Layup Line: Quick hits on Penn basketball

Random observations, musings, opinions, etc. on Penn basketball...

One of the keys to tonight's Temple game will be reacting to the Owls' intense defense. Against UMBC, Penn's offense was efficient when it was able to slow things down and get into its sets. But when the Retrievers cut off passing lanes or forced players out of position, the Quakers struggled to improvise and find quality shots with the clock running down. Temple does that better than anyone Penn will face this season.
We definitely saw the "counters to counters to counters" that Temple assistant Shawn Trice informed Kevin about for his cover story on Jerome Allen's influences (READ IT IF YOU HAVEN'T YET; READ IT AGAIN IF YOU HAVE). Often, the point would dribble to one side and initially look for the wing cutting to the rim. If that wasn't there, the other wing would be coming off a screen on the other side. And even when that wing got the ball, the big underneath would either set a pick or cut to the hoop.
Zack Rosen did on the basketball court what Aaron Rodgers has done on the football field this season: unbreakable focus and nearly flawless execution. Even more impressive about his 26-point, 10-for-16, put-the-team-on-my-back performance? He turned the ball over just once, despite handling the ball for most of the time he was on the court -- using 23.5% of Penn's possessions, according to Quaker Ball.
Interpret it as you wish, but Penn outscored UMBC by 16 during the 21 minutes Rob Belcore was on the floor compared to +8 for Fran Dougherty and +6 for Mike Howlett. My take: at least against UMBC, which didn't have much size inside, Belcore was far and away the difference defensively.
As anticipated, Allen used a three-guard lineup featuring freshman Patrick Lucas-Perry alongside Rosen and Miles Cartwright. Over a five-minute, first-half stretch, the lineup was outscored by seven points. The group needs time to gel, but it could be the difference in a few games this season.
My No. 1 takeaway from Friday's opener was that Allen has the benefit of depth and versatility this season, which he didn't have last year. He will be able to adjust his team's style depending on the matchup, and can also try to force matchup problems himself. Mainly, playing Belcore or sophomore Marin Kukoc (who missed last season due to injury) at the 4 allows him to have a very mobile defense and forces opposing bigs to the perimeter on offense. Yet with Howlett, who was extremely solid and efficient at UMBC, and sophomore Cam Gunter, Allen can also go with a more traditional lineup if an opponents' size is a factor (like tonight against Temple and 6-10 center Michael Eric). Howlett and Kukoc will be vital to this effort, forming a quality bench along with freshman Camryn Crocker.