The Villanova student section roared as to my dismay, Villanova guard Bryce Lindsay sank his third three-pointer in just two minutes following halftime.
At this point in the Big 5 Classic championship game, Villanova was up 53-33 over Penn men’s basketball. Star senior guard/forward Ethan Roberts left the game soon after due to injury.
From there, the Wildcats took control and never looked back, ultimately winning their first Big 5 classic title with a final score of 90-63.
As Villanova’s championship banner was raised, I looked back at my game notes to formulate my thoughts for this column.
“Penn struggles. Both on offense and defense.”
“Penn makes too many costly turnovers.”
“Why do we keep missing free throws?”
In a game where we lost by 27 points, it’s not easy to look to the positive. I originally planned to talk about how Penn lost its momentum on offense or Penn’s poor performance in the paint. But as I watched the Villanova players pose in front of their championship banner for photographers — something Penn men’s basketball was so close to doing for the first time since 2019 — something suddenly didn’t feel right. I stopped typing and thought more about the path to this moment.
Earlier this time last year, Penn was coming off an abysmal 93-49 loss against none other than Villanova, which was the team’s largest loss since 2009.
Afterwards, Penn prepared for its the Big 5 Classic fifth-place game against Drexel, trying to stay out of last place in the Big 5. Despite being tied at the half, the Quakers could only score 17 points in the second frame, ultimately losing 60-47 to the Dragons. With that, Penn’s record sat at 3-7.
Fast forward a year, the team has changed a lot and come a long way.
After finishing sixth in the Big 5 last year, Penn executed statement wins against Saint Joseph’s and at Drexel to punch its ticket to the championship game.
In these two games, the Quakers showed resilience and determination as they outscored their opponents for a combined 20 points in the second half. The hype was real, and one thing was undeniable: this isn’t the same team as last year.
Despite the hype building up around the team’s biggest game of the year, it was clear that we were outmatched all across the board. We just couldn’t keep up with Lindsay’s relentless play-making, nor could we score well when guarded by Villanova forward Duke Brennan, who was named MVP of the championship matchup.
It also didn’t help that Roberts exited the game following a scary injury. After his exit, Penn could never find the offensive rhythm that it was looking for. On a big stage like this, the team lacked his crucial veteran presence.
But, Penn had bright spots, specifically from beyond the arc. When the Wildcats came firing from deep, going 3-for-3 in the first three minutes. Penn responded by sinking two of its three three-pointers in the same span. The Quakers even managed to tie the game 27-27 with a huge three-point shot. By the end, Penn finished with an impressive efficiency from beyond the arc by making 11 of 22 total attempts.
In the first 15 minutes of the matchup as Penn’s bench was being substituted in for some starters, the team still held its own against Villanova, only down by a maximum of eight points at one moment.
Defensively, sophomore forward Lucas Lueth was a spotlight. From press row, I watched Lueth hustle for the ball and press the opponents as they tried to bring the ball past the half-court. He contested everything in the air by swatting away floaters and passes. With our paint defense fully exposed, I expect Lueth’s hustle and play-making to see more minutes.
I won’t disregard that Penn clearly struggled physically and athletically against Villanova. But, remember, this is a team that’s gone from last place in the Big 5 to second in just a year. This is a team that garnered a strong compliment of being “a sleeping giant” by Villanova coach Kevin Willard.
While a loss, the bright moments of the matchup and just Penn’s appearance in the title game proved the program is turning a corner towards success in the McCaffery era of the program.
That improvement and outlook are worth celebrating this weekend.
SOO YOUNG YOON is a College freshman from Tenafly, N.J. studying mathematics. All comments should be directed to dpsports@thedp.com.
