Things are different against Big 12 and ACC schools.
With this in mind, the Penn women's basketball team set out for the 18th annual University of Colorado Coors Classic tournament last Friday.
A different part of the country brings different players, different fans and a different type of competition.
The Quakers were prepared for a fight.
Despite their best efforts, the Red and Blue fell to the Buffaloes, 69-49, in its opening game on Nov. 26. The Quakers then were overtaken by No. 22 Maryland (3-1), 76-56, in Saturday night's consolation match. No. 2 Louisiana State University topped Colorado, 75-44, in the tournament's championship game.
"It was a tough tournament for us," Penn coach Pat Knapp said. "It clearly was the toughest two-day tournament Penn's women's basketball has ever been in. Ever."
With LSU (7-0), Maryland, Colorado (2-1) and Penn as the only participants, the Quakers (2-2) were challenged from every direction.
"When Colorado is perennially a top 30 team and you have them at home, it's not easy. And then you are going to get the winner or loser of LSU, who is probably going to be number one in the country tomorrow and then Maryland, who's going to be in the top 15. So we had our work cut out for us," Knapp said.
Penn's loss to Colorado was its first of the season. Senior co-captain Cat Makarewich, who hit three of her five attempted three-point baskets, led the Red and Blue with nine points. Still, the Quakers could not silence the Buffaloes, led by a career-high 14 points from Leslie Howard.
"The Colorado game was a disappointment because we were not in a good offensive flow," Knapp said.
And the tough competition had just begun.
The following night, the Quakers faced Maryland in the tournament's consolation game.
"Maryland has two things: they're physical and they're quick," Knapp said, "and when you have those two things, you need to match them or you are in trouble. We were in trouble because we didn't match Maryland's intensity."
Though the Quakers went head to head with the Terrapins early on, leading on three separate occasions in the first half, the Red and Blue failed to maintain momentum. Senior co-captain Katie Kilker led the Red and Blue with 10 points and four rebounds.
"I thought we played poorly against Colorado and we played 10 times better against Maryland," Knapp said. "And I think the message that I want the kids to hear, which I've told them already, is that I'm very proud of their effort and how hard we played against Maryland."
After facing Ohio State and Connecticut last year, the Quakers were prepared for the heightened intensity that comes with playing against top 25 teams like Maryland.
"We knew it would be [a different type of play], and these players knew it would be. They had played Ohio State before, they had played Connecticut before," Knapp said.
Penn struggled against these top-ranked teams last year just as the Quakers were challenged at Colorado last weekend.
"If you look at Ohio State and Connecticut a year ago when Penn lost by 40-plus, we played a lot tougher" this weekend, Knapp said.
Despite the pair of losses, the Quakers are looking at the long-term benefits of playing in such a competitive tournament, including gaining confidence and experience. At the same time, however, they are paying careful attention to weaknesses highlighted by this weekend's play.
"We are taking away two things," Knapp said. "One, we have a lot of heart. Two, we still need to become a cohesive offensive unit, which will happen. And three, we can always defend and rebound and certainly, at least against Colorado, we didn't defend well enough. So the experience will make us better, and the players believe that."
During their time in Colorado, the players were also able to watch LSU work its magic, as the Tigers blew through first the Terrapins and then the Buffaloes to win the tournament.
The Tigers "are good," Knapp said. "Seimone Augustus is a pro, she's a great player. But the person who turns that team into almost unbeatable is Sylvia Fowles. She is a 6-foot-5 freshman who is terrific."
Luckily for Penn, the Tigers do not appear on the Quakers' Ivy League schedule.
