EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Congratulations are in order for Ibrahim Jaaber, who scored a career-high 32 points in Penn's loss to Seton Hall on Saturday.
As notable of an accomplishment as that is, it never should have been achieved. Not even close.
If you ask Penn coach Glen Miller, he will tell you, "We don't have trouble scoring points, we share the ball."
Really?
I agree that Penn certainly seems fine in the scoring department, with the Quakers still firing at 50 percent from the field this season.
I even agree that Penn does a fine job moving the ball around.
The problem often comes when someone other than Mark Zoller or Jaaber attempts a shot.
The Quakers bench combined for a measly nine points in the form of Kevin Egee and Brennan Votel on Saturday, while Zoller and Jaaber alone accounted for 65 percent of Penn's points in the contest.
The Quakers could stand to take a lesson from the Pirates; two of Seton Hall's top three scorers came off of the bench.
Pirates' freshman Larry Davis - the designated sixth man - torched Penn with 27 points off the pine while grabbing 10 boards, blocking three shots and snatching a pair of steals.
Jamar Nutter came off of the bench to chip in 18 points, five rebounds and four steals.
So while the Quakers may not have an issue scoring, it's getting lonely at the top for Zoller and Jaaber, who have had to bail Penn out of unfavorable situations all season.
The Quakers' bench showed some promise in the Illinois-Chicago win, picking up the slack before Brian Grandieri went nuts in the second half.
But if the Quakers' most recent loss and the bulk of the season serve as any indication, Miller certainly has cause for concern.
Jaaber is at his best when he is finding his teammates, not relying on them and himself to create their own shots. (Result - a 2-for-16 performance for Tommy McMahon and Darren Smith on Saturday.)
Look ahead to the immediate future, a balanced scoring effort will imperative for the Quakers if they want to put up a fight against No. 2 North Carolina.
An even more severe problem will present itself after the scoring duo of Zoller and Jaaber are gone next season, forcing the rest of the team to pick up the slack.
The season is still young, leaving the Quakers plenty of time to find a more balanced offensive attack.
But with conference play around the corner, Penn would be wise to find other scoring options. Pinning a team's hopes on the fingertips of two or three players each game won't get the job done.
