The contrast was too big to ignore, only eclipsed by the parallels between the two.

Leading the sidelines at Sunday's women's basketball game were two of the premier coaches in the Big Ten, Penn State's Rene Portland and Illinois' Theresa Grentz. And in that arena, a coaching duo that boasted a combined 1,323 wins dug in to see who would grab 1,324 and command sole possession of seventh place in the conference.

In watching the vivacious Portland and the stoic Grentz, it was indiscernible that the two women had grown up together dominating college basketball.

Long before they exchanged the sneakers for heels and jerseys for suit jackets, both were molded in their playing days by Cathy Rush. Rush guided Immaculata to three straight national championships from 1972-74, a run that began when Grentz and Portland were freshmen.

Neither has won a national title since, but both have surpassed their mentor's win total, with Portland at 676 and Grentz at 648. Yet, each has done so in her own fashion.

Portland paced and kneeled, temporarily making an appearance onto the playing surface, attempting to move the pieces in search of a checkmate.

She took a moment to enjoy the 20-point lead, sitting with the starters and her assistants, sharing a laugh, only to rise once more after freshman guard Mashea Williams threw an errant pass right at an Illinois defender.

As animated as Portland is, Grentz served as juxtaposition.

Grentz, a quietly imposing figure, glared at her team as it ran its consecutive loss total to eight. On this day, she was not enjoying the company of her staff, as she turned to an assistant behind her, never moving her firmly entrenched feet, wondering how this season could fall apart.

She found reasons afterwards.

"One, we lost a couple of players," Grentz said. "Penn State's playing better, and we're definitely struggling to make sure we have our confidence."

They split the series this year, with Grentz defending Champaign by a score of 66-57. Still, Portland has held the upperhand in the series, thanks largely to a home-winning streak that dates back to 1998.

Like most coaches over the years, Grentz and the Jordan Center do not get along, so for Portland it is nothing special to knock off a fellow member of the class of '75.

"We like to have home court against everybody," Portland said. "We love to protect the Jordan Center. This is our home. That's the tradition of Lady Lion basketball."

Despite the recent dominance of Portland, the two have remained friends, with Grentz auctioning off a dinner at her Illinois house at the Renaissance Fund Dinner, held back in November when Portland was recognized as Renaissance Woman of the year. A $4,200 bid won the dinner with Grentz, Portland and the Lady Lions a month ago.

Before the Jan. 12 game, Portland said the two remain close, but once on the sideline, the friendship is put on hold until the final buzzer sounds.

Following the game, the two were still side by side, with Portland in seventh place in the conference and Grentz in eighth, having severed the tie that afternoon.