. Actually it's a must read for any college football fan, since you'll come across well-known names such as Bednarik, Munger and of course Heisman.

(I should add that this story is best seen in the actual paper and not online, since it's been beautifully put together by our design editor Michael Gold. So  if you're on campus I strongly encourage you to pick up the paper for the double truck spread. If not, check out the pdf file linked to at the top of the post.)

But while Neil's story is definitely the longest, that doesn't mean the other stories aren't important. My favorite non-centerpiece story was one Noah wrote on Bradford Blackmon's dad who hasn't missed one of his son's games -- since he was in fifth grade! David also wrote a very interesting piece on the politicking and economics behind television packages for Ivy football. Perhaps the best part of the story is that we're breaking the news that Penn's game with Dartmouth was picked up by Versus just yesterday.

There's also a position-by-position breakdown of the freshman class; a feature on former defensive back Jordan Manning who is back as a football operations assistant director; and a Penn bettor's guide (I have to admit not one of my best pieces).

If you're focused more on tomorrow's opener versus No. 2 Villanova, here's our advance of the game as well as a look at the other contests with Ivy teams this weekend.

Enjoy the 2009 football season Quakers fans.

Today I wrote a column about the Penn-Northwestern women's lacrosse rivalry. While it's certainly missing some elements of a classic rivalry (namely parity between the schools over a long period of time) it nonetheless has developed into Penn's best team's biggest rivalry.

But has it become the school's biggest rivalry?  Considering the men's basketball hasn't played a truly meaningful game against Princeton since 2004, that rivalry certainly isn't at its height.  Penn-Cornell has fast become a more important rivalry as Cornell has won the last two M. Hoops Ivy titles.  In football, Penn-Cornell historically was a huge game, one that nearly rivaled (no pun intended) Harvard-Yale.

So I ask you, which of the following rivalries is the biggest currently at Penn:

• Penn-Cornell Football
• Penn-Cornell Basketball
• Penn-Northwestern W. Lax
• Penn-Princeton Basketball
• Any other one you can think of?

Last night the women's lacrosse team defeated archrival Princeton, 10-5, to clinch at least a share of the Ivy League title as well as the automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.  First off, I want to apologize to anyone who was expecting to read live game updates here on The Buzz.  For whatever reason my computer refused to connect to the internet at Franklin Field, so I couldn't post updates.

If you missed the game, you can read my recap and view the box score.

I also wrote a column, but due to time and space considerations I left some things out. So join me after the jump for a little W. Lax debriefing.

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The DP and the Daily Princetonian have a tradition of exchanging columns the day of the first Penn-Princeton men's basketball game.  This year I wrote one for the DP, but unfortunately the editors at the Prince had forgotten.  However, they have now responded with their own column.

I thought in the interest of fun -- and since we at the Daily Pennsylvanian have a legitimate blog on which we can do it, unlike the Daily Princetonian -- I'll respond to selections from their column in the style of former baseball blog, Fire Joe Morgan.

Read along after the jump (as a nod to our esteemed colleagues in New Jersey, all text from their column is in orange).

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I hope you were all able to catch last night's monumental Penn-Princeton thriller, either in person or on ESPNU. After the jump, I have some more thoughts and interesting notes on a game that will be talked about for quite some time.

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1) What does Princeton have in common with Indiana, Maryland, Stanford, Texas Tech and Arkansas?  According to the San Francisco Chronicle, they're all "esteemed basketball programs" that might finish last in their conferences.

2) Basketball players have always been some of the most obvious BMOCs on campus here at Penn.  And even though he's only a sophomore, Tyler Bernadini has been selected by Comcast SportsNet as Penn's representative for their "Big Men on Campus" series.

3) ESPN The Magazine has come up with one stat for each Division I team that best represents both last year and future results. (Unfortunately, the link requires a subscription to ESPN Insider).

Here is Penn's, with the rest of the league after the jump. The team's are ranked in order of predicted finish.

2 ) Penn

74.5

The Quakers are coming off of their first losing season since 2000-01, but led by Ivy ROY Tyler Bernardini, they're well-stocked to challenge Cornell ... if they D up. Penn gave up 74.5 ppg last season, its worst performance in 20 years.

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PRINCETON, N.J.--Good evening folks, David Bernstein here at Princeton Stadium for the 100th all-time matchup between Penn and Princeton. There's a sizable Penn crowd tailgating in the parking lot, so hopefully the crowd really gets up for this one.

FINAL: Penn 14, Princeton 9

The Quakers were able to run down the clock and walk away with a victory that keeps them alive in the Ivy title race -- if Brown falters.

1:50, Fourth Quarter Penn 14-Princeton 9

Princeton burns its last timeout after a Kieffer keeper (sorry, I couldn't resist). And on 3rd and 8, Garton makes a HUGE play and gets the first and stays in bounds. Now it's Princeton vs. The Clock.

2:40, Fourth Quarter Penn 14-Princeton 9

A DiMaggio run gives Penn some breathing room, but and Garton runs for a first down as the clock continues to tick down. On 3rd and 6, Garton executes a nice play fake and rolls right. His pass is a little underthrown, but tight end Josh Koontz comes back to get it. First and ten Penn on its own 40.

6:07, Fourth Quarter Penn 14-Princeton 9

The Tigers can't capitalize on the fortunate turn of events, and can't move the ball after three incomplete passes. And yet again, the punter Coyle lofts a great kick, and pins the Quakers at their own three. It's gotta be tough to operate with this kind of field position time and time again.

6:42, Fourth Quarter Penn 14-Princeton 9

Anderson moves the chains on first down with a pass to Culbreath (who makes a nice catch on a ball thrown behind him) after nearly being taken down near the goal line. On the ensuing play, Culbreath takes it outside for about ten yards, but the real dagger is the flag on the play. A personal foul on Marc Washington moves the Tigers up to their own 44, 1st and 10.

7:24, Fourth Quarter Penn 14-Princeton 9

A three-and-out by the Quakers (stuffed run, batted down pass and completion to FB Jason Miran) leads to another punt by Belasco, a beauty (finally) that goes for 42 yards net. First down Princeton on the 9.

9:11, Fourth Quarter Penn 14-Princeton 9

On 3rd and 11, Ertman makes a nice open-field tackle on Berry, but the refs are extremely generous with the spot, and give Princeton a first down.

And on the very next play, Anderson airs it out to a double-covered Thanheiser, who hauls in a ridiculous catch. Powers and Jonathan Moore got beat, with Powers actually almost committing P.I. on the play. That put the Tigers on the goal line, and Culbreath banged it in for the score. Anderson misfired on a 2-pt. conversion, but this is a ball game now.

11:10, Fourth Quarter Penn 14-Princeton 3

Anderson beautifully sells a reverse handoff and takes a page from Garton's book, running for 15 yards and a first down. On the next play a reverse to Berry is executed beautifully, but is called back due to holding (as Penn SID Mike Mahoney said, "That's unfortunate.")

12:51, Fourth Quarter Penn 14-Princeton 3

A DiMaggio run for two yards is followed by a Penn timeout, and the Quakers can't get the first. Bagnoli chooses to punt it away on 4th and 1, and punter Scooter Belasco (replacing an injured Kyle Olson) gets off an ugly kick that nets 22 net yards unreturned.

Random observation: the Tigers' uniforms are horrendous looking (sorry I haven't mentioned this before, but they're a blinding electric orange.

End of Third Quarter Penn 14-Princeton 3

After a Penn false start, a block-in-the-back call on a screen to Blackmon pushed the Quakers to their own 12 to deal with a 2nd and 18.

Shortly after, the Red and Blue convert a ridiculous 3rd and 12 on a 28-yard Garton run to the Penn 46. Garton absolutely refused to go down, getting almost 15 yards after contact and really firing up the Penn student section. That had to be energizing.

2:56, Third Quarter Penn 14-Princeton 3

Anderson threw up a lob to Andrew Kerr in the end zone, with Wynn on him like a center boxing out. But in flies Josh Powers, laying a hit on Kerr and breaking up the pass on 3rd and 11. The Tigers are forced to punt it away, and the special teams nearly makes an acrobatic save from the end zone on the punt.

On a side note, cornerback and captain Tyson Maugle will not return with an undisclosed injury. He had broken his nose earlier in the season, but it has not seemed to affect him the past couple of weeks.

3:30, Third Quarter Penn 14-Princeton 3

Will Thanheiser comes up with a 20-yard catch as Anderson scrambles left. Cornerback Chris Wynn was right there, but the pass was underthrown, so he got a little bit turned around. It's 1st and 15 from the Penn 42 after a false start. The Tigers go to the option once again, for a gain of four.

6:46, Third Quarter Penn 14-Princeton 3

A Penn false start and a Garton rush for no gain put Penn in a 3rd and goal situation, which Garton converts to wideout Matt Appenfelder, a ten-yard score. The first career touchdown pass and catch for those two, and a Samson PAT puts the lead at 11.

8:18, Third Quarter Penn 7-Princeton 3

Garton moves the chains again on a 3rd-and-3 run, and nearly completes a beautiful pass to Lawrence in the end zone, a fade route. But Lawrence was bobbling it as he went out of bounds.

On the next play, the Tigers sniff out an option pitch to DiMaggio, who was slow to get up. The silver lining is a 15-yard face mask on Princeton's Pete Buchignani, so it's 1st and 10 from the ten yardline.

10:18, Third Quarter Penn 7-Princeton 3

After a couple of hard-nosed runs by DiMaggio to start the half, Garton reverses field on a designed rush, and barrels into a Princeton defender (didn't catch who). Really nice athleticism and vision on the ground from the newcomer.

Shortly after, he hits Derham for a first down at the Tigers 29. On first down, Garton runs it again, for 7 yards. This kid really doesn't like to go down. Gotta love that toughness, you just hope he doesn't get banged up.

First- Half Stats

Mike DiMaggio: 7 rushes for 41 yards

Keiffer Garton: 8-11 passing for 71 yards, 6 rushes for 19 yards and a TD

Bradford Blackmon: 3 catches for 24 yards

Princeton's Brian Anderson has gone 8-12 for 92 yards, with Jordan Culbreath as his main target (3 catches for 37 yards)

Halftime Penn 7-Princeton 3

On 3rd and 5, linebacker Jay Colabella sacks Anderson for a loss of five. The Tigers hit the field goal this time, a 32-yarder right down the middle (Bologna's career-long). That completes a 7-play, 62-yard drive.

Princeton squibs it on the ensuing kickoff, and Garton will take a knee to end the half.

1:45, Second Quarter Penn 7-Princeton 0

Well, I guess Princeton is trying to keep pace in the defensive-backs-on-offense category. Meko McCray, a career DB, is now in the Tigers backfield, and runs it for four yards down to the Penn 11. Meanwhile, the Quakers burn their final timeout of the half.

2:33, Second Quarter Penn 7-Princeton 0

The Princeton pass protection holds up nicely, and Anderson has ample time to hit Adam Barry near the left sideline for a big gain down to the Penn 32. On the subsequent first down, Anderson runs it for 17 down to the 15 yardline and another first.

4:13, Second Quarter Penn 7-Princeton 0

Now for the second "What the?" moment of the night. We see the fourth quarterback of the season as Brendan McNally (who had been converted into a safety during the preseason and logged an interception against Yale) comes out for first and second down (both running plays), before Garton reenters. A holding penalty on second down pushes Penn back, and the Quakers go three-and-out again. Princeton first down at its own 22.

6:26, Second Quarter Penn 7-Princeton 0

Penn gets the ball and promptly goes three-and-out with Garton back at the helm (good to see Bagnoli is showing at least a modicum of faith in the kid after a bad interception).

Princeton ball, and on the first play fullback Matt Zimmerman limps off the field after a catch for a loss.

And on 3rd down we have our first "What the?" moment of the game, a long Culbreath reception turns into a fumble and Penn recovery. Culbreath looked to be down (and the Penn defense's body language suggests as much), but Penn DB Tony Moses absolutely crushed him. The replays are inconclusive, but it very well could've been ground-caused.

Culbreath actually went down and stayed down, but after some medical attention he got up under his own power.

9:22, Second Quarter Penn 7-Princeton 0

A couple of Culbreath runs, along with a short reception on an Anderson shovel pass take the Tigers down inside the 15.

Facing a third and nine, the Tigers are stuffed, with a blitzing Britton Ertman getting to Anderson. Call it a coverage sack.

And then, kicker Ben Bologna (barely) misses a 35-yarder, wide left. Quakers ball on the 20.

13:10, Second Quarter Penn 7-Princeton 0

Jordan Culbreath squeaks through the Penn line for the first down, and on second down Anderson hits Karr cutting toward the right sideline. A third-down Culbreath rush to the right gives the Tigers another first down.

15:00, Second Quarter Penn 7-Princeton 0

Spoke to soon. The Quakers go play action again, but this time Garton's pass is WAY underthrown, and Tigers DB Barry Newell comes up with it. Now, an Anderson rush, a short pass to Culbreath and some technical difficulties later, it's 3rd and 1 at the Princeton 42 for the Tigers.

1:30, First Quarter Penn 7-Princeton 0

A nice play-action on second and five results in a 13-yard reception to Marcus Lawrence on the right sideline. Lawrence really sold the fly route, but Garton threw a nice ball to him on the hitch.

2:39, First Quarter Penn 7-Princeton 0

With their backs to the wall, the Quakers respond with a pair of runs (Garton, then DiMaggio), and then a rolling Garton finds Derham once more for a first down. Side note, Blackmon is habitually splitting out wide, something that coach Al Bagnoli has been having him do often this year.

4:31, First Quarter Penn 7-Princeton 0

A screen pass to wideout Andrew Karr is incomplete after Penn cornerback gets to him a little early. Tigers coach Roger Hughes wasn't happy, but he was one play later, when punter Ryan Coyle pinned the Quakers at the one on an absolutely beautiful punt.

5:00, First Quarter Penn 7-Princeton 0

A three-yard rush by Anderson on a fake handoff is followed by an option right to Culbreath. It's now 3rd and 6.

6:10, First Quarter Penn 7-Princeton 0

Looks like the Tigers watched some game tape this week. They try a reverse on the kick return, but the Quakers succeed where they failed last week, sniffing it out.

On first down on the 26, Culbreath runs for 5--he's a pretty shifty back out there, and despite underwhelming size, he looks pretty tough to bring down.

On second down, Will Thanheiser makes a 16-yard catch at midfield to move the chains.

7:15, First Quarter Penn 7-Princeton 0

Princeton linebacker Steven Cody sniffs out an option to the left on first down, but on second down Garton gets into the end zone (the first of his career), this time on an option keeper to the right. He found a seam inside, and got in untouched. Andrew Samson's extra point is barely good after it's tipped by a Tiger on the line.

That was 84 yards in 13 plays for the Red and Blue in 7:45.

7:56, First Quarter Penn 0-Princeton 0

A 6-yard DiMaggio run takes the Quakers to the Princeton 3, and the Quakers take a timeout. It'll be first and goal when we get back underway.

8:10, First Quarter Penn 0-Princeton 0

Derham, sitting in a pocket in the Tigers zone on the left side, is found (a little late) by Garton, but it’s another first down regardless after Derham gets some yardage after the catch. Garton is looking pretty competent right now, evading the rush and making some decent reads.

9:20, First Quarter Penn 0-Princeton 0

Garton's pass to Derham is thrown behind Kyle Derham on second down, and on third and nine, the sophomore signal-caller scrambles to his right and finds Blackmon sitting right at the first down marker at midfield.

Not long after, DiMaggio rumbles for about 12 yards, moving the chains again.

11:00, First Quarter Penn 0-Princeton 0

Penn calls running back Mike DiMaggio's number on 1st and 2nd downs, good for a first down at the 28.

Garton--operating out of the shotgun--hands it off to Bradford Blackmon (who runs completely laterally) on first down, and pulls it down for a first down to the Tigers 39 on the next play.

13:04, First Quarter Penn 0-Princeton 0

After a Dave Kuncio kickoff, the Tigers started out at the 30 yardline, and got off to a nice start with a 13-yard run from Jordan Culbreath, the offense's go-to guy. An incomplete pass by Brian Anderson on first down and a Culbreath run for a loss, Princeton almost converts a 4th-and-11, but the receiver couldn't get a foot in.

It's going to be Penn ball at the 16, with Keiffer Garton (!) at quarterback after a RYan Coyle punt.

Even though I'm posting these links as they come instead of every Wednesday, I actually have some today.

1) The first concerns the College of New Jersey Princeton. In a fascinating coincidence, two of the most accomplished Princeton athletes of all-time -- basketball legend Bill Bradley and football star Dick Kazmaier -- both wore number 42 on their jersey. Although 42 has been unofficially retired from the football and basketball teams, the number will be uniformly (no pun intended) retired for all Princeton athletics teams in a ceremony on Oct. 24.

Bradley, a former U.S. senator and Presidential candidate, took the Tigers to the 1965 Final Four and earned National Player of the Year recognition that same season. Kazmaier, meanwhile, won the 1951 Heisman Trophy and Maxwell Award as a member of the Tigers.

2) With the Major League Baseball playoffs starting today, here's a trivia question: Who is the only active MLB player who is a former all-Ivy League quarterback? If you answered former Penn student Mark DeRosa of the Cubs, you'd be correct. In fact, DeRosa is the only current Major Leaguer who graduated from Wharton. Here's a profile The New York Times did on the 1996 Penn grad who played both baseball and football for the Quakers.

UDPATE: The Inquirer also did a piece on DeRosa. (HT Jonathan Tannewald, of Soft Pretzel Logic.)

3) The biggest news story recently has been the financial crisis.  Not too surprisingly, three people critical to our economy's recovery have Ivy connections. But what you might not have known is that one of the three -- Secretary of the Treasury Henry Paulson -- was a Dartmouth offensive lineman. ESPN.com's Ivan Maisel dedicated part of his I-Formation column today to Paulson's past football exploits. (It's the fifth item on the right side.)