Just over nine and a half hours, five home-city teams, and three games made for one crazy Saturday of men’s college basketball in Philadelphia. It is not often that hoops diehards get an opportunity to attend a trio of games in one day, but December 2, 2006 brought just that. Unfortunately, I was only able to go to the nightcap due to a massive amount of work and no access to a car. But in a perfect world, here’s what my day would have looked like…

10:30am : My cell phone alarm sounds to the ring tone of Blind Melon’s “No Rain.” Shockingly, my usually nocturnal roommate is already gone. I turn on Sports Center, check my e-mail, and eat my Cinnamon Life cereal out of the box.

11:23am : Dressed in jeans and my maroon sweatshirt, I start the car’s ignition, crank up the heat, and head north to the Liacouras Center—the nest of the Temple Owls. After the short drive from West Philadelphia, I buy my ticket. I immediately regret my decision to shave: it is “Mustache Day” in honor of Temple’s new head man, former Penn coach and infamously mustached Fran Dunphy, and anyone boasting facial hair between their nostrils and upper lip gets a five-dollar discount. I buy a hot pretzel and take my seat for the noon tip-off between the Owls and the Long Beach State 49ers.

12:03pm : Temple just allowed five points in the contest’s first minute. The crowd gets restless, anticipating a long afternoon.

12:47pm : So much for that opening minute. The 49ers offense turned anemic, scoring only eight points the remainder of the half. Meanwhile, a native Philadelphian brought the Owls some early holiday cheer, as sophomore Dionte Christmas led a 26-2 charge. Dominating 43-13 at the half, Temple is already viewing film for Tuesday’s bout with Western Michigan.

1:34pm : If there is any chance of me catching part of the first half of the Saint Joe’s versus Drexel game at the Palestra, I need to leave now. There is nothing to watch here, anyways. The radio voice confirms the Temple slaughter, 74-49, good for Dunphy’s second win on the season.

2:15pm : Having finally thwarted West Philadelphia’s attempt to deny me a parking space, I run through Penn’s Engineering campus to the historic Palestra. Despite being a Quaker at heart, I seem to bring the Dragons good luck. Seeking revenge against the Big 5, Philadelphia’s ‘other college basketball team’ breaks the game open with a 21-2 run, and ends the half leading 32-23.

3:08pm : My school’s neighbors have emerge victorious from neutral turf, as Frank Elegar and Drexel drop St. Joe’s 72-56 in a game tainted by sloppy turnovers. With the victory, the Dragons improve to 4-2 on the season and 6-42 all-time against the Hawks.

5:59pm : After an afternoon of writing analytical essays, I am devouring a rack of Chili’s baby back ribs (barbecue sauce) with some friends before my most highly anticipated game of the day: the Villanova-Penn game. We look up at the TV to see "that other Philadelphia sporting event" today is now over; for the fifth year straight, Navy sinks Army, 26-14 at Lincoln Financial Field. I refocus on my plate, wanting to get to the Palestra early to heckle the Wildcats.

6:44pm : The Palestra is packed for Penn’s Big 5 opener—Quakers fans to the west, Wildcats fans to the east. Clad in matching navy blue shirts (all with the Penn "P" and the words: "The Palestra, A Tradition Since 1927"), the Quakers fans taunt throughout the pre-game warm-ups, shut up during the national anthem, then jump up and down, projecting a deafening chant that resonates through college basketball’s oldest venue in preparation for the opening tip.

8:06pm : Media timeouts and whistle-happy refs make for a lengthy first half. The home crowd cannot be too displeased trailing Villanova by only 7 points, despite turning the ball over almost two dozen times. Only Mark Zoller’s 22 points are keeping Penn in the game.

8:47pm : This time is an estimate—I was too busy losing my voice. Thanks to infallible shooting and an array of Wildcats fouls, the Quakers have overcome a double-digit deficit to take a three-point lead, with their star Ibrahim Jaaber at the line shooting two.

(Two minutes later) : Jaaber missed both, Nova is on a roll. Things suddenly don’t look so good.

9:34pm : Villanova gives Penn a clinic on free throw shooting, missing just one down the stretch, and returns to the suburbs 99-89 victors. Maybe the Wildcats will finally get some respect in the national rankings, while Penn now looks to rebound at Navy Thursday evening. The triple-header is over. Back home for me to recover!