Penn's team this season is young, fun to watch, and full of question marks. Three of Penn's four freshmen -- Steve Danley, Ibrahim Jaaber and Mark Zoller -- as well as both transfers -- Eric Heil and Eric Osmundosn -- have played significant minutes and made noticeable contributions against both Wisconsin and Drexel. Eleven Penn players saw time against the Dragons.
Compare that with last season's Quakers. In their first two games against Penn State and Drexel, no freshman even check in to the game.
Penn's roster only had two freshmen last year: Pat Haddan and Friedrich Ebede. Haddan redshirted with a shoulder injury and Ebede played in only 10 games.
In fact, neither player saw a minute of action until the fourth game of the season, when Penn routed Temple, 72-46.
Last season, it was pretty clear who would play and who would not. Penn played an eight-man rotation -- with David Klatsky, Adam Chubb, Charlie Copp and Jan Fikiel off the bench -- for the majority of the season. There was no question the senior trio of Ugonna Onyekwe, Koko Archibong and Andrew Toole would lead Penn to an Ivy League title.
This year, there are many questions surrounding the Quakers, not only about who will emerge as the team's star but also about who will support him.
While Penn was picked by the Ivy League coaches to win the Ancient Eight, there seems to be much more parity in the Ivy League this season. Sports Illustrated, for example, picked Princeton to finish first.
With Onyekwe gone, some have doubts that senior Jeff Schiffner can take over as Penn's leader. His 49.3 percent three-point shooting led Division I last year, but can he drive to the hole?
"I've worked on other aspects of my game during the offseason," Schiffner said.
Clearly it's paid off so far.
Both Wisconsin and Drexel used an array of defenders to limit Schiffner's outside shooting, but the Quakers' co-captain still scored 20 points in each game.
There's a bigger question, however, that is in the process of being answered.
What will Penn's rotation look like when the Ivy season begins?
"Every season, we've got to figure out who's going to be able to step up and who's not," senior co-captain Chubb said.
Jaaber scored two points against Wisconsin on an impressive crossover move and, more importantly, he had zero turnovers in 10 minutes.
Danley scored nine points in nine minutes against Drexel, while Zoller grabbed two rebounds in five minutes.
The two transfer Erics have also contributed off the bench. Heil hit three-of-five three pointers against Drexel for 10 points, while Osmundson had an assist in each of Penn's two games.
Ebede also provided a spark off the bench against Drexel, finishing with three points and four rebounds.
Penn's reserves were largely responsible for the Quakers' 11-point halftime lead. Starting with a 16-15 edge over Drexel, a lineup of Ebede, Osmundson, Heil, Danley and junior starter Tim Begley went on a 12-0 run to extend the lead to 13 in the first half.
"I think we've gotten great contributions from everybody off the bench," Schiffner said. "We're going to need that for the rest of the year."
But odds are that only some of Penn's bench players will break into the set rotation.
Penn coach Fran Dunphy singled out Heil, Danley and Ebede for their strong play against Drexel.
"We're getting a little bit closer to forming a rotation," Dunphy said.
"Every game that we play, we're trying to get better, we're trying to find our identity," senior co-captain Charlie Copp said. "Playing against such a highly-ranked team [No. 3 Michigan State], such a good team, can do wonders for you confidence-wise and bringing the team together."
Indeed, playing a top-five team in front of notoriously boisterous Spartans fans will provide a perfect opportunity for freshmen, transfers and other question marks on Penn's roster to prove their worth.
