Penn's sophomores have had a tough time establishing themselves this season.
Forwards Andreas Schreiber and Justin Reilly have looked very good at some times, while at others they seem to be lost.
And let's not forget about Darren Smith, who broke his kneecap in the season opener versus Drexel. He figured to be a big part of Penn's offense.
Princeton has had no such problems with two of its sophomores, who have emerged as reliable scorers. Center Zach Finley and guard Lincoln Gunn have flourished under new head coach Sydney Johnson.
The two averaged 3 points and 6.3 points per game last season, respectively.
This season, Finley has quadrupled that output while Gunn has almost doubled his production to 11.4 points per game.
What may be even more incredible than that increase in production is the fact that the Princeton offense could accommodate two double-digit scorers.
Lights out. Cornell is shooting nearly 50 percent from downtown so far this season, despite the fact that the Big Red hoist up over 20 threes per game.
Sophomore guard Ryan Wittman is hitting at a ludicrous 61 percent clip from long-distance, going 20-33 so far this season.
These stats don't bode well for the Quakers.
Cornell was picked as the favorite in the Ivy League this year and will be the biggest team roadblock between Penn and an Ivy title.
And given the Quakers' porous defense around the perimeter, that fact could pose a serious problem.
Those two matchups against Cornell could turn out to be crucial. And if their hot shooting continues and Penn's shooting defense remains spotty, the Big Red will have the edge come February and March.
Not as Gore-geous. Many people thought the return of junior Adam Gore to the Cornell lineup would be a major boost.
The guard missed all but the first game of last season after tearing his ACL in the opener against Northwestern.
As a freshman, Gore averaged nearly 13 points a game and garnered Ivy Rookie of the Year honors and a Second-Team All-Ivy selection.
But this year, he's averaging only 8.8 points per game, good for sixth on the squad, despite sitting at fourth in minutes. He is also shooting under 40 percent a game; at the line, however, he has gone 17-18.
It could be rust, but many other players have returned from injury without seeing the large drop-off that Gore has.
In any case, his performance has undoubtedly been a disappointment for the Big Red - but a relief so far for the rest of the Ivy League.
