Quick reactions from the weekend

I didn't make the New England roadtrip this weekend, so I'll leave it to my colleagues to describe Penn's play in more detail in the DP tomorrow. Here are a few quick reactions to help you put the weekend in perspective from listening to Brian's radio calls, following stats, and reading recaps.

Penn took care of business this weekend against two teams that they should have beaten. You could make the case that Yale and Penn are evenly matched and that the game was a tossup, but Brown is surely going through major struggles right now and couldn't seem to even put in a layup on Friday. Nonetheless, Penn's performance against both teams was very encouraging, as the Quakers continue to move in the right direction in this rebuilding process.

Many of the issues that have plagued the Quakers in recent weeks worked themselves out this past weekend. Penn gave up only 52 points to Brown, playing very strong team defense across the board. Penn completely shut down big men Ross Morin and Garrett Fiddler against the Bulldogs -- the two of them combined for an atrocious 3-for-15 from the field. All of the work Glen Miller and his team put into team defense and guarding the post paid off. The Quakers even limited the effectiveness of Brown's Matt Mullery, who is arguably the best center in the league. So on the whole, Penn really made strides with its interior defense, an encouraging sign going forward.

From three-land, Penn went 8-for-15 against Brown and 6-for-12 against Yale -- over 50 percent for the weekend. That's certainly a huge step up from the 4-for-21 performance against Cornell last Saturday. Against weaker teams in Brown and Yale, I'm sure it was easier for Penn to find better looks and get in a rhythm. But these statistics are encouraging in that the Quakers didn't attempt as many threes, and the ones they did attempt were higher-percentage shots. Penn didn't live and die by the three-point shot -- instead the team used it to its advantage. The Quakers' offense always runs best when the players play an inside-out game and look to attack the basket first. They did just that, with good results, this weekend.

Jack Eggleston, who had been struggling offensively heading into this weekend, picked himself up against Brown, netting 13 points and recording four assists in 24 minutes. This had to be a good confidence boost for Eggleston, who really needed to get over a mental block with his problems on offense more than anything else. Miller trusted him and stuck with him for a full 29 minutes against Yale, where his significant contributions came at the defensive end, getting two steals, a block, and eight rebounds. Eggleston's toughness is a real benefit to a team that is so focused on defense right now. He'll regain full confidence on offense eventually -- no need to lose faith in him.

It is important to highlight the recent success of the backcourt tandem of Harrison Gaines and Zack Rosen. When I first saw Rosen play in November at Chapel Hill, I figured Gaines' career in a Penn uniform was doomed. In reality, Rosen's arrival in Philadelphia might be the best thing that could have happened for Gaines, even if it's taken a few months for everything to play out. The size disadvantage of having both Rosen and Gaines in the backcourt at the same time doesn't work so well in non-conference play. But in the Ivy League, the combination is great because it allows both players to do what they do best. Rosen, the pure point guard, can focus on distributing -- he has been at his weakest this year when he tries to force shots and make too much happen. Gaines has always been at his best when attacking the basket and creating off the dribble, which he can do freely without having the burden of running the point. The end result: Penn's offense runs much more smoothly, and everyone on the floor gets better opportunities to score and play within their comfort zone. When these two players are clicking, they can really make the offense go.

At the same time, just because Penn is back to .500 in a wide open Ivy League and earned a weekend sweep does not mean that this team is going to have a realistic shot at a league title. It's very easy to raise your expectations of this team after seeing how it played this weekend, but you need to remember that this is still an inexperienced squad that Miller is rebuildling. For as many steps forward as the Quakers might have taken this weekend, they are liable to regress a bit in any given game as well. I think the Ivy League picture became a bit clearer this weekend, confirming more or less what everyone figured at the outset: Cornell is a cut above everyone else in the league right now -- even with the occasional hiccup here and there -- and no one is likely going to catch the Big Red. I wouldn't be shocked if Penn snuck into second or third place in the league -- there is tremendous parity among teams two thru seven in the league right now. But the Quakers still aren't ready to keep up with Cornell yet, even if by some miracle they win out. So keep your expectations tempered as the season progresses, while maintaining a quiet confidence in this young team as it continues to improve and correct its problems from week to week. They're not there yet, but they're getting there. Just give it time.