If you would like to understand the importance of this weekend's games to the Big Green basketball program, take a trip down to Leede Arena and look at the Ivy League championship banners that hang on the wall.
However, don't glance too quickly or you might just miss the lone title banner that hangs on the south wall, a banner that dates back to a year before a man named John F. Kennedy ran for President. This weekend is an opportunity, the last for the team's seniors, to give that banner some company.
"The seniors have been working for four years to get a chance to have two sold out games and a chance at the title, so we couldn't be more pleased," center Brian Gilpin '97 said.
"It's an awesome feeling to be facing Penn and Princeton in our final home games and still be in the hunt for the Ivy title. We couldn't ask for anything more than this," co-captain Sea Lonergan '97 said.
Dartmouth takes the floor against Pennsylvania and Princeton this weekend in search of a chance to capture their first Ivy League crown since 1959. The Big Green, with an 8-2 record in league play, sit two games behind first-place Princeton, who come to Hanover tomorrow night.
However, for the Big Green to get to that showdown, they must take care of Ivy perennial power Penn tonight and not look past the Quakers to tomorrow night's showdown.
"I think the team is focused on facing Penn tonight," Lonergan professed. "You can't overlook anybody in the Ivy league because as soon as you do, you've lost. We are only concentrating on Penn and we have had a great week of practice."
Even though the team beat Penn in Philadelphia two weeks ago, they know that Penn is still a heavyweight to be reckoned with. One of the reasons for this is the superb play of Quaker freshman phenom Michael Jordan, who poured in 24 points in the Big Green's 74-70 overtime win.
In the previous game, Dartmouth was able to control the flow of the game and led for most of the contest before pulling away in overtime to get their second victory over the Quakers in their last three tries.
"If we don't show up ready to play Penn, then there will be problems. But I have no doubt that we will be ready to play," guard P.J. Halas '98 said.
The Big Green will have little time to contemplate the outcome of tonight's matchup before they are forced to take the floor against the league-leading Tigers Saturday night. Dartmouth nearly pulled off the upset when they traveled to Princeton two weeks ago but came up two points short when senior forward Keith Stanton's jump shot bounced off the rim as time expired, letting the Tigers escape with a 57-55 win.
However, the Big Green gained a lot of confidence in that game as they led Princeton for most of the closing minutes and know that if they play the same kind of game they did down there that the outcome could be different at home.
"I think if we come out and play like we did the first time at Jadwin then it will be an exciting game," Seth Newsome '99 said. "This means a combination of tough relentless defense combined with offensive poise. When playing a team like Princeton, with their style of basketball, teams don't get many opportunities to score, so as a result, we have to make the most of our opportunities when we have the ball."
Princeton comes into this weekend's road trip with a 13-game winning streak, the longest such streak in the Ivies, and a 19-3 record on the season overall. One of the aspects that makes the Tigers so difficult is their slow down type of play that looks to create layups inside and open three-point attempts from the perimeter when defenses collapse inside.
Princeton's team is among the most balanced in the league, getting their production from many of their players, including guard Sydney Johnson and center Steve Goodrich who each have terrorized the Big Green in the past. Goodrich leads the Ivy League in shooting percentage this season and connected on 75 percent of his shots in the teams' first meeting.
"They have a different style of basketball and great players," Gilpin said. "We just need to go out there with the same approach as every other game -- to play excellent defense and rebound. If we do those two things we have a chance."
A sweep of the weekend for the Big Green, something that has not happened in the era of Head Coach Dave Faucher would put Dartmouth in excellent position to capture the title, but they still need help. A win over Penn and Princeton would put the Big Green one game behind the Tigers, meaning that Princeton would have to falter in one of their four other games for Dartmouth to join them at the top of the standings.
In fact, a Big Green win coupled with a Tiger loss at Harvard tonight would mean tomorrow night's contest would be for first place. Conversely, a loss to the Quakers or the Tigers by Dartmouth and the Big Green are eliminated from the title race. Make no mistake about it, Dartmouth has been waiting the entire year for this weekend as freshman standout Shaun Gee '00 will tell you.
"I'm so excited I can't even sleep," he said.
