It was a loss that, in the context of the grind-it-out Big 5, was almost unprecedented.
Penn, just a year removed from a competitive 10-point loss against Saint Joseph's, found itself on the wrong end of an 82-42 drubbing, the second-largest margin of victory in Big 5 history. And, in what may be the true sign of a season gone sour, the Quakers seem to be somewhat numb to the sensation of being blown out.
But that might not be a bad thing.
Right now, Penn could still be in a position to take the Ivy League crown, but only if it doesn't get bogged down in some of the humiliating losses it's gone through this season.
Penn's goal of making the NCAA Tournament has not suffered a single bit yet.
"I don't know that much about the Ivy League, who's playing well," said St. Joe's coach and Philadelphia sage Phil Martelli. "But I certainly think that when you have the pedigree of their program, they're gonna be tough to beat in the Ivy League, if they can withstand the emotional downs of playing a tough non-conference schedule."
The man didn't land a book deal for nothing. Martelli is spot on: As long as the Quakers takes their losses for what they are, and work to build on the few positives they can take away, they could be in a position to do some damage in the Ivy League.
Penn coach Glen Miller seems to have come around to this viewpoint as well. As a result of what is likely a combination of tempered expectations and a desensitization to disappointment, Miller has become gradually less fuming over the course of the year.
Now, Miller speaks calmly and candidly about what he expects for his team. The disappointment is still there, but with it seems to have come a sense of acceptance.
"We should be able to execute - even in a losing cause - better than we did," he explained. "I have to take responsibility for it. We're just not playing good basketball right now; it has to improve, it has to get better."
Miller knows the Quakers aren't playing up to their potential. But he seems to have stopped dwelling on the mark in 'L' column, and more on how his team can move forward.
With this weekend's contest, the Philadelphia college basketball landscape shifted slightly. It drove home the idea that the Quakers, a team usually good for four competitive Big 5 games and at least one victory, are, for the first time since 2001, a cut below the other four teams.
Guard Kevin Egee, who had his best game of the year with three treys in a game-high 33 minutes, was not downtrodden or visibly angry after the game.
He certainly wasn't happy, but he seemed to realize that this was a game that, if things break right for Penn in the conference schedule, might not mean much in the big picture of the 2007-08 season.
"It's a lot of negatives but we gotta focus," Egee said. "This is only one game, and we . have Ivy League play coming up, so we gotta move on."
To say that Penn has gone through this more often than they would have liked this season would be an understatement.
But as hard as it is to be on the losing end of games like this, the Quakers must now be single-minded and look toward the Ivy League slate to redeem themselves, even with Temple on the Big 5 docket.
This embarrassing loss shouldn't be enough to close the door on the season.
David Bernstein is a junior Economics major from Washington, D.C. His e-mail address is davidkb@sas.upenn.edu.
