Friday, March 7th, 8:00 p.m. (et).

FACTS & STATS: Site: The Palestra (8,700) -- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Television: CN8. Home Record: Cornell 12-1, Penn 8-7. Away Record: Cornell 8-4, Penn 3-10. Neutral Record: Cornell 0-0, Penn 0-0. Conference Record: Cornell 12-0, Penn 6-5. Series Record: Penn leads, 142-67.

GAME NOTES: With the Ivy League title already locked up, the Cornell Big Red will now set their sites on an undefeated conference campaign, as they take on the Penn Quakers at The Palestra tonight. Last Saturday, Cornell trounced Harvard in an 86-53 final and in the process clinched its first Ivy League title in 20 years and became the first team to punch its ticket to the NCAA Tournament. It was also the 14th consecutive victory for the Big Red, which is just one triumph shy of matching the 1964-65 club for the longest win streak in school history. Cornell has already established a school record with 12 Ivy League wins, and it has tied a program mark with 20 overall victories. As for Penn, it won the last three Ancient Eight titles, but this year's club just couldn't keep up with the Big Red. The Quakers wrapped up a four-game road trip last Saturday by dropping a 75-43 decision at Brown. It was the second loss in the past three games for Penn, as it slipped to 11-17 overall and 6-5 in league play. Penn leads the all-time series with Cornell, 142-67, but the Big Red snapped an 18-game losing streak to the Quakers with an 87-74 victory in the first meeting of this season. The Big Red will now attempt to snap an 18-game skid against Penn at The Palestra.

The Big Red is averaging a solid 76.7 ppg and it is one of the premier shooting teams around, hitting 49.3 percent of its chances from the floor, 41.2 percent from three-point land and 77.4 percent at the foul line. Ryan Wittman heads the Cornell attack with 15.3 ppg and he is shooting an efficient 47.0 percent from beyond the arc. Louis Dale has provided a nice complement to him and he chips in 13.1 ppg, to go with a team-best 5.0 apg. Cornell shot 55.7 percent from the field, including an 8-of-20 effort from three-point range, as it cruised past Harvard the last time out. Wittman logged 13 points and six boards, while Dale had 12 points and eight helpers in the triumph.

The Quakers' struggles this season have come mostly at the defensive end, where they are allowing opposing team to net 75.0 ppg and shoot 46.1 percent from the field. Offensively, the team is posting 67.0 ppg behind the duo of Brian Grandieri and Tyler Bernardini. Grandieri is both the squad's top scorer (13.1 ppg) and rebounder (5.8 rpg), while Bernardini checks in with 12.4 ppg. In the team's prior contest, Penn allowed Brown to shoot a blistering 63.6 percent from the floor, as it was blown out on the road. The Quakers also turned the ball over 17 times which resulted in 25 points for the Bears. Grandieri paced the club in defeat with 16 points.

Cornell, technically, has nothing to play for, but don't expect the Big Red to just fold down the stretch. In fact, look for Cornell to continue to add to its record season with a rare win at The Palestra.

Predicted Outcome

Cornell 77, Penn 70