CBI Tournament: Penn v. Butler – The Good, the Bad & the Ugly

Tonight’s match-up against Butler brought this long – in a good way – season to a close, losing 63-53. Just two years ago, the Quakers were a 6-22 team. Now, they rose out of the rubble since then to complete the season 20-13. Though a slightly messy way to end the season, this game provided a glimpse into some of next year’s emerging talent and also the work that needs to be done. As Jerome Allen said, this tournament was a “celebration of the season we did have.”

The Good: Close game with some younger faces. For the majority of the game, the score was close. It was only in the last few minutes that Butler pulled away. During this game, we got to see some faces that rarely made it on to the court this year. Simeon Esprit played for 9 minutes and scored a nice three in the final minutes of the game. With Howlett and Bernardini out for what would be the final game, this match-up previewed some of the talent that will be available next year. The two younger big men, Brooks and Dougherty had some playing time together, with Doc emerging to show what he will bring to the table next season. In the final game for the seniors, the attitude was focused on learning for next season.

The Bad: Shooting behind the arc – Penn was uncharacteristically off when it came to 3-point shooting tonight. They were 4-20 overall and shot for 20% from three in both halves. Cartwright was the highest scorer, raking in 12 points, but he was 1 for 7 from three. Both executing on these shots and getting more shots up and in when in the paint was crucial in keeping up with Butler down the stretch.

The Ugly: Turnovers – At times, this game looked like a game of volleyball or pop-a-ball. One second Butler had it, the next Penn, and so on during empty possessions. Though at first the out rebounding was going to be "the ugly" focal point, the turnovers were even more noticeable throughout this game. There were 25 turnovers together for both teams, and Penn kept losing the ball in this manner. They just had a lot of trouble keeping the ball secure during possessions.