Penn’s postseason run has come to an end.
On Thursday, No. 14 Penn men’s basketball lost 105-70 to No. 3 Illinois in the first round of March Madness. The loss capped off a postseason run that saw the Quakers win the Ivy League championship and participate in their first NCAA tournament in eight years.
Here are five trends that defined the game.
From the first possession, offensive rebounds made the difference
On the first full offensive possession for the Fighting Illini, Illinois forward Jake Davis grabbed the first offensive rebound less than 30 seconds after tipoff. This set the tone for a game in which Illinois continued to crash the boards, in part aided by the size of its players — all but one of its starters is 6-foot-6 or taller.
Penn notched 25 rebounds in the game, fewer than Illinois’ offensive board total. While the early second opportunity did not lead to a made field goal for the Illini, a number of other offensive boards in the game did, leading to a total of 29 second-chance points for Illinois compared to Penn’s seven.
Early foul trouble for the starting point guard
Not even five minutes into the first half, sophomore guard AJ Levine was charged with his second foul of the game, having committed his first on the opening play. He had to watch from the bench for the remainder of the half, with freshman guard Jay Jones stepping up to replace him. Jones produced limited offense in his minutes but managed to fill in well for Levine. He contributed defensively thanks to his size advantage over the smaller guard, which was especially significant against Illinois’ tall lineup.
RELATED:
A run to restore hope
Ten minutes into the first half, Penn was down by 13 points, then the largest deficit of the game. Then, senior guard/forward Michael Zanoni scored on an off-balance jump shot in transition. On the next offensive possession, Zanoni again pulled up and made a jump shot. The momentum he generated carried over to his teammates, with an open corner three-pointer by sophomore forward Lucas Lueth off an assist from by junior forward TJ Power continuing to cut down Illinois’ lead.
As Illinois came back down the court, attempting to stop the Quakers’ momentum, Power poked the ball away and Zanoni ran with it, floating the ball into the net to cut the deficit to four points. From the start of Penn’s run, Illinois missed five field goals in a row. However, Zanoni could not stay on the court, as he was sent to the bench with his second foul of the game.
Illinois widened the gap
The Quakers came into the second period looking to make up a 10-point deficit, but instead, the Orange and Blue went on the first true run of the half. Only four minutes in, guard Keaton Wagler sent guard Kylan Boswell a full-court pass, after banking a three-point shot himself, kickstarting a 14-2 run. Of those 14 points, Wagler scored eight, a significant part of his final 18 points on 50% shooting. By the time Illinois’ run lost steam three minutes later, the lead had already grown to 21 points.
A homage to the fans
After the final buzzer sounded, Penn’s traveling fans stayed to applaud the Quakers for their performance. The Penn Band played its customary rendition of “The Red and Blue” as fans rose to their feet. The Quakers lined up in front of their supporters, and everyone who knew the movements to the song joined in as the players performed them. It was a visibly emotional moment for both the players and their fans as they came together to celebrate how far Penn had come this season.
