Providence fired its coach, Tim Welsh, yesterday after 10 years. This story by the Times‘ Pete Thamel — he of Tommy-Amaker-investigation fame — mentions Brown coach Craig Robinson as one of several logical successors. I’m not sure exactly what to make of it right now, but it’s something to watch for in the papers over the next few weeks, especially if Brown makes the NIT or, more likely, the newly-formed CBI.

I’m no member of Obama Nation, as my friends will tell you. But I was sad that he missed a great opportunity when he didn’t show up at the Brown-Penn game on Saturday.

True, I don’t know for sure if he was in the state, but there was a rumor going around as the fans filed into the Pizzitola Center that Mr. Obama would make an appearance. Could he, should he, would he?, the crowd was whispering. With the Rhode Island polls set to close at 9 p.m. tonight, it made sense. There were 1,727 people already gathered in one place, plus a few hundred more Brown fans watching the hockey game against Union a few hundred yards away. (Ivy Leaguers with deep pockets and liberal inclinations, too.) Plus, as we’ve been reminded, he has another link to Brown hoops.

No dice, which was too bad. The Bears won the hockey game; no shock. But they also dealt Penn its fifth Ivy loss on the hardwood, by the biggest margin ever, and propelled themselves a step closer to the NIT.

Obama would have been happy. It was change we could believe in.

• Tonight’s game marked the first time in Brian Grandieri’s career that Penn lost an Ivy League contest at the Palestra.

• As a team, the Quakers shot 9-17 from downtown, hitting three more triples than the Bears. The difference was the play inside. Despite Brown’s smaller size, the Bears etched out 30 points in the paint (compared to Penn’s 24) thanks to a number of smooth backdoor cuts. More importantly, the Bears got to the free throw line 26 times — Penn was 2 of 6 from the charity stripe. Brown’s 61.5% clip wasn’t impressive, but it was good enough.

• Grandieri overcame his recent shooting woes tonight, going 9-15 from the field and 2-4 from beyond the arc. He was the Quakers’ only reliable option in the second half — especially with Kevin Egee on the bench in foul trouble — and hit a number of clutch shots down the stretch.

• Cameron Lewis did not see any action tonight, and though Remy Cofield did see 12 minutes, he left the Palestra wearing a Tom Brady-like protective boot.

Tomorrow’s game against Yale has been moved up to 6 pm. If you can’t make it to the Palestra, ESPN Classic will be televising the game. Stay tuned to The Buzz for more coverage.

P.S. Jack Eggleston was a guest earlier this week on UTV’s DP Roundtable and was asked about the incident with Noah Savage at the end of the Princeton game. With Princeton inbounding the ball under its own basket down by 3 with 9 seconds to go, Savage took a swing towards Eggleston’s groin area and was called for a technical foul, essentially ending the Tigers’ chances. On an earlier possession, Savage missed an important shot that would have put his team in better position to win. On the show, Eggleston said that right before Savage picked up the “T,” Eggleston — who played with Savage a lot over the summer — said something to him about the missed shot, prompting the hot-headed reaction. Zidane, anyone?

Final: Brown 66, Penn 61

In-game updates can be found after the jump.

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Some news stories to keep you busy before the game tonight.

• Columbia’s paper gives another perspective on the financial aid issue.
• The Yale Daily chronicles ‘Attrition and the Yale Athlete.’
• The NCAA is considering tweaking with some penalties in college football.

Check out these betting lines: Brown is a four-point favorite at Penn, Cornell is a five-point favorite at Harvard, Columbia a two-point favorite at Dartmouth and Yale a 1.5-point favorite at Princeton.

What’s so remarkable about that? I believe today is the first time any road team has been favored all year. And the first time it happens, all four road teams are favored!

I think the best bet is for the Big Red to cover the spread at Harvard.

For those who want to keep an eye on 6-0 Cornell’s run for the Ivy League title, check out the Times’s ongoing coverage of their roadtrip through New England.

And if you can’t make it to the Palestra for the Brown game tonight, check back here for live updates. Until then, here’s the Providence Journal’s preview of the game and here is the DP’s.

You probably know the story by now.

Brown coach Craig Robinson is the brother-in-law of Barack Obama. You’ve probably read the New York Times articles about it too. But here is an interesting story from the Providence Journal a few days ago that focuses on Robinson’s amazing journey.

If you haven’t noticed, and if you’re reading this post you have, the blog has changed its look a bit. Most of the items in the right rail are still there, just in a slightly different order. We’ve added archives by month, as well as tags that will show what’s popping up most frequently on The Buzz.

Send any comments along to scurria@sas.upenn.edu.

In today’s football news, the Boston Globe does a fine profile of Harvard linebacker Peter Ajayi, which is almost enough for me to excuse them for snubbing Saturday’s Penn-Princeton game from their Friday preview rundown. The Brown Daily Herald briefly previews Yale’s tester against the Bears.

Today’s DP carries previews of the Princeton game and the weekend in the Ivy League along with our regular opp spot.