Mano-a-Mano: Where will Penn women's basketball end up in the final standings?

With the Ivy season heating up for women’s hoops, the Quakers are currently in an interesting position, sitting a half-game behind first place Harvard and tied with second place Princeton. Where will the Red and Blue sit when the conference season is all said and done? Sports Editor Ian Wenik and Associate Sports Editor Jimmy Lengyel debate:

Sports Editor Ian Wenik: You know what? I’m going to do the crazy thing and say that Penn takes a share of the whole thing, albeit not in a manner you’d expect. My prediction for the Quakers this season is that they win out, save for the final game at Jadwin Gym against the Tigers.

And that’s why I think they’re going to get some help to win it all. I see Princeton falling to Harvard. What does that mean? It means an unexpected three-way playoff. And on a neutral floor, I would gamble on Alyssa Baron staying hot and finding a way to get the Quakers at least into the Women’s NIT.

Associate Sports Editor Jimmy Lengyel: Tsk tsk, Ian. Ye of little faith for the Quakers. I’m doing the crazier thing and calling that Penn wins out totally. In fact, I’m going to go as far to say that not only do the Quakers beat Princeton on the road, but they do it in dominating fashion.

Everyone thinks I’m a lunatic, but here’s the reality of it all: The Quakers are stacked and have all the momentum heading forward. Freshman center Sydney Stipanovich is a force inside blocking shots, Baron is heating up at the right time, and this team has the confidence of the world on their side thanks to the final act of an incredible program turnaround headed by maestro coach Mike McLaughlin.

IW: But at the same time, Princeton has a pretty solid maestro of its own right in coach Courtney Banghart. Every offseason, it seems as if her name is bandied about for some major program or another - and with good reason. She’s taken a program that had never made the NCAA tournament before her arrival and has guided it to four March appearances in the last four years.

Also, though I’m not completely discounting the possibility of a Penn victory on the road, keep in mind what happened when the Tigers came to the Palestra this year. Princeton won that game, 84-53, and looked dominant defensively. It’s almost inconceivable to imagine Stipanovich being held scoreless from the field, but that’s what the Tigers managed to accomplish that evening.

JL: Well, I hate to cop out and use an old adage, but “that was then, this is now.” Since that game, Stipanovich and Baron have both received Ivy League honors. The Quakers have really solidified and figured out a way to organically change their game plans around their opponents. Take their second-half adjustments against Columbia and Yale, for example.

I think the one thing that is working against Princeton is the Quakers’ hunger. They have a certain swagger on court, a determination that only teams that haven’t made it to the big dance can manage. Princeton is a winning program and expects to win, which is why I think McLaughlin and his staff will demolish the Tigers’ game plan and drop the hammer all over Jadwin Gym.