Brian Kotloff here at Franklin Field for Penn football's season finale. I'll be bringing you live updates on the game against the Cornell Big Red. Penn is looking for its first outright Ivy League title since 2003. Follow along with me here:
Andreas Schreiber missed all but two games last year as he suffered from a separated shoulder injury.
It appears he'll miss even more time.
Multiple sources have confirmed that the Swedish forward/center has re-injured his shoulder and will be out indefinitely. He's started both games so far this year yet only averages 5.0 points and one rebound per game. He technically is a senior, but has junior eligibility due to the injuries.
Two games down for M. Hoops, and two losses to BCS teams. But as my colleagues Neil Fanaroff and Ari Seifter asked, how much can we learn from these two defeats about the 2009-10 men's basketball team? Neil believes, not much, since this is way to soon to make snap judgments about the team. Ari believes we can make broader statements about the team's ability to compete with top-flight teams.
Not to cop out, but they're both right.
Clearly this Penn team, especially this early in the season, isn't suited to compete with a top 5 team like Villanova. And there's a good chance the Quakers' trip to Cameron Indoor Stadium will result in an equally lopsided loss to Duke. But that doesn't mean that Penn will be irrelevant against better competition forever. Ivy teams in general aren't irrelevant nationally. Cornell beat Alabama this weekend. Harvard beat Holy Cross and Williams and Mary, two better mid-majors. Even Brown -- which was last in the Ivies last year -- was semi-competitive agains Virginia Tech. Penn has awhile to go before they can be as successful as Cornell is right now, but that doesn't mean they'll go winless in the Big 5 from now until they quit out of desperation.
On the other hand, Neil's right that losing to Penn State and Villanova tells us very little about Penn's Ivy chances. The fact of the matter is this season will be a success or failure depending on Penn's Ivy play. If Penn goes 4-10 in non-conference play like it did last year, people will surely be up in arms, calling for Glen Miller's head. But then if the team were to somehow go 10-4 in League play, perhaps beat Cornell at the Palestra, go at least 1-1 versus Princeton and not lose to Dartmouth -- twice. I'm not saying they necessarily would do that. And Tyler Bernardini's injury could affect them significantly. But frankly it's too early to tell if they can compete with teams more equal to their caliber.
I realize some of you already posted your thoughts on Ari's initial column. But feel free to do so again here on The Buzz, especially your thoughts on this year's team.
Also, read after the jump for two more Hoops items
First, last night Fran Dunphy took his Temple Owls down to Washington, D.C., and almost defeated John Thompson III's Georgetown Hoyas, losing by one point, 46-45. Why do I bring this up? Just read the lede of this Mike Wise column for the Washington Post. Not only does it bring back memories of the Penn-Princeton rivalry, but it also relates to Ari's point about Ivy League schools recruiting top level talent (or the inability to recruit such players).
Secondly, quick anecdote about Villanova. For those that don't know, I'm also a member of the Penn Band and was at the Villanova game Monday with the Band. Before the beginning of every game our director receives a "game script" from the host school's athletic department that tells us when we're playing during timeouts and stoppages of play. The timeouts were labeled, with most of them relating to the game clock. But one timeout listed in the second half read, I kid you not: "When Villanova scores 95 points." Again, we were given this before the game started. So clearly the Villanova Athletic Department believed the Wildcats would wipe the floor with the Quakers, even though Villanova had only once ever broken 95 against Penn.
I just got back from Alpha Chi Omega's BMOC (Big Man On Campus) philanthropy event at The Trocadero downtown. It's somewhat of a pageant, in which a number of campus big-shots (in both junior and senior divisions) get to show off some talent in the hopes of winning the title of BMOC. But the biggest news of the night? Tyler Bernardini - competing for the title of Junior BMOC - came out to perform his act with a noticeable limp (I wasn't quite sure what the performance was, but it involved him rapping and being angry, I think). And then during the dance portion for the juniors, Bernardini was on crutches.
He suffered an apparent foot injury against Villanova Monday and coach Glen Miller said he was to receive an MRI Tuesday. So seeing him on crutches does not bode well for the Quakers moving forward.
Fresh off clinching at least a share of the Ivy League championship, the football team got some recognition yesterday after their 17-7 win over Harvard.
For the first time since the 2005 season the Quakers entered the national rankings, as their 367 votes earned them 24th in the latest Sports Network Football Championship Subdivision Media Poll. Penn's 7-2 record is 18th best of any ranked team, and its two losses were to No. 2 Villanova (14-3) and No. 22 Lafayette (20-17 in overtime).
In addition, the Quakers got two Ivy Player of the Week awards. Senior linebacker Jake Lewko won Defensive POY after a career-high 15 tackles, while senior quarterback Kyle Olson won Offensive POY after scoring both of Penn's touchdowns.
Neil Fanaroff here at The Pavillion in Villanova, Pa. I'll be bringing you live updates on Penn's contest against No. 5 Villanova. Penn hasn't beaten a ranked opponent in nearly 11 years, to this should be a tall task for the Quakers. Follow along with me here:
Hi and welcome to Boston for what is effectively the Ivy League championship game in football. Penn (6-2, 5-0 Ivy) battles Harvard (6-2, 5-0) on a rain-soaked day here at Harvard Stadium. This is Eli Cohen bringing you live updates as the Quakers fight for their first conference title since 2003.
Welcome everyone to the Bryce Jordan Center in State College, Pa. Neil Fanaroff here, and I'll be filling you in on all the action here on Penn State's campus. Follow along with me here:
With the de facto Ivy championship just two days away, Keiffer Garton's return to practice couldn't have come at a better time. Then again, Kyle Olson's stellar play of late raises an interesting predicament. Do you go with your established starter? Or do you go with your hot hand?
Al Bagnoli sides with the latter, as he already said that Kyle Olson will be his starter. But the question remains: how much playing time will Garton actually see? Bagnoli said “Kyle will take the majority of the snaps and we’ll play it by ear, see what happens. We fully intend to get Keiffer in the game.”
Sure, Garton should get in the game, if not to get the talented quarterback a chance to make some plays, then just to make sure Harvard has it in the back of its mind. But what if Olson continues to light it up, like he has the last two weeks? Harvard's No. 6 Ivy pass defense shouldn't be too much of a probem for him, but its No. 2 run defense certainly will be. If Olson plays well and say the team takes a lead, does Bagnoli risk bringing in a completely cold Keiffer Garton?
It seems that "playing it by ear" simply means Bagnoli will have to make the decision on the fly. If Olson can't get the offense going, Garton will almost definitely see the field. If Olson keeps it up, though, I don't think Bagnoli can (or will) go to Garton. And when you throw in the consideration of whether he will mix in the wildcat/slash/single-wing/whatever, this will almost definitely be the most interesting element of this game. And Bagnoli's decision could very well end up determining the next Ivy League champion.
I wouldn't be telling you anything new if I told you the Penn defense was good. But what's shocking is just how great the unit has been this season.
Arguably, the Penn defense has been the best in the Football Championship Subdivision. They have allowed only 11 points per game, the fewest in the nation. On top of that, the Quakers are giving up the fewest rushing yards per game in the FCS, with 60.88. In all of Division I football, only BCS No. 3 Texas is giving up fewer yards per game on the ground. I know it's silly to compare FCS teams with FBS teams, but that's an impressive stat no matter how you look at it. Penn last led the FCS (then Division I-AA) in these two metrics in 2002.
The Quakers are also second in total defense (227 yards per game), sixth in opponents' quarterback rating (99.58), and tenth in sacks (three per game). Penn leads the Ivy League in every major defensive category according to the NCAA website.
As far as this weekend's matchup against Harvard goes, fans shouldn't expect either team to have too much success on the ground. While Penn has the best rush defense in the nation, Harvard's is third-best. There's a good chance the contest could be decided through the air, with Penn's 88th ranked passing offense against Harvard's 88th ranked pass defense and Harvard's 60th-ranked throwing attack against Penn's 21st-ranked pass 'D'.
The volleyball team got a bit of luck and made a bit of its own today, and in the end they're going to sleep as at least the co-Ivy champs. But we all know it's just a matter of time before it's all theirs.
Second-place Yale lost to Dartmouth while Penn was battling Cornell this afternoon. The Quakers were down 2-0 to a pumped up Big Red team playing on senior night, and were even on the verge of being swept when it was 23-20 in the third set. They clawed back miraculously to win that set 25-23 and went on to defeat Cornell in five games.
The Bulldogs' loss dropped them to 8-3 in the Ivy League, and with just three games remaining Penn (20-4, 11-0 Ivy) has to win just one of its next three (all at the Palestra) to be the outright Ivy champs. I doubt I'll ever say this again, but I really wish I could've been in Ithaca tonight. It sounds like it was an absolutely amazing game. Chances are the team didn't even know that Yale had lost, since the games were played at the same time. So they fought furiously to stay undefeated knowing that even with a loss they still controlled their own destiny toward being crowned the victors, and it certainly paid off. It has truly been a special season for this team. Their first chance to clinch the outright title is next Friday the 13th against Harvard. And if the Quakers win and the heavens are truly on Penn's side (despite the ominous date), then the next day Penn football will also beat Harvard to clinch a share of the title.
Check out Monday's DP for complete coverage of today's game and for reaction from Coach Kerry Carr and some players.
After the jump, some more notes on this year.
Neil Fanaroff here at Franklin Field for today's Homecoming showdown against archrival Princeton. Penn comes into the game 4-0 in the Ivy League, controlling its own fate. They look to continue the season's success against the Tigers, who haven't had the best season. But there's no telling what can happen when these two rivals clash, so stay tuned. I'll be liveblogging for anyone who couldn't make it to the field for this year's Homecoming game. Follow along with me here:
The Harvard Crimson is reporting that seven-foot center Ugo Okam from Montverde Academy in Florida committed to Tommy Amaker and the Harvard hoops program tonight. According to multiple reports, including my own investigations, Okam narrowed down his choice to either Harvard or Penn weeks ago. He was Penn's best remaining prospect as a true post presence.
I spoke with Okam's coach, Kevin Sutton, a week ago and he indicated that Ugo would be waiting until early November to announce his decision, when he can sign a commitment during the early signing period for the Ivy League. Sutton said that Okam is a tremendous shot blocker with excellent timing, but "his defense is way ahead of his offense at this point." While you have to take any coach's praises with a grain of salt, he added that Okam is an extremely hard worker who has showed vast and rapid improvement since picking up the game four years ago after moving from Nigeria. He mentioned that Penn's coaches were blown away by his improvements every time they saw him. On the offensive side, he said he still has a lot to improve, but noted a good ability to finish when he catches the ball in the post and added that he shoots around 63% from the line.
I have no information on why Okam chose Harvard, and neither does The Crimson. While Glen Miller has already put together what seems like an already stellar class of recruits, you never want to lose out on a legitimate seven-footer who can probably contribute immediately on defense and rebounding. Harvard really needed him, as they had just one other recruit despite an ambitious recruiting season. From what I know of Amaker's recruiting tactics, I'm sure he made that abundantly clear. That's not to say Miller and Co. weren't just as aggressive, but it's the only analysis I can offer at this point. I'll try to get some more information in the next couple of days.
Among the many great things the Quakers can take away from Saturday's 14-7 overtime victory over Brown, the performance of senior wide receiver Kyle Derham may be among the most crucial.
It's no secret that the Penn passing game had been nearly non-existent this season, ranking in at 107th out of the 118 teams in the Football Championship Subdivision going into Saturday's contest. Of course, a lot of that had to do with injuries to nearly every quarterback on the roster and the focus on the impressive running game, but it hasn't been helped by the inability of any wide receiver to step up. That changed Saturday, as Derham caught 8 passes for 95 yards (both season highs for the Quakers). Two of those came in overtime, including the game-winning score, his first since last year's opener against Villanova.
Going into the game, junior wideout Matt Tuten led the team with 16 receptions for 195 yards. Derham - the team's No. 1 receiver and a tri-captain - had only 14 catches for 110 yards. Part of the reason for his lack of production may be that he's been called on to perform so many roles this season. He's been the primary non-quarterback in the Wildcat-type formation the Quakers have used, throwing 5 passes and carrying the ball 5 times over the team's first 6 games. Saturday, he never lined up behind center.
That may not seem like a huge reason to factor in his lack of production at receiver, until you consider that a percentage of his practice time was spent learning that role every week. I overheard him at practice last Tuesday talking about how happy he was to be able to focus completely on wide receiver, and it certainly showed in his production.
More than anything, the emergence of Derham as a reliable target for quarterback Kyle Olson (or whoever happens to be lining up behind center) is huge for the Quakers. It adds a dimension to their offense that had been completely absent until this week. That will be crucial to prevent teams from creeping up to defend against the potent Penn rushing attack, especially with Harvard and the League's second-ranked rushing defense (behind the Quakers) looming in 2 weeks in what is shaping up to be a showdown for the Ivy League title.
Another Quakers win, another week of What the Other Side is Saying. This time let's look at the Brown Daily Herald's coverage, as well as that of the Providence Journal.
The Daily Herald just had a simple recap of the game, leading with a quick recap of Penn's overtime woes since 2006. Two interesting stats from the article:
1) If the Quakers had shut out Brown -- and they were a pick six away from doing so -- it would've been the first time Brown failed to score since 1996.
2) Brown running back running back Zach Tronti didn’t touch the ball in the second quarter and got only six handoffs in the final two quarters, yet somehow had 63 yards on 11 carries, making him only the second running back to gain over 60 yards against Penn this season.
That second stat about Brown's limited success running the ball led to two comments on the Pro Jo recap. The two comments astutely called out Bears coach Phil Estes for relying heavily on the pass. Meanwhile, Penn's vaunted rush D did give up 5.7 yards per carry to Tronti, yet he didn't even get a dozen carries. Considering Penn -- usually a run-first team -- focused on its passing game, perhaps if Brown had gone to its rushing game more often it would've compensated for the below-average performance of its Ivy-leading passing attack. Then again, it's easy being a Monday (afternoon) quarterback.
Good afternoon Quakers fans! This is Joe Sanfilippo with you live from Brown Stadium in beautiful Providence, R.I. The sun is out, the sky is clear and the winds are calm, so it looks like Penn will finally get to play in some good weather. Click the link below to follow along with all the action.
With the NCAA basketball season just weeks away, everyone's been releasing their preseason polls. The conference polls have been trickling in over the last week, and the national polls came out today.
The Ivy League released its preseason rankings yesterday, with Penn coming in at third behind Cornell and Princeton. Cornell is, as expected, the unanimous favorite, returning all five starters from last year's Ivy championship. You'd be hard-pressed to argue against the conference being Cornell's to lose.
Princeton, Penn, and Harvard are essentially in a dead heat for second place, with only 10 points separating the three schools. Yale, Columbia, Brown, and Dartmouth round out the bottom half of the League in that order.
Keep reading after the jump for a rundown of Penn's opponents in the national polls and to see how the other Big 5 schools are projected to finish in their own conferences.
The ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll was released today, as was the AP Preseason Top 25. It turns out the Quakers will unsurprisingly have two top-10 opponents on their non-conference schedule.
Big 5 rival Villanova checks in at No. 6 in the Coaches' Poll and No. 5 in the media poll. The Wildcats lose last year's leading scorer in Dante Cunningham, but return nearly every other contributor from last year's Final Four squad (although senior guard Reggie Redding will be ineligible to play until Dec. 19. He was suspended by the school for the semester after being arrested this summer for possession of a "small amount" of marijuana.) They were also projected to win the Big East. The Quakers travel to Villanova, Pa. on Nov. 16.
Duke -- who will be playing in a New Year's Eve showdown in Durham, N.C. -- ranked in at No. 8 in the Coaches' poll and No. 9 in the media poll. This shouldn't shock anyone because, well, they're Duke. The Blue Devils always seem to be in the top 15 to start the season, and this year's squad should continue the program's success.
And Cornell received points in the Coaches' Poll, getting three points total. Not sure if someone thinks they're the 23rd best team, if three voters think they're the 25th best team, or something in between.
As for the other three Big 5 schools, the Atlantic 10 released their preseason polls last week. La Salle is picked to finish fourth, Temple fifth, and Saint Joseph's ninth. Though I wouldn't count out Fran Dunphy's Owls (even with Dionte Christmas having graduated), as they've won the past two A-10 championships.
And on a very tangentially related note, the makers of the Ivy League media guide appear to have made a fairly egregious error, incorrectly referring to Penn coach Glen Miller as "Steve Miller" in their outline for media teleconferences (they got it right in the actual teleconference). Don't mean to be overly nitpicky (and I know we make typos in the DP), but I feel like this is something fairly important that the League should proofread to get right. Guess they prefer Jet Airliner to In the Mood. (Check it out for yourself on page 3 of the Introduction to the League's Media Guide.)
Hopefully not as desperate as this woman.
Susan Finkelstein, who ESPN describes as a "43-year-old University of Pennsylvania graduate student," was so motivated to get World Series tickets that she posted to Craigslist the following message:
"DESPERATE BLONDE NEEDS WS TIX (Philadelphia) "Diehard Phillies fan—gorgeous tall buxom blonde— in desperate need of two World Series Tickets. Price negotiable--- I'm the creative type! Maybe we can help each other!"An undercover police officer soon answered the request, and when she allegedly told him she'd perform sex acts for tickets, she was arrested for prostitution charges.
However, it appears she'll get her tickets! Wired 96.5's Chio in the Morning will apparently give her two tickets in conjunction with a car dealer.
So perhaps those of you who really want to go, can think of other creative ways to score free tickets. (As always, an ideas in the comments are welcome).
(Thanks to Ari for the tip, who also found her facebook profile.)
The Ivy League Preseason Women's Basketball Media/SID poll was officially released today. I've covered Penn for the past two years, so this year I was given the honor of having Penn's media vote (over women's basketball guru Mel Greenberg).
Apparently, I did a pretty good job -- or I was engaging in groupthink -- because my rankings matched the final results. Below are the results of the 16 votes (one media and one SID vote per school), with first-place votes in parentheses.
Pts.
1. Dartmouth (11) 123
2. Harvard (5) 115
3. Princeton 86
4. Columbia 83
5-t. Cornell 57
5-t. Yale 57
7. Penn 36
8. Brown 19
I thought it would be a useful exercise for discussion purposes to release my votes, and the reasoning behind them. So follow along after the jump for my breakdown.
1) Dartmouth
The Big Green won the Ivy League last year with a 13-1 conference record and have historically been a strong program, with a League-best 17 championships. Since Dartmouth didn't graduate many players of significance, I thought this vote was one of the two biggest no-brainers (along with Brown in last place), so I was surprised to see Harvard take five first place votes.
Reigning Ivy League Player of the Year Brittney Smith, who averaged 14.1 points last year will return for her junior year. Smith ended in the League's top five in points, rebounds, and blocks in each of her first two seasons, and if anything her production should continue to rise. She is paired in the frontcourt with her sister, senior Margaret Smtih, who is very solid, though not as spectacular as her younger sibling. Together, the two help make up the best overall frontcourt in the League, especially defensively. Last year, Penn managed to score only 39 and 36 points in two matchups against Dartmouth. The Big Green were not heavily reliant on their guards, but they do return two of their top backcourt players, junior Megan McFee and senior Betsy Williams.
2) Harvard
Harvard has been Dartmouth's biggest rival of late, as the two shared the Ivy crown in 2007-2008. The Crimson had the highest scoring offense in the Ivies and finished 11-3 last year, but they lost point guard Emily Tay, who was probably the best guard in the League and who stole at least one game from the Quakers during her tenure, and forward Katie Rollins. But Harvard still returns two of the Ancient Eight's top ten scorers - junior forward Emma Markley and sophomore guard Brogan Berry. Markley led the league in three-point percentage, and Berry is the reigning Ivy League Rookie of the Year. Add in coach Heather Palmer's extensive history as a successful coach and recruiter, and there's no reason to expect Harvard to miss a beat.
3) Princeton
Princeton players didn't exactly light up the League leader boards in individual statistics last year, but the Tigers quietly finished 9-5 in conference play, put up a team defensive effort that rivaled Dartmouth's, and sported the second best scoring margin in the Ivies. Plus, Princeton's top three players were underclassmen last year. Sophomore center Devona Allgood and sophomore guard/forward Lauren Edwards made the All-Rookie team last year, and junior guard Addie Micir should be a top-five scoring threat this season. If those three take major steps forward, Princeton could vault into title contention.
4) Columbia
Since the inception of Title IX, Columbia has consistently been a league doormat. In fact, the Lions are the only team to never win an Ivy title, but last year they received a huge boost with the transfer of forward Judie Lomax from Oregon State and finished a respectable 6-8. Lomax, now a junior, led all of Division I with an astounding 14.3 rebounds per game, and was only the second player in Ivy history to pull down over 400 boards in a season. She also led the league with a 53.6 field goal percentage and was third in scoring with 14.2 points per game. Personally, I think she is the most dominating individual player in the league, but without the supporting cast around her, she didn't have the team performance to bolster her credentials over Brittney Smith for Player of the Year honors. Columbia's guards were absolutely dreadful on the offensive side of the ball last year, although senior Sara Yee was named Ivy League Defensive Player of the Year. If the backcourt can pick up its game at least a bit -- or if Lomax's arrival helped bolster coach Paul Nixon's incoming recruiting class -- Columbia could be a fast riser.
5) Cornell, 6) Yale
The closest call for me was between Cornell and Yale, which is reflected in their tied overall votes. The Big Red graduated their top inside force, center Shanna Scarseletta, while Yale has the League's top returning scorer, senior guard Melissa Colborne, but there were two tiebreakers for me. First of all, Cornell tied with Columbia and Penn at 6-8 last year, while Yale was only 4-10 in the league, including a loss to lowly Brown. Secondly, while Colborne may now be the best scorer in the Ivies, she is only one player, and in my opinion Cornell's backcourt duo of seniors Lauren Benson and Penn rival Allie Fedorowicz combine to make a better backcourt.
7) Penn
I'm sure this ranking won't make Penn's players, coaches, or alumni very happy, but there is too much uncertainty in a team that was a mediocre 6-8 in Ivy play last year to garner a spot any higher. The loss of Carrie Biemer, one of the most prolific scorers in Penn history and the Ivy League's scoring leader last season, is particularly devastating. To put things in perspective, Biemer scored over 32.2 percent of the team's points last year. The offense should be helped by the return of Kim Adams, but that is offset by the loss of Erin Power, which makes the actual difference difficult to ascertain. More importantly, I don't see anyone on Penn's frontcourt capable of handling the Smiths and Lomaxes of the League. The Quakers are running only five deep on the post, and junior Caroline Nicholson is the tallest at 6-foot-2. Add in what may be an adjustment period, or maybe even a whole year, to insert new coach Mike McLaughlin's system, and this year could be a recipe for disaster.
On the other hand, I may be underestimating just how toxic the atmosphere was in the final couple of years under ex-coach Pat Knapp. The women's basketball team has had more than its share of roster shuffling (I should point out that it has come to light that Donovan, who will return this year, never quit the team but was cut by Knapp), and although I've never gotten anything on the record, I get the sense that not many players were enamored with their former coach. If anyone has any insight they'd like to share on that count, feel free to leave something in the comments section. Maybe McLaughlin will be able to get more out of his players in terms of dedication and preparation, in which case I could see Penn sneaking into fourth or fifth, but I just don't think the talent level stacks up with some of the better teams right now.
8 ) Brown
I felt that this was the only no-brainer, other than Dartmouth. Brown finished 1-13 in the League for the second consecutive year and won only two games all of last season, against Maine and Yale. Worse yet, the Bears were last in both scoring offense and scoring defense and didn't have any individual performances to be excited about. Brown did not have a top-20 scorer in the Ivies, and despite a 32.3 team shooting percentage, no Bears were in the League's top 17 rebounders. Brown was absolutely dreadful last year, and they may not be any better this year. I am shocked that they were not unanimously picked for last place again.
If anyone is interested in discussing Penn's season, or anything else related to Ivy League women's basketball, please leave comments!
The men's lacrosse team released its schedule today for the Quakers' first season under new head coach Mike Murphy. And he doesn't look to be taking any time to ease into the new role, as this year's schedule looks to be tough as ever.
The Quakers open on Feb. 27, traveling to Durham, N.C., to take on Duke. The Blue Devils fell in the NCAA Semifinals last year, losing to eventual champion Syracuse, and look to again be in the mix for the national championship. They end the regular season with another ACC title contender in Maryland, traveling to College Park, MD on May 4. From what I've read, those two are the widespread favorites for the crown this year.
This season will also feature the inaugural Ivy League Tournament. As I wrote in an article last year, the top 4 teams in the Ivy League will play in a two-round tournament and the victor will receive the League's automatic bid to the NCAAs
All in all, the Quakers will take on 6 of the 16 teams that played in last year's NCAA Tournament (including 3 Ivies), and 7 that ranked in the top-20. Read below the jump for the full schedule and my comments.
Home games in CAPS Ivy League games denoted by * Last year's NCAA Tournament Teams denoted by %
Saturday, Feb. 27 ... at Duke% Wednesday, March 3 ... at Lafayette Saturday, March 6 ... at Denver Sunday, March 7 ... at Air Force Wednesday, March 10 ... SAINT JOSEPH'S Saturday, March 13 ... VILLANOVA% Saturday, March 20 ... at Princeton*% Saturday, March 27 ... CORNELL*% Saturday, April 3 ... at Yale* Saturday, April 10 ... BROWN*% Saturday, April 17 ... HARVARD* Saturday, April 24 ... at Dartmouth* Tuesday, May 4 ... at Maryland% Friday, May 7 ... Ivy League Tournament semifinals (site TBA) Sunday, May 9 ... Ivy League Tournament final (site TBA)
Noticeably absent from this schedule? A date with Drexel, likely spelling the end of this budding rivalry. Penn opened its season against the Dragons in each of the past two years, but it looks like that's come to an end. New Drexel (and former Penn) head coach Brian Voelker told my colleague Noah Rosenstein that this would likely be the case when they talked after his departure this summer, even though the two programs had previously agreed to the game.
“I know we’re scheduled to play, the game has been on the schedule for the last 2 years. In all honesty I’m not sure it’s something that I wanna do. I told all the kids on the Penn team that I’m rooting for those guys, I wanna see them succeed and I wanna see them do well. It’d be a pretty tough thing for me to do to be on the opposite sideline playing against those guys. I wouldn’t be surprised if we’re not playing each other. I told a couple of them that maybe if things work out maybe we could see each other in the playoffs. That would be something I think we could all feel good about it.
“I don’t think anything’s been signed. I would venture to guess that that game probably is not going to happen.”
Interestingly, though, the Quakers will travel to Denver - ground zero for the past offseason's coaching carousel - for the DU Face-off Classic, where they will take on the Pioneers along with Air Force. Long-time Princeton head coach Bill Tierney left the Tigers this summer after 22 seasons to take the reins at Denver. Princeton grabbed Drexel's Chris Bates, and then our West Philadelphia neighbors hired away Voelker. Penn finally ended the D-I coaching carousel by picking up Murphy from D-III Haverford (that pick stopped the motion altogether, as Haverford opted to hire its new head coach in-house).
The Quakers lost 10 seniors last year - including a number of key contributors -- but return many experienced players. They'll need strong play to get through that tough non-conference schedule and hopefully move through the stacked Ivy league to finish in the top four and make the Conference Tournament.
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