If a preseason video game simulation is any indication, Penn is in store for a very tough season.
According to a simulation on EA Sports' March Madness 2006, the Quakers will go 12-16 this season -- including a disappointing 7-7 in Ivy League play.
Penn finished in a three-way tie with Yale and Dartmouth for third place in the league. Brown and Cornell shared the title, each going 9-5. The Bears made it to the NCAA Tournament after winning a tie-breaker.
Penn struggled early and often, with its only non-conference wins coming against Siena, Colorado, Navy, BYU-Hawaii and The Citadel.
The team's play in the Ivy League was equally spotty. The one highlight in Ancient Eight play for the Quakers was a convincing sweep over rival Princeton, who finished last in the league with a 5-9 record.
And while the team struggled as a whole, junior guard Ibrahim Jaaber was anything but disappointing. He earned Ivy League Player of the Year honors, averaging 15.5 points, 6 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 2.3 steals per game.
Joining Jaaber on the first-team All-Ivy squad were Harvard center Brian Cusworth, Columbia forward Dragutin Kravic, Yale center Dominick Martin and Cornell guard Graham Dow.
Penn junior forward Mark Zoller also put up impressive stats on the year, averaging a double-double in points and rebounds. Senior captain Eric Osmundson just missed that plateau, with 10.6 points and 8.6 boards per game.
Other Ivy League year-end honors went to Cornell's Steve Donahue, who won Coach of the Year, and Yale's Travis Pinick, who was named Freshman of the Year.
On a national level, despite graduating NBA first-round pick Julius Hodge, North Carolina State won the national title over Atlantic Coast Conference rival Duke. Nearby Villanova lost to Duke in the national semifinal.
Memphis' Rodney Carney took home National Player of the Year honors.
Game notes - Eric Osmundson, technically a senior last season, is not included in the video game - Ryan Pettinella, who transferred over the offseason, is included - For this simulation, Pettinella was given all of Osmundson's traits
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