The Quakers (21-6, 13-1 Ivy, 1st) have Michael Jordan. 'Nuff said.

Jordan (15.3 points per game, 125 assists), a first team All-Ivy choice each of the last two seasons, is the best point guard in the conference. Jordan may be short--he's generously listed at 6'0--but he is fast, can handle the ball with ease and is not afraid to drive the lane.

Jordan's penetration should also leave senior guard Matt Langel open for plenty of shots from beyond the arc. Langel (11.3 ppg, .429 three-point percentage) earned All-Ivy honorable mention with his steady shooting and strong court sense. At 6'5, Langel might have to spend some minutes at swingman until Coach Fran Dunphy finds a frontcourt combination he likes.

But Dunphy has nothing to worry about in the paint, where senior center Geoff Owens will be a permanent fixture. The 6'11 Owens (9.3 ppg, 7.3 rebounds per game, 58 blocks), an All-Ivy honorable mention selection last year, is a force to be reckoned with on offense and defense, and he loves slamming home the alley-oop from Jordan.

The one possible weakness is at forward, where the Quakers have lost Paul Romanczuk, a member of the All-Ivy first team, and Jed Ryan, a hard hitter who shot .437 from three-point range, to graduation.

Senior swingman Frank Brown (5.2 ppg, 3.5 rpg) should move into the starting lineup, and Dunphy will choose between junior Oggie Kapetanovic, a transfer from Brown, and freshman Ugonna Onyekwe as his power forward.

Onyekwe, a transport from London, has a talented group of freshmen classmates in forward Koko Archibong and guards Harold Bailey and Dave Klatsky.

Dunphy has front-loaded his schedule in an attempt to snatch some early national recognition, like Princeton did two years ago. The Quakers open against Kentucky at the Preseason NIT, in a field that also includes Arizona, Utah and Maryland. Penn will travel to Kansas Jan. 4.