Considering some of the alternatives, the Penn men's basketball team was relatively excited to find out its first-round date for the NCAA Tournament -- facing fourth-seeded Boston College on Thursday in Cleveland.
Tip-off is scheduled for 2:55 p.m.
The 13th-seeded Quakers (20-8) were one of the first teams announced -- contrary at least to the recollection of head coach Fran Dunphy from previous years.
"It seems like it was terribly early that we got called," he said.
When the Eagles (24-4) were announced as the No. 4 seed, a murmur of anticipation went up in the crowd of well-wishers and team members at World Cafe Live. It was as if Penn was hoping to get this draw.
The other No. 4 seeds that the Quakers could have faced are Louisville, Florida and Syracuse. BC is probably the best matchup for the Quakers, as they rely mainly on forwards and are not particularly big or extremely quick and athletic.
Penn also got an added boost by not having to play the game in Worcester, Mass., -- a mere 41 miles from the Eagles' Chestnut Hill campus.
Instead, the game will be at the newly renamed Wolstein Center (formerly the CSU Convocation Center) on Cleveland State's campus. The site is 433 miles away from Philadelphia compared to the 635 miles BC has to travel.
So altogether the Quakers were relatively pleased with what they got -- especially compared with other destinations.
"It's a lot better than going to Idaho," sophomore guard Ibby Jaaber quipped, adding that he "wasn't really excited about" the prospect of facing the Eagles in Worcester.
"That whole Boise thing was a cloud hanging over our heads. ... We saw Cleveland and my eyes lit up," sophomore forward Steve Danley said.
As for senior guard Tim Begley, who was named Ivy League Player of the Year last week, Cleveland was a relief. Since his mother does not fly, any destination West of the Mississippi would have been near impossible for her to attend.
"You bet she's going to be able to drive. She might have to leave now, but she's definitely going to get out there," he said.
In addition to the players' choices, Cleveland's relative proximity will enable Penn fans to get to the game.
"It's not the easiest place to get to, but it's better than some of the other choices," Penn Athletic Director Steve Bilsky said.
The Eagles were the regular season Big East champions, finishing 13-3 in league play.
They started the year 20-0, beating three opponents they had in common with Penn -- Yale (in double overtime), Providence (twice) and Villanova (the Eagles would later lose to the Wildcats on the road) -- before falling at Notre Dame on Feb. 8, by only three points.
Including that game, BC has lost four of its last eight, a stretch capped off by a 78-72 loss to West Virginia in their first game of the Big East Tournament in New York last week.
In that game, the Eagles trailed by as many as 25 before mounting a futile comeback attempt.
But despite their recent struggles, the Quakers respect BC and know they have to play almost a perfect game to beat them.
Some positives do exist for the Quakers, though. The teams had three common opponents and Penn has seen the Eagles on television several times this year.
"You want somebody that you're somewhat familiar with," Bilsky said.
Dunphy did not have a preferred opponent, only saying "you just take what they give you."
Despite their relative satisfaction with their matchup, the Quakers were hoping for the coveted 12 seed -- 12s have won 26 of 80 first-round games since the field was expanded to 64 in 1985, and have won at least one game every year except 1988 and 2000.
"I think we could have gotten a 12, but I'm not on the selection committee," Danley said.
Even Dunphy was a little disappointed.
"I would hope that we could have been maybe a 12," he said.
Either way, the Quakers have a big hill to climb if they want to win their first Tournament game since 1994.
