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03042014_womenbasketballvsprincetonivy_title_win075
On March 11, Penn women's basketball upset four-time defending champion Princeton to win the Ivy title. The team finished the regular season 22-6 and 12-2 in Ivy play, clinching an NCAA bid. It was the Quakers third Ivy championship and their first in 10 year. Credit: Amanda Suarez , Amanda Suarez

Penn women’s basketball came into this season with a lot of moving parts.

No experienced ballhandlers. A lack of a go-to scorer with the graduation of Alyssa Baron. A tough nonconference schedule that started with No. 4 Tennessee.

And despite a loss to the Lady Vols, the Quakers have passed their early tests with flying colors, setting themselves up well for their most important matchup: Princeton in the New Year.

Freshmen point guards Anna Ross and Beth Brzozowski have handled the point well so far in 2014. A cavalcade of players, including a resurgent Keiera Ray off the bench, have taken turns as go-to scorers and made Penn’s offense viable early this year.

But there is one area in which the Red and Blue have truly distinguished themselves.

Defense.

Since the Tennessee game, the Quakers have thoroughly dominated their opponents defensively. They gave up just 29 points to La Salle in their home opener. They held Navy to just 17 points in the first half on the road.

And then Penn took it to a whole new level against New Hampshire last Tuesday.

Coach Mike McLaughlin went to his bench early after falling behind, 6-3. And boy did it pay off.

The Red and Blue flustered the Wildcats on every possession, forcing turnovers with their press, contesting every shot and grabbing every rebound. Meanwhile, a lineup of McLaughlin’s bench players extended the Quakers’ lead to 30 points ... in just the first half.

All in all, Penn’s 35-point victory was a display of just how good this team can be with every player playing to their potential while showing just how their defense (a 2-3 zone with a wrinkle, according to McLaughlin) can shut down opponents.

But before you start declaring the Red and Blue the Ivy League champions, it is important to take a peek at their Garden State rivals.

While Penn has taken care of business against some solid opponents, Princeton has done so to the nth degree.

According to Jeff Sagarin’s College Basketball Ratings, the Tigers rank 13th in the country, having won all seven of their games so far. When you look at those seven victories in depth, it looks even more impressive.

Princeton has beaten two ACC schools — Pittsburgh and Wake Forest — while also winning a preseason tournament in the Cancun Challenge. The Tigers have won three games on the road and three games on neutral courts.

On top of that, Princeton has had three different players take home Ivy Player of the Week, displaying depth that may surpass the Red and Blue’s reserves.

All of this is to say that the Tigers and coach Courtney Banghart have responded to relinquishing the Ivy title last season by reloading and taking their game to the next level in 2014-15. This Princeton squad looks even better than last year and have rightfully looked like Ivy favorites.

Yet there is a lot of basketball to play before the Jan. 10 matchup between Penn and Princeton. But with Harvard struggling while the Quakers and Tigers put their best feet forward, there is ample reason to be excited for the matchup between these two squads.

So excuse me for looking ahead. All 11 games these two teams have played this year have merely amped up the excitement for this year’s Penn-Princeton games.

Penn will play seven games before facing Princeton, meaning the team will go through a lot before that big contest. The team will develop as McLaughlin further defines his lineup and each player’s role.

But the next 40 days will serve one role: Preparation for a grueling Ivy schedule in pursuit of another title.

Let the countdown begin.

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