M. Hoops Notebook | Injuries, surgeries mount for Penn

Penn fans have said all season that sophomore Tyler Bernardini has looked out of sorts compared with his freshman campaign. This weekend may have been the first time they were unequivocally correct.

The sharpshooting guard suffered a concussion early in the second half of Saturday's contest against Brown at the Palestra, and is "real questionable" for this weekend's games against Cornell and Columbia, according to coach Glen Miller.

Bernardini - the team's leading scorer at 14 points per game - remained in the game (he ended up going 1-for-8 from the field), and the diagnosis was made after the final buzzer.

"There's a progression that he has to go through to get cleared," Miller said. "Whether he can make it through that progression and get cleared for this weekend or not is really up in the air."

Bernardini's status for Tuesday's game against Princeton is also yet to be determined and will likely depend on his availability this weekend.

The Quakers will also likely be without freshman forward Mike Howlett for the remainder of the season. According to Miller, fluid has built up in his foot, and the team is awaiting the results of an MRI.

And guard Darren Smith, who hasn't played since the season-opener last year, is scheduled to go under the knife today for knee surgery.

Two-point play. The "fire and lightning" approach that football coaches employ in the backfield has found its way into the Palestra.

Freshman Zack Rosen and sophomore Harrison Gaines both came to Penn as heralded recruits at the point, but instead of platooning them, Miller has often let them play in tandem.

It's a strategy that has worked primarily because of their contrasting skill sets.

Even as a rookie, Rosen is one of the Ivy League's most adept floor generals, but he has not yet developed into an accomplished scorer. Gaines, on the other hand, doesn't have his teammate's passing ability but is happy to put his head down, drive to the basket and score in bunches.

Rosen's court vision has been lauded by coaches all over the league, but it was Gaines' spark off of the bench last weekend against Yale and Brown that paced the Quakers - he led the team in scoring both nights, averaging 19 points over the two contests.

"When you have a team with two solid ball-handlers and two guys that can make plays, that makes you even more dangerous," Gaines said.

Big-man balancing act. The only thing more frustrating than the Quakers' inability to contain opponents in the paint this season has been their inability to score down low themselves.

While Jack Eggleston has been a consistent rebounder - and the guy most likely to hustle down a loose ball - all year long, forwards Cam Lewis, Brennan Votel and Conor Turley have seen their playing time fluctuate.

"We've just tried different combinations to get the job done," Miller said. "It really depends on how the matchups are working."

Miller has tended to favor the hotter offensive hand between Lewis and Votel, with Turley filling in the gaps. Although he is known for his defensive presence, Lewis has found his comfort zone on offense, and he has been Miller's big man of choice recently.

"A lot of my success has been because my teammates have been really trying to get me the ball in areas where I can score . in the low-post," Lewis said.

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