Game 31: Princeton - The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

The Good: The Support. Was it really spring break? Over a third of Jadwin Gym was singing and cheering for the Quakers. I had a senior friend, who before this year had never come to a basketball game, make it to the last three contests. According to the Daily Princetonian writers sitting next to us, the Penn faithful (who were stuck in the upper deck by Princeton Athletics) were louder and more obnoxious than even the home student section.

The Bad: Just about everything offensively. After the offensive outburst against Yale the other night, Penn couldn't make a shot in the second half. Senior guard Zack Rosen shot just 3-for-14 down the stretch. The Quakers hit just one three (in seven attempts) in the first half and dug themselves too big a hole to overcome. The team had just 8 assists to 13 turnovers and only got to the foul line three times the entire contest.

Also Bad: Ian Hummer killing Penn. The Princeton forward did just about everything right. Offensively, he scored 18 points and dished out four assists. Defensively, he recorded four blocks, three steals and 10 boards — in addition to doubling Rosen every time a screen came for the Penn guard. Hummer was easily the player of the game and, for tonight, the best player on the court.

The Ugly: A loss to your rival prevents a championship. This will be a bitter pill to swallow for Penn fans for many years to come. This was the year the Red and Blue were finally supposed to erase the demons of Glen Miller. But it wasn't to be. A loss to their rival will allow another rival to back in to the tournament. Worst of all, Rosen, Rob Belcore, Mike Howlett and Tyler Bernardini will form one more class of basketball players who will never taste an Ivy championship.