Penn strode to victory against Bucknell on the strength of its interior defense. The Quakers, as they always seem to do, are winning the games they should win, but the early returns from the 2004-05 season suggest that tougher competition will be able to exploit Penn's weaknesses.
Specifically, Penn appears vulnerable to teams that shoot the ball well from the outside.
Steve Danley and company did an outstanding job controlling Bison big man Chris McNaughton in the first half, and the game was, for all intents and purposes, decided by intermission.
But because of the ease with which the Red and Blue put away Bucknell, it is easy to overlook the number of quality looks they were giving the Bison.
Bucknell guard Kevin Bettencourt hit four three-pointers, including two in a row during a sloppy stretch of play early in the second half. This run almost allowed the Bison back in the game.
Twenty-five turnovers prevented Bucknell from getting closer than nine points. But better teams can and will take advantage of this.
Truth is, teams already have taken advantage of Penn's mistakes on defense, and those teams that haven't have no one to blame but themselves.
Providence shot 11-for-17 from beyond the arc to bury the Quakers before many fans got to their seats. Penn seemed so concerned with Friars forward Ryan Gomes that they left Providence guard Dwight Brewington all alone on the perimeter.
Brewington stole the show, hitting all five of the threes he attempted, finishing with 24 points.
Two nights later against Wisconsin, the Badgers hit eight of 14 three-point attempts, and forward Mike Wilkinson went off with three treys in the second half.
Even against Drexel, a game Penn easily won, the Quakers gave up far too many open shots on the perimeter.
Penn focused on stopping Dragons forward Sean Brooks, which the team did successfully. But sharpshooting guard Phil Goss was routinely left wide open.
Luckily for Penn, Goss had one of the worst games of his college career, missing several open looks on the way to a 3-for-13 shooting performance from behind the arc.
The Quinnipiac game isn't even worth mentioning, as the Bobcats seemingly couldn't make a shot five-on-zero, let alone five-on-five.
The point is this: Penn is doing a great job of playing interior defense. The frontcourt players -- Danley, Jan Fikiel, Mark Zoller and Ryan Pettinella -- have been able to wear down the opposition.
But the Quakers have not been as vigilant about defending the perimeter. Most of the teams they have played so far have not been able to take advantage, but if the Quakers want to make a serious run at the NCAA Tournament, they will need to address this problem.
Perhaps the numbers make the situation seem worse than it actually is. Penn coach Fran Dunphy has made interior defense a top priority so far this year, often doubling on strong frontcourt players.
It makes sense, given that Penn's forwards are the most inexperienced part of the team.
But five games into the season, it is clear that the young forwards can hold their own. Pettinella has been a rebounding machine when he has been in there, and Danley looks like the most improved player on the team.
It is time for Dunphy to adjust a little bit. It now appears that it is in the backcourt where the Quakers might be undermanned.
And with all of the good three-point shooters in the Ivy League, this could pose a big problem.
Guys like Dragutin Kravic of Columbia, Jason Forte of Brown, Alex Gamboa of Yale and Cody Toppert of Cornell have to be salivating when they see the numbers.
Eleven threes given up to Providence, eight to Wisconsin and another eight last night.
Of course, defending the perimeter is much easier when you're not turning the ball over. The wide-open looks that Bettencourt got in the second half were directly related to sloppy play on the part of the Quakers.
In the Preseason NIT, Providence frustrated Penn's offense early in the game, and the Quakers' defense sagged as a result.
Last night's second half seemed to mirror the game against the Friars. The Quakers' offense went to sleep, and sure enough the perimeter opened up for the Bison.
Dunphy, for his part, goes along with the argument that the offense sets the tone for the defense, and places the blame for all the threes his team has given up on poor offensive decision-making.
Is Dunphy giving his perimeter defenders too much credit?
We'll find out when Ivy League play starts in a few weeks.
Harry Berezin is a senior history major from San Francisco and is Sports Editor of The Daily Pennsylvanian. His e-mail address is harryb@sas.upenn.edu
