Here's the most recent poll, which has Villanova an unanmious No. 1. Keep in mind that the poll submissions' deadline was Monday afternoon so Monday's results -- Drexel's win over Cal St. Northridge and Delaware St.'s loss to Connecticut, -- as well as Tuesday's results -- Villanova's win over Penn, La Salle's win over Bucknell, St. Joe's win over Lehigh, Monmouth's loss to Seton Hall and Princeton's loss to South Carolina -- all did not factor into the rankings.
Before I show my ballot after the jump, here are some interesting Big 5 related links:
1) Although the S-16 pollsters might agree that Villanova is the clear No. 1 team in the area, Dick Jeradi writes that Temple might is still quite impressive. (Disclaimer: the post was written before the Owls lost at Buffalo).
2) Monday was Big 5 media day. Soft Pretzel Logic has the audio, while Philly Hoops Insider has some written highlights.
3) Fran Dunphy writes about Temple's home game tonight against Miami (OH). It's not necessarily insightful, but with Dunphy writing the last two coaches entries on Philly Hoops Insider, it will be interesting to see if he becomes the only coach to semi-regularly post.
My S-16 Week 3 ballot after the jump
My Week 3 Rankings (with my Week 2 rank in parentheses)
- Villanova (1)
- Penn State (2)
- Lehigh (10)
- Temple (3)
- Rider (4)
- Rutgers (5)
- La Salle (6)
- St. Joe’s (7)
- Drexel (8)
- Lafayette (11)
- Delaware (12)
- Penn (9)
- Princeton (13)
- Bucknell (14)
- Monmouth (15)
- Delaware St. (16)
Notes
- My basic philosophy behind this poll is to reward teams that have done well so far, regardless of how good of an overall year they may or might have down the road. And frankly, until we get into the heart of conference scheduling, I don't see this voting pattern changing too much.
- For example, Penn State might end up having a poor overall record, especially playing in the Big Ten, but until they start losing, I’ll give them a high ranking.
- Similarly, Lehigh is 5-1, so I figured I'd vote them high, even if they're almost certainly not the third-most talented team in the region. (Again, written before they lost to St. Joe's last night.)
- On the flip side, St. Joe's probably will receive a boost in the ratings as the year goes on since it's certainly one of the more talented teams in the S-16.
- Similarly, I think Penn is better than their 1-5 (or 1-4 when I voted) record indicates.
- Seems like the bottom four are pretty set in stone.
Hey all, Matt Flegenheimer reporting live from behind the Villanova bench for tonight's Big 5 showdown at the Palestra. The No. 16 Wildcats make the cross-town trek sporting a perfect 6-0 record, while the Quakers have lost two straight to Penn State and Albany, respectively, to drop to 1-4 on the year. Keep it with the Buzz for live updates on the action all night long. Who knows? Penn might even keep it close.
Villanova 69 Penn 47, FINAL
Villanova milks the clock with a couple of long possessions to close it out. So ends another gritty, physical, and, alas, lopsided Big 5 affair for the Red and Blue.
Villanova 68 Penn 47, 1:41 Second Half
Off a steal, Fisher splits a double team and knocks down a pull-up. Schreiber and Bernardini each hit a pair of free-throws to cut it to "only" 21. Will Penn reach the half-century mark?
Villanova 64 Penn 43, 4:03 Second Half
Tough fadeaway from Pena, then two free throws for Cofield off a nice cut. Reynolds get wide open in the corner for three. Villanova reserve Reggie Redding finishes with a one-handed slam two possessions later. Bernardini responds with a bank shot on a leaner.
Villanova 57 Penn 39, 7:46 Second Half
Great drive from Cofield, who leaves it for Votel underneath for a lay-in. Cofield gets a steal at the other end, which leads to an Eggleston two in transition off a Gaines dish. Villanova coach Jay Wright calls for time.
Villanova 57 Penn 35, 8:59 Second Half
Penn can't buy one; Rosen, especially, has looked flat with his shot. Clark converts a three-point play on an offensive board. Egee has a highlight-reel block on the far taller Clark, then finishes on a three-point play of his own on a fast break at the other end.
Villanova 50 Penn 31, 12:10 Second Half
Bernardini comes back in time to knock down a two from the elbow, one of two free throws on the next possession, and a herky-jerky finish on an out-of-control drive. Rumors of his demise may have been exaggerated...
Villanova 48 Penn 26, 14:32 Second Half
Fisher throws a monster dunk down on Gaines off a loose ball, Cunningham gets deep again for two after a Penn miss, and Gaines continues his strong shooting with an 18-footer from the corner. An altogether ineffective Bernardini finds himself on the bench as Penn sees this one slipping away.
Villanova 44 Penn 24, 17:43 Second Half
Mark the time: Miller's jacket comes off a minute and 32 seconds into the second. It's about time, really. Reynolds hits a three to open the second frame, Votel throws a pass away, and Cunningham finds space for a 10-foot jumper. All the sudden we have a 17-point game. It balloons to 20 on a Stokes three (his fourth of the night) that prompts a Penn timeout.
Vilanova 36 Penn 24, Halftime
The teams trade turnovers, and Penn holds for the last shot, with Harrison Gaines eating up most of the clock with a yo-yo dribble. He swings it to Bernardini, who hits Schreiber on a bounce pass in the paint. Schreiber is promptly stuffed by Cunningham at the horn to end the half.
Halftime stats:
Villanova
Cunningham: 14 points, 7 rebounds
Stokes: 9 points (3-4 3PT FG)
Reynolds: 2 points (1-4 FG), 2 rebounds, 3 assists
Penn
Gaines: 12 points (4-7 FG, 2-3 3PT FG)
Eggleston: 6 points, 2 rebounds
Bernardini: 3 points (1-5 FG), no rebounds, no assists in 18 minutes
Villanova 36 Penn 24, 0:49 First Half
Two more for Gaines on a floater. Reynolds gets on the board for the first time on a nice finger roll with the right. Dwayne Anderson hits a three from the corner to give the road squad its biggest lead of the evening. Bernardini responds with his first bucket, a three from the wing. At the other end, bodies from both sides go flying after a loose ball, with Eggleston falling on it first and Penn coach Glen Miller calling timeout in time to retain possession.
Villanova 31 Penn 19, 4:48 First Half
Votel throws a pass between Gaines' legs trying to break a 'Nova press, and Pena is hacked in the lane at the other end (makes both). Cofield gets past Shane Clark on a nice drive to draw the foul, and converts one of two. Cunningham finishes with the left for yet another score. Gaines goes left on a gorgeous take, Stokes responds with a three, and Eggleston knocks down a mid-ranger at the other end. Pena gets fouled going up for a dunk, and sinks both.
Villanova 22 Penn 14, 7:56 First Half
Eggleston tips in an Egee miss. Cunningham shows his range on an 18-foot jumper for his 12th point. Great ball movement from Penn for a change leads to another Gaines trifecta. After an equally rare turnover from the Wildcats, Gaines draws a foul on a drive and sinks both. He has eight of Penn's 14 points so far.
Villanova 20 Penn 7, 10:11 First Half
Gaines knocks down a three on a Loughery drive-and-kick. Cunningham gets deep position again, gets hacked underneath, and makes both free throws. 'Nova forces a turnover, and Stokes nails a three from the elbow. Reynolds dumps it down to Cunninham again for two more. Timeout Penn.
Villanova 13 Penn 4, 11:55 First Half
Cunningham scores on a put-back off an offensive rebound. Rosen gets called for a questionable charge on the ensuing possession, then takes a seat in favor of Harrison Gaines. Andreas Schreiber, making his season debut, gets called for a block on another 50-50. Cunningham backs down Penn sub Larry Loughery from about 12-feet out for another easy two. He's simply way too much for the Penn bigs to handle down low.
Villanova 9 Penn 4, 15:19 First Half
Cunningham knocks down a pair of free throws, then Rosen misses an open three. Corey Fisher makes a ridiculous move on a penetration, spinning in the lane and finishing with a reverse. Votel misses a gimme underneath, and knocks the ball out going after his own rebound.
Two quick observations: 1) As expecte,d, the 'Nova fans came out in full force, easily outnumbering the Red and Blue faithful. 2) Scottie Reynolds is six-foot-two the same way Charles Barkley was six-foot-six.
Villanova 5 Penn 4, 17:45 First Half
Stokes bombs in a three on 'Nova's first possession. Quick response from Penn, though, as Rosen hits Votel underneath for a lay-up at the other end. The sides trade misses, then 'Nova's center Antonio Pena dumps in an easy two of a set in-bounds play. Votel hits Eggleston on a cut to pull the Quakers back within one.
Villanova 0 Penn 0, 20:00 First Half
A surprise in Penn's starting five: Sophomore Remy Cofield makes his first career start for the Quakers, alongside regulars Jack Eggleston, Brennan Votel, Tyler Bernardini, and Zack Rosen. For the 'Cats, it's business as usual: Corey Fisher, Corey Stokes, Antonio Pena, Dante Cunningham, and, of course, Scottie Reynolds.
Eggleston, Votel, Rosen, Bernardini, Cofield
FINAL: Albany 73, PENN 63
Albany pressing now, trying to put this away. Penn breaks it but is just a tumbling mess on offense. Somehow, the ball gets back to Bernardini behind the line, who draws three foul shots off a Harris foul. He ices all three. On the Danes' next inbounds, Penn fouls Raffa, who goes 2-for-2. Gaines hopsteps for a layup but Raffa heads to the line again as Penn is forced to foul. Tack two more on for Albany. Hastings tosses an alley-oop to Ambrose to put an emphatic end on this one.
1:03 2nd Half: Albany 67, PENN 56
Rosen finds a wide-open Eggleston who is short on his three attempt. The press forces yet another Albany turnover and Bernardini just misses a leaner but goes to the line on a blocking call. He bricks the first and gets the roll on the second. On the inbounds, Albany finally breaks the press and it pays dividends, as Raffa gets the And-1 (and makes it) off a Cofield foul. This is not looking good for Penn. After a Rosen miss, Egee commits his fifth foul and is gone.
1:51 2nd Half: Albany 62, PENN 54
Rosen intercepts a second Hail Mary attempt and gets Bernardini to the line. He has not been very good from the line tonight but makes these two. Great hustle from Rosen off an Albany inbounds forces a jump-ball, but possession favors the Danes.
2:10 2nd Half: Albany 62, PENN 52
The Great Danes' try an audacious Hail Mary to beat the press but Gaines forces Ambrose to lose control of it. On the ensuing possession, Gaines dribbles in place and then tries to pop a three with a defender in his face -- he misses. After a Danes basket, Rosen cuts down the lane and hangs in the air for a double-clutch lefty layup. But Penn can't keep trading baskets.
3:02 2nd Half: Albany 60, PENN 50
Jerel Hastings throws down a nasty dunk as the Danes beat the press -- this one was certainly more impressive than Harris', because Hastings' throwdown had some anger and assertiveness to it. 8.
4:05 2nd Half: Albany 56, PENN 48
Rosen knocks down a three thanks to an aggressive Eggleston screen and the Danes can't get the ball inbounded, and are forced to call a timeout.
4:30 2nd Half: Albany 56, PENN 45
Another open three missed by the Quakers. Ambrose slices and dices and bowls over Votel for two.
5:19 2nd Half: Albany 52, PENN 45
After a Votel layup, Albany dribbles and screen its way out of the press. Rosen misses a jumper from just inside the key and then makes a smart foul on Raffa as the Danes' go in transition. Raffa, who is 3-for-4 from three tonight, misses both foul shots. The Fox radio announcer next to me keeps calling Penn "UPenn." Guess he didn't read the press packet, which politely asks media to call the University "Penn." Rosen find Egee under the net for two and then the press forces an Albany turnover.
7:50 2nd Half: Albany 52, PENN 41
Cofield and Turley in now. Turley gets rejected on a not-so-strong attempt to dunk or lay it in. And just as Penn is in transition, Albany gets a steal. Tommy McMahon checks in for Penn again. This is going nowhere right now, and with a 13-point deficit, Penn can't let that happen. Rosen doesn't let it happen, pump-faking Raffa beyond the arc, dribbling and hitting a shot from the elbow. Bernardini then hits a three, and Raffa comes right back with one over a reaching Rosen. Bernardini pump-fakes and draws a shooting foul. He nails both. Penn starts pressing now, but the Danes easily break it. Ambrose gets an up-and-under to go and Miller is irate.
11:40 2nd Half: Albany 47, PENN 34
Rosen finds Gaines inside, who gets fouled just before the shot clock expires. Gaines fronts the first -- almost an airball -- but gets nothing but net on No. 2. Raffa is left open from three after a double-team and swishes one again from the corner. All the momentum and all the bounces are going the Danes' way right now. Media timeout, and the cheerleaders come out, wobbling their way through the routine. Some more practice might be in order.
13:22 2nd Half: Albany 42, PENN 33
Harris is getting vocal on court, trying to rile up Albany after it committed a shot-clock violation. Eggleston gets a good look from downtown but is just short. Raffa cans a tough one from long-distance. Rosen breaks some ankles and fires a pass out but Penn can't do anything but miss another shot.
15:57 2nd Half: Albany 35, PENN 33
Lots of dribbling and passing going on in Penn's offense (as we should see in a motion offense). Another bad inbounds from Rosen results in an easy run-'n'-dunk for Will Harris. Nice extension but a weak finish -- I give it a 7. Egee isn't fazed and slips under the net from the baseline for two. Bernardini gets a steal but the ref gets in the way, knocking the ball (accidentally?) to Albany. Rosen makes a great play, jumping and blocking a Danes pass that would've resulted in an easy transition basket. Eggleston makes a 6-foot jumper after getting open along the baseline.
HALFTIME: Albany 31, PENN 28
Rosen drives and makes a nice dish behind his head to Eggleston, but the guard's momentum gets him called for a charge. Bernardini then misses badly on bad shot in transition. Eggleston misses his first shot, a baby hook off a feed from Turley. Ambrose hits a three from the corner. On the last possession, Rosen draws two defenders and slips it inside to Turley, who puts it in for what looks to be two, and an And-1. But the refs call a charge.
Halftime stats:
FG: Albany 13-32 (40.6%), Penn 11-27 (40.7%)
3-Pointers: Albany 1-8 (12.5%), Penn 4-10 (40.0%)
Rebounds: Albany 18, Penn 18
Assists: Albany 3, Penn 9
High scorers: Eggleston 10, Ambrose 9, Harris 8, Bernardini 6, Connelly 6, Raffa 6
2:54 1st Half: PENN 28, Albany 26
I'm seriously considering sampling the arena food.
Rosen picks Johnson's pocket and goes coast-to-coast for a layup. The man-to-man is stifling Albany's shooters now and the Quakers are getting boards. Rosen pulls up for a three as Penn takes its first lead of the game. Bernardini then gets open in the corner and drills the trey. Meanwhile, Rosen has six assists already and only one turnover (his first in three games).
4:49 1st Half: Albany 24, PENN 20
Cofield hits only the first of his one-and-one. Harris takes a drive right into Eggleston and the crowd loves it. The refs don't though and Harris gets called for a charge. But the zebras quickly even it up with an off-the-ball foul call on Votel on the Quakers' offensive possession. Raffa capitalizes with a falling-away three from the corner. Turley and Rosen relieve Gaines and Votel. Eggleston posts and spins for another easy two, using his finesse against Albany's strength. After a tough defensive board, Penn goes downcourt and Bernardini makes a reverse layup in transition.
7:15 1st Half: Albany 22, PENN 15
Gaines finally hits a shot after he gets open at the top of the three-point line. Raffa does likewise, this time, just inside the line, and Cofield tries to return the favor and is fouled on his pull-up.
8:06 1st Half: Albany 20, PENN, 12
Again, the Quakers don't get the roll as Bernardini just misses a tough layup. Raffa makes a nice midrange fadeaway in isolation to add two more to Albany's lead. Then, the Danes get a steal of a lazy inbounds from Rosen under their basket. Tim Ambrose then controls his body beautifully on a drive down the lane to avoid a charge on Eggleston, and nets two more for Albany. Eggleston hits right back with a 15-foot fadeaway from the baseline. In the post, Eggleston spins and gets the kiss off the glass. He's 4-for-4 so far, but that's getting neutralized by another drive and missed layup by Gaines. Ambrose shows the Penn soph how it's done with a spinning drive of his own that splits the Penn D for an easy two. Will Harris comes off a pick, gets a pass inside and takes it right to Votel for a lefty layup. Timeout Penn.
11:42 1st Half: Albany 12, PENN 8
Not much else going on. Bernardini commits a reach-in on one end and then draws one from the Danes on the other. So hungry. I have a craving for Wendy's which would have been satisfied had I actually seen a Wendy's on the drive down from Montreal.
12:34 1st Half: Albany 12, PENN 8
Gaines is in for Egee and Turley trades his spot on the bench for Votel's on the floor. The man defense is working but once again, the Quakers cannot get the box out and Turley fouls Harris as he goes up for the putback. Harris makes both. Cam Lewis is in for Turley and Tommy McMahon comes in for Eggleston. The Great Danes' Scotty McRae airballs a trey, drawing weak "Airball, Airball" heckles from the Penn contigent. Gaines looks sloppy early on, bricking a shot from the top of the key and later dribbling his way into a double-team and turnover. Bernardini gets a good look from three but misses it, and Rosen creates his own open jumper and also misses. After a run in transition, Bernardini draws a blocking foul but only makes one of two.
15:53 1st Half: Albany 8, PENN 7
Rosen lobs a full-court pass to a streaking Eggleston for an easy transition deuce. The freshman already has two assists. Unfortunately for Penn, Egee picks up his second foul trying to stop a second-chance attempt from Albany.
17:20 1st Half: Albany 6, PENN 5
Penn comes out in a man-to-man but surrenders a drive to Ambrose. Eggleston hits right back with a nice jumper from the elbow off a halfcourt set. On the other end, Connelly, a big man, gets a mismatch against Egee in the post and the Penn guard is forced to foul. Connelly makes both free throws. On the next possession, Rosen makes an aggressive drive to the basket but can't get the roll on a tough layup. The Quakers' offense looks good early on, as Rosen finds Votel in the corner for a three.
Brandon Moyse reporting live from Albany, as the Quakers get set to square off against the Great Danes. Albany is coming off a 17-point trouncing of Columbia, while Penn is coming off a 4-hour bus ride from Philly. If you have any ideas where I should eat or what I should do after the game, please leave a comment.
Starters:
PENN:
G Zack Rosen
G Tyler Bernardini
G Kevin Egee
F Jack Eggleston
F Brennan Votel
ALBANY:
G Anthony Raffa
G Tim Ambrose
F Will Harris
F Brian Connelly
C Brett Gifford
Sorry I didn't put this up earlier, but I got distracted by the Thanksgiving break and whatnot. Regardless, here are the results of Week 2 of the Schuylkill 16 Poll, with my ballot and comments after the jump. Keep in mind that all ballots had to be submitted before 3 p.m. last Monday, so all of these past five days' results (including all of the games St. Joe's played in Maui and the Penn-Penn State game) didn't factor into anyone's ballots.
My Ballot
- Villanova
- Penn State
- Temple
- Rider
- Rutgers
- La Salle
- St. Joseph’s
- Drexel
- Penn
- Lehigh
- Lafayette
- Delaware
- Princeton
- Bucknell
- Monmouth
- Delaware St.
Notes
- La Salle at 1-3 might seem like a reach as No. 6, but it has played two BCS conference schools close (Uconn 89-81 and FSU 65-61).
- I don’t think Rider is actually the 4th best team in the S-16, but as voter Jon Solomon said, they're "Your 2008-09 Patriot League champions" after beating both Lafayette and Lehigh, so I’ll reward them.
- Drexel probably is worse than Penn, but hey they beat the Quakers, so at least for this week the Dragons are ahead of the Quakers.
Since my colleagues on press row couldn't get the wireless to cooperate, the Quakers lost, 85-72, to Penn State tonight. Here is an early version of the box score. More on this very soon.
Here are the other Ivy scores from tonight:
With football season finally over, all fall sports have ended. And although only one team (men's soccer) won an Ivy League title, 29 Penn athletes were honored as All-Ivy selections. (Sprint football isn't an Ivy sport, yet that team had 22 CSFL selections. Then again, there are only six schools to fill out the teams.)
Some choices make perfect sense such as first team All-Ivy Julia Swanson who led all Ancient Eight volleyball players with 359 kills. Others are head scratchers such as Drew Healy, who set a Penn record with 11 shut outs, earning second-team status behind Dartmouth's Sean Milligan despite being statistically the better goalkeeper in every category except Ivy League goals allowed (they both let up just five).
After the jump, the entire list.
Cross Country
None for the men's or women's team
Field Hockey
Second Team: Sr. M Margaretha Ehret; Sr. F Rachel Eng; Jr. D Sarah Warner
Football
First Team: Sr. OL Chris Kovalcik; So. PK Andrew Sansom (Kicker of the Year); Jr. DB Chris Wynn
Second Team: So. RB Michael DiMaggio; Sr. TE Josh Koontz; Sr. LB Jay Colabella; Sr. DL Joe Rost; Jr. DL Joe Goniprow; Jr. LB Jake Lewko
Honorable Mention: Sr. DL Guillermo Ruffolo; Sr. DB Britton Ertman
Men's Soccer
First Team: Sr. M Alex Grendi (unamious selection); Sr. F Omid Shokoufandeh
Second Team: Sr. M Brian Mascarenhas; Sr. GK Drew Healy
Honorable Mention: Sr. D John Elicker; Sr. D Ryan Porch; Sr. M Kevin Unger; Fr. D Jake Levin
Women's Soccer
First Team: Sr. M Natalie Capuano; So. M Sarah Friedman
Honorable Mention: Sr. F Molly Weir; Fr. F Marin McDermott
Volleyball
First Team: So. OH Julia Swanson
Second Team: Sr. MB Kathryn Turner; So. L Madison Wojciechowski
Rush the Court recaps how Ivy League basketball teams have done so far. Well at least through last Friday afternoon. (Sorry for the delay). But to bring you up to speed: On Friday Columbia beat Bryant, 70-54, and Portland beat Yale, 77-58. On Saturday Colorado beat Harvard, 70-57, Colgate beat Dartmouth, 65-60, Northwestern beat Brown, 73-64, Sienna beat Cornell, 74-56, UMBC beat Columbia, 66-52, and of course Penn earned the only Ivy win of the day, defeating Monmouth 83-62 at the Palestra. Finally, Princeton beat Army, 55-43, yesterday.
But if it's City Hoops you care about, the Examiner has you covered. They summarize how some of the City 6 teams did over this past weekend. As an udpate, today La Salle beat Valpariso in overtime, 75-70, and St. Joe's lost to No. 7 Texas, 68-50.
Good evening from the Palestra, where the Penn Quakers (0-2) and Monmouth Hawks (0-3) are both looking for that elusive first win of the season. For Penn, Andreas Schreiber, Aron Cohen, Darren Smith and Justin Reilly are all in street clothes, while Tommy McMahon is in uniform for the first time in ages. Keep refreshing the page throughout the game for live updates on the Quakers' home opener. --Andrew Todres
Final, Penn 83, Monmouth 62
Penn eased up a little bit and Monmouth knocked down a few shots down the stretch, but the finish was just a formality. Cameron Lewis put the icing on the cake with a dunk in traffic. Overall, great second half for the Quakers, who finally have a win under their belts.
3:10 to go in the 2nd, Penn 77, Monmouth 52
Not much to report. Votel hit three consecutive baskets and Cofield's great athleticism has been on display. This is just a great team win for the Quakers -- so many different players have contributed quality minutes. The Hey Song started out a cappella and was subsequently drowned out by the band's rendition of Final Countdown.
7:41 to go in the 2nd, Penn 62, Monmouth 40
Penn is holding steady with a comfortable lead and has seen a lot of good minutes out of Cofield. Possibly the best athlete on the team, Cofield had a nice tip-in on a Gaines miss and a strong layup after a pretty move on the baseline. He has also been a force defensively, forcing a couple of turnovers and putting pressure on the Monmouth offense.
11:28 to go in the 2nd, Penn 53, Monmouth 29
As I expected, Penn has finally taken over this game. Egee has really helped out on both ends of the court. He hit two deep threes to extend the Quakers' lead, and he followed up a pair of free throws by forcing a turnover off the ensuing inbound. Bernardini had a great 3-point play off of a spin move into a layup on a breakaway, and McMahon hit his first field goal -- a midrange jumper. Penn is firing on all cylinders right now.
15:17 to go in the 2nd, Penn 38, Monmouth 23
Penn is finally starting to pick it up offensively, thanks to Bernardini (as usual) and Zack Rosen, who just came on strong with his first two field goals of his career. After a big three-pointer by Bernardini to put Penn up 13, the Quakers executed a great play to find Rosen all by himself in the corner, and he drained the 3. After Monmouth's Yaniv Simpson responded with a 3 at the other end, the lefty Rosen ran the floor and hit a tough lay-up with his right hand, giving Penn the 38-23 advantage. One other note -- Eggleston picked up his 3rd foul 20 seconds into the half and was replaced by Turley. Right now, the lineup is Bernardini, Cohen, Turley, Egee, and Votel.
Halftime Stats
Penn
Bernardini, 5-8, 16 points
Egee, McMahon, Belcore, Cofield, and Votel all have two points each
Rosen, 4 assists
Votel, 4 turnovers, 5 rebounds
Turley, 5 rebounds
7-26 FG as a team, 2-12 3pt, 10-12 FT
Monmouth
Travis Taylor, 8 points, 7 rebounds
Rutledge, 6 points
8-28 FG as a team, 2-12 3 pt
Haltime, Penn 26, Monmouth 18
Poor shooting and finishing around the basket has really kept Penn from pulling away with this game. Votel has provided a nice presence inside, but he just doesn't have any touch around the basket today like he did Tuesday against Drexel. Glen Miller has gone to a pretty deep rotation this half, with Turley seeing a lot of positive minutes. Penn's free throw shooting has been much improved -- except for two Votel bricks, Penn has been perfect from the line. The Quakers' defense has been strong as well, and they're doing a great job of hustling for loose balls and securing rebounds to start breakaways. Rosen has been relatively quiet after sparking Penn early with two assists, and he doesn't seem too confident in his ability to score. He still is without a field goal in his collegiate career, and he pulled up on a breakaway and caused a turnover just as the Quakers were building up momentum. That said, it was an average half for Penn, but I wouldn't be surprised if they took this game over after the break. I'll be back shortly with the halftime stats.
3:21 to go in the 1st, Penn 22, Monmouth 16
Well the highlight of this last stretch of play was the entrance of Tommy McMahon, for the first time in about a year-and-a-half. The senior fan favorite actually played very well, especially for someone that has never played in a game with anyone below the class of 2010. He found himself on the court with all freshmen and sophomores but handled himself well within the offense. He didn't force anything, and drew a foul inside and knocked home both of his free throws. He also had a nice defensive rebound to start a breakaway, ending with a Remy Cofield layup. Conor Turley has seen a lot of minutes and has been a strong presence on the boards for Penn. For Monmouth, Rutledge is the only significant offensive force. And an interesting stat so far: Penn is 8-8 from the line, with four different players contributing perfect trips.
7:55 to go in the 1st, Penn 16, Monmouth 11
Some poor shooting and a few turnovers by the Quakers have allowed a weaker Monmouth team to hang around. With Bernardini out of the game, the Hawks' R.J. Rutledge hit a three to help Monmouth get back in the game. Meanwhile, Gaines has been ice cold, missing several open shots. Brennan Votel has been helpful on the glass and scrapped for a loose ball to keep a possesion alive, but he's very hesitant in the paint, leading to a 3-second violation earlier. Rob Belcore is seeing some playing time right now for the Quakers, giving Tyler Bernardini a rest. He hit two free throws earlier.
11:25 to go in the 1st, Penn 12, Monmouth 4
Penn stretched its lead out a bit more thanks entirely to Tyler Bernardini, who has scored the last 7 points for the Quakers. Dave Calloway is yelling at his players during the media timeout, telling them that they're playing scared. Bernardini hit a 3 from the in front of Monmouth's bench to put the Quakers at 12 and had been fouled hard on the previous posession on a breakaway -- he swished both of his free throws. Monmouth looks pretty confused by Penn's matchup zone. On another note, Conor Turley saw a bit of action early, giving Eggleston a breather, while Harrison Gaines subbed in for Egee. Gaines made a poor decision earlier forcing up a shot that was blocked.
15:45 to go in the 1st, Penn 5, Monmouth 0
Penn is dominating Monmouth on both ends of the court but having a little bit of difficulty finishing their possessions. The Quakers started off with a Tyler Berarndini 3 off of a great feed from Rosen. Then, thanks to a steal in transition from Eggleston, Penn took it the other way with Rosen feeding Egee on a streaking layup. Penn's ball movement has been excellent, as has its defense. Bernardini forced his man into a 5-second violation, and Penn also forced Monmouth into a shot-clock violation. Dave Calloway is livid at his team.
Starting Lineups
Monmouth
F Mike Myers Keitt
F Dutch Gaitley
G Yaniv Simpson
G James Hett
G R.J. Rutledge
Penn
F Jack Eggleston
F Brennan Votel
G Zack Rosen
G Tyler Bernardini
G Kevin Egee
ITHACA, N.Y. -- Greetings from Cornell's Schoellkopf field. We're in the single digits for temperature and there is a light snow falling. At stake for Penn is a slim shot at the Ivy League title if the dominoes fall just the right way in this final game of the season.
11:01, Fourth quarter: Penn 23, Cornell 6
Samson breaks the single-season Penn field goal record with a 44-yard boot, his longest of the season. Penn's passing game is totally inept, but McNally, DiMaggio and Matt Hamscher have been running the ball effectively enough to run tons of time off the clock. Cornell has a lot of ground to make up and can't let Penn tack on any more field goals.
2:27, Third quarter: Penn 20, Cornell 6
The Big Red finally get back on the board with a 32-yard field goal.
6:31, Third quarter: Penn 20, Cornell 3
Cornell actually produce a couple of first downs, but then three incomplete passes forced them to go for a 35-yard field goal. The kick never had the distance and fell about 5 yards in front of the posts -- and I dont believe it was tipped. Penn takes back over.
Also, I can officially say that Penn will not win this year's Ivy League title, since Harvard's win over Yale ensures that they will have only one league loss on the year.
Halftime: Penn 20, Cornell 3
Penn advanced enough to let Samson hit a 28-yard field goal to close out the half. Penn SID Eric Dolan informs me that Samson just tied the Penn record for field goals made in a season. Off to halftime.
0:30, Second quarter: Penn 17, Cornell 3
Just when I thought this would be the most boring second half of football ever, Penn's Jonathan Moore picked off a Nathan Ford pass and outran most of the secondary to the Cornell 14 (although an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on defensive back Josh Powers pushed it back to the 29). Penn might not be able to make anything of this, but it's at least a momentum boost going into the half.
8:00, Second quarter: Penn 17, Cornell 3
Penn worked methodically down to the Cornell 37, but then Mike DiMaggio ripped through a hole in the linebacker corps and took it to the house. Too easy. Penn now has a commanding two-touchdown lead.
Scoreboard watching: Penn's miracle scenario for winning the Ivy League title isn't looking too likely. Harvard is up by a touchdown over Yale at the half, but Brown looks to have Columbia in a bind, leading by two touchdowns at the half.
0:14, First quarter: Penn 10, Cornell 3
The Quakers settled for a 40-yard field goal on the last drive, Andrew Samson's longest of the season. More interestingly, the player who has been Penn's biggest spark lately, quarterback Keiffer Garton, is on the sidelines on crutches. This is a recent development. Stay tuned to see if he returns, but for now it appears that this is Brendan McNally's game to win or lose. Robert Irvin is dressed and on the bench but hasn't moved a muscle yet.
0:58, First quarter: Penn 7, Cornell 3
Cornell didn't do anything on their next drive, and ended it with a shanked punt that netted them a whopping 11 yards. Penn now has the ball on the Cornell 28 to start its drive.
2:44, First quarter: Penn 7, Cornell 3
Helped by a 15-yard roughing the passer penalty, Penn answered with a 13-play, 59-yard touchdown drive. Luke DeLuca punched it in from a yard out, and we got our first sighting of Brendan McNally, who took about half of the snaps on this drive.
8:45, First quarter: Cornell 3, Penn 0
Both teams went nowhere on their first drives, but on Cornell's second quarterback Nathan Ford threw a couple of nice passes in the flat to engineer a 10-play 40-yard drive that ended in a 32-yard field goal. On another note, Penn nose guard Joe Goniprow was ejected from the game for a personal foul that I personally did not see.
Yesterday was the highly anticipated matchup of Penn visiting Drexel for the first time in school history. The 10 a.m. game ended in a 66-64 win for the Dragons (1-0), although it wasn't that close. Penn (0-2) only lead for 39 seconds, yet came back from down 14 point to almost tie it up at the end of regulation.
Here are some different takes on the historic match.
1) In his weekly column, Forde-Yard Dash, ESPN writer Pat Forde listed some key rivalry matchups this weekend in college football. One of the five he profiled was the 125th edition of The Game.
Yale at Harvard (31). This is the 125th meeting, which is something very few rivalries can say. Harvard is 8-1 and trying to win the Ivy League. Yale is 6-3 and hoping to grab a share of the title, but needs help. Harvard has regained the White House but doesn't move in until 2009. For now, a Yalie still sits in the Oval Office. As for this game: close favors the Crimson. Harvard is 4-1 in games decided by four points or less. Yale is 1-3.
2) Looking for a quick preview of the men's soccer NCAA game this Friday? Collegesoccernews.com has you covered. They consider Penn's goalkeeper "a prime timer," which only means a Dick Vitale wannabe writes for them. (HT to Noah Becker)
3) Philly Hoops Insider, the new Philadelphia college basketball blog from the Philadelphia Daily News, has started to produce some quality posts. Each entry could easily make Random Ivy notes, but in the interest of space, only the best items will appear here. That said, I'd strongly encourage any Big 5 fan to check there every day, since it appears as if they'll be multiple updates daily.
The biggest two items so far are a piece by Fran Dunphy on his team's roadtrip to Charleston, S.C., as well as Dick Jeradi's thoughts on City 6 teams so far this year.
FINAL: Drexel 66, Penn 64
Rodgers misses a free throw, keeping it at one possession. Rosen tries to do too much and is forced into a corner where he jacks up a three that falls well short...but he's fouled. The frosh will go to the line needing to sink all three to tie it up. Rosen misses the first. Makes the second. Lewis comes in to board. Rosen clanks the last, Lewis gets the board, gets it to Votel who has to awkwardly force up a hook that falls short. Game over.
00:14.7 2nd Half -- Drexel 65, Penn 63
Neisler misses both and Votel boards it. Rosen runs downcourt and spins, dishing to Egee in the corner who hits nothing but net with a hand in his face. The Red and Blue Crew tells the ref: "You have 15 seconds, try not to fuck this up." His reponse? "I'll do my best."
00:25.1 2nd Half -- Drexel 65, Penn 60
Harris makes the second. Belcore flies downcourt and Rosen sets up the offense. Bernardini gets partially blocked on a drive but the ball falls back to him. He's out of control and under pressure under the basket and Drexel collects the board and a trip to the line.
00:45.9 2nd Half -- Drexel 64, Penn 60
After a scramble for the ball, the refs give Drexel possession -- and a full shot-clock. Miller is irate as are most of the Penn fans in the crowd. The refs look at the replay and set it to 4, forcing a bad shot from Drexel after the inbounds. But once again, the Dragons clean up the miss and Penn is forced to foul Jamie Harris. Harris misses the first and Miller calls timeout.
1:17 2nd Half -- Drexel 64, Penn 60
My browser couldn't have picked a better time to crash. Oh well. This one's being played from the foul lines right now, and it's not impressing ESPN. One of two seems to be the norm.
1:40 2nd Half -- Drexel 64, Penn 59
3:07 2nd Half -- Drexel 62, Penn 57
Miller wants a walk but instead, Loughery gets called for a foul. The Red and Blue Crew taunts Tribbett at the line, making "Ribbitt" frog-calls. He misses both. Hmmmm...
Votel gets called for his fourth and Tribbett returns to the stripe, and knocks both down. Maybe the "Ribbitt" taunts and him missing were just a coincidence. You decide.
Votel misses two from the line; this has been a pitiful shooting performance from Penn. That said, he skies for an easy lay-in off a miss and Drexel keeps missing shots, keeping it close.
5:23 2nd Half -- Drexel 60, Penn 55
Bernardini goes for a sweet up-and-under in the lane after two free throws from Drexel. Hawthorne one-ups him with a drive that culminates in a soft floater off the glass.
7:04 2nd Half -- Drexel 56, Penn 50
Hawthorne slows it down and the Dragons start passing up on open three to drive, which is drawing fouls from Penn. Eggleston picks up his fifth and is gone.
7:29 2nd Half -- Drexel 56, Penn 50
In a bit of a switch, Bernardini drives and dishes to Eggleston for a three. Meanwhile, Drexel is having a tough time finding the basket, but an Egee airball gives them two points on the other end.
9:51 2nd Half -- Drexel 51, Penn 45
Rosen gets his first points as an NCAA athlete, swishing both tries from the line and picks up a board off a Hawthorne miss. Votel steps around his defender on the perimeter and beats him the basket for two. We're going back and forth for the lead and both the Drexel student and Red and Blue Crew are jumping. But Lewis turns it over and Hawthorne goes the length of the court -- and behind his back -- to beat Gaines for the hoop and the harm. Votel gets aggressive, posting up and fading away, drawing another foul. But he only makes one and Drexel makes two -- not a good equation for Penn.
11:41 2nd Half -- Drexel 44, Penn 40
The game is slowing down now. Both teams are missing but neither is getting its transition game going. Gaines' cold-shooting continues, but Rodgers gets called for his second foul (although Tommy McMahon yells: "Four! That's four!"). The Dragons are racking up bad fouls now; Penn just needs to get to the line. Drexel slows it down as Penn continues to eat into the its lead. Rosen heads to the line for two.
14:57 2nd Half -- Drexel 42, Penn 38
Egee gets another tough two and then a board on the other end. Bernardini slips between Drexel's bigs and tips in a Rosen miss.
15:38 2nd Half -- Drexel 42, Penn 34
Pair of quick fouls on the Dragons and Bernardini comes off a screen at the elbow for his second three of the game. All the calls are going Penn's way now, as Drexel gets called for a foul on the offensive boards and then another one on defense. Bernardini plays a little give-and-go with Votel, who scores on an easy layup. But Jamie Harris gets open against Penn's zone and knocks down a three.
17:05 2nd Half -- Drexel 39, Penn 29
The Red and Blue Crew's shot-clock shenanigans may not work, but Penn's zone finally does, forcing a 35-second violation. But wait, Eggleston is called for a foul as the clock hits 0 and Drexel gets it back, but can't do anything other than give Penn a transition bucket. The Dragons' Evan Neisler comes right back with a three-point play. Turley is in now and quickly gets called for a foul. Votel clanks a pair of putbacks and Lewis comes in for Turley.
HALFTIME -- Apparently ESPN's Andy Katz picked Yale to win the Ivy League during the halftime show. Curious where that one's coming from.
HALFTIME -- Drexel 34, Penn 27
A Drexel fan triumphantly waves a trophy with a "33rd Street" sign slapped on it at the Red and Blue crew, who are seated right behind us. Rosen misses the first of a one-and-one. Off a Drexel miss, Egee goes coast to coast and absorbs contact for a tough layup. He follows that up with a three from the corner on the next possession, and the Red and Blue is pumped up. Votel relieves Eggleston while Jamie Harris goes to the line. He makes the first. Gaines continues to be just off with his shots. Tommy McMahon slaps Brennan Votel on the butt as he inbounds, but the good-luck charm doesn't work -- the Quakers are called for a questionable offensive foul, giving the Dragons another trip -- now the double-bonus -- to the charity stripe. Givens makes one of two. Loughery, who has seen lots of minutes, heads to the line but can't capitalize on the first of the bonus. With 7.9 left on the clock, Rosen drives down and Eggleston misses a three.
Halftime stats:
Leading scorers
Penn -- Kevin Egee, 11
Penn -- Brennan Votel, 6
Drexel -- Gerald Colds, 8
Drexel -- Tramayne Hawthorne, 8
FG pct.: Penn 36.7 (11-30), Drexel 38.2 (13-34)
3-pt pct.: Penn 22.2 (2-9), Drexel 30.8 (4-13)
FT pct.: Penn 37.5 (3-8), Drexel 40.0 (4-10)
Rebounds: Penn 18 (3 offensive), Drexel 25 (8 offensive)
2nd chance points: Penn 2, Drexel 13
3:46 1st Half -- Drexel 32, Penn 20
Rodgers slices through Penn's D, NBA Live-style, for a nice layup. Drexel gets called for its sixth foul, a shooting one, and Votel goes to the line for two. He misses both, and though Bernardini finally gets his first points of the contest, Hawthorne answers with a three and Cofield gets called for a charge going back down the court. This is starting to remind me of last year's season opener. Eggleston ices both of his free throws, nothing but net on the one-and-one.
7:51 1st Half -- Drexel 25, Penn 15
Cam Lewis checks in, presumably to give the Red and Blue more presence on the defensive blocks. He makes an immediate impact, picking up an offensive board and dishing to a driving Gaines for a bucket. Then, Gaines maneuvers through a double-team and goes baseline for another basket. Loose ball foul on the Dragons and Penn is showing signs of life...as I say that, Gaines gets greedy and gets called for a push-off, which gives Drexel a bucket, and then a steal of the subsequent inbounds. Lewis is forced to foul Jamie Harris, who makes both at the line. Rosen comes back in to calm things down and finds Lewis in the post, but his shot is blocked giving the Dragons another transition bucket. Hawthorne gets shaken up and limps off the court, but under his own power. We'll see if he returns. Cofield comes in for Egee now.
Halftime stats:
10:45 1st Half -- Drexel 19, Penn 11
Rob Belcore comes in for Penn. The Quakers' zone gives Rodgers an open look from downtown, and though he misses, he cleans it up himself for two. Belcore hits a three -- against the side of the backboard. Ugly.
11:54 1st Half -- Drexel 15, Penn 11
Despite the timeout, Penn's trapping zone looks like its working...until Hawthorne is found in the corner for a knockdown three. Gaines is back in, now for Rosen; Loughery checks in for his first appearance as well and promptly forces one up from deep in the post.
13:08 1st Half -- Drexel 12, Penn 11
Egee comes in for Gaines, who has missed three shots thus far. The Dragons' man defense is frustrating Bernardini, who hasn't gotten a look yet. Egge drives baseline for two and then grabs a board on the other end. Bernardini comes off a screen at the top of the key but misses, and Colds makes an open trey in transition. After a nice steal in the post, Penn moves it well and Votel picks up an easy lay-in under the bucket. Penn is ratcheting up the defensive intensity now, as another steal yields an Egee basket. Drexel timeout.
15:33 1st Half -- Drexel 9, Penn 5
Penn wins the tip and immediately goes into their high motion offense, giving Eggleston a clear path to the basket. He gets fouled by Tribbett but only makes one. Gerald Colds responds by taking advantage of Penn's zone for a triple. Rosen forces a shot from the top of the arc and Drexel brings it down the court for two. Bernardini gets called for an offensive foul. Penn looks rushed right now; luckily for it, Drexel is missing shots. Eggleston drives again and makes a nice spin move for an easy layup. Lots of back-and-forth action now but both teams are missing their open shots. Votel misses a block-out and Yannick Formbor puts back an offensive board and draws the and-1.
Brandon Moyse here on a beautiful Tuesday morning for basketball -- not that it matters in the quaint confines of the DAC, Penn's first-ever visit to the Dragons' home court. We just sat through one of the strangest renditions of the National Anthem this side of Rosanne, and the starting lineups are about to be announced.
PENN:
F Brennan Votel
F Jack Eggleston
G Harrison Gaines
G Zack Rosen
G Tyler Bernardini
Drexel:
G Scott Rodgers
G Gerald Colds
G Jamie Harris
F Kenny Tribbett
F Evan Neisler
1) Why is Howard upseting Oregon St., 47-45, worth posting here on a blog dedicated to Penn sports? It's not for the requisite references to Beavers head coach Craig Robinson's famous in-law (if you don't know who I'm talking about you clearly have never read an article that mentioned Craig Robinson). It is because the two coaches -- Robinson and Bison coach Gil Jackson -- have Ivy League ties. Robinson not only was an assistant under Glen Miller and then his replacement at Brown, but he also played for Princeton in the 1980's. Jackson, meanwhile, served as an assistant coach at Penn under Fran Dunphy for 16 years.
2) Here's a quick rundown of "Morning Madness," as Penn travels to Drexel today at 10 a.m. for the first time in school history.
3) I wanted to get the Week 1 poll results of the Schuylkill 16 out before the Drexel game, as it's clearly the biggest S-16 game of the week. After the jump, my week 1 votes.
Week 1 Rankings (preseason rank in parantheses)
- Villanova (1)
- Temple (3)
- St. Joseph’s (2)
- Rutgers (9)
- Lehigh (13)
- Lafayette (12)
- Penn State (4)
- Drexel (8)
- Penn (10)
- La Salle (6)
- Delaware (11)
- Rider (5)
- Bucknell (7)
- Monmouth (15)
- Princeton (14)
- Delaware St. (16)
In general, I did these rankings solely based on what the teams did this past weekend, not exactly who I think will have better seasons down the road.
For example, Temple's only loss was to 3-0 Clemson in South Carolina by four. That impressed me enough to vault them over St. Joe's, who was only 1-1 (although the loss was in OT to Holy Cross). Also, Bucknell might be better than Lafayette or Lehigh, but they lost to Maryland by 31.
Besides being a semi-obscure Founding Father, George Mason is also Penn's first round opponent in the NCAA men's soccer tournament. The Quakers (11-2-4) will make the three-hour drive down to Fairfax, Va., to take on the Patriots (13-6-2) on Friday at 7 p.m. The winner will play at No. 2 seed overall Maryland on Tuesday.
Click here to take a look at the bracket.
Harvard holds off Penn, 24-21
Harvard beat Penn, 24-21, at Franklin Field on Saturday.
Editing: Albert Sun/DP
Narration: David Gurian-Peck/DP
1) Earlier I posted a Washington Post article on the three-point line change in college basketball. Here is a New York Times article on it, but from the perspective of... Cornell, of all teams.
2) Speaking of the three-point changes, Ken Pomeroy is tracking the difference in long-distance percentage from last year to this year.
3) The New York Times isn't writing just about Cornell's team, though. It also ran a profile on Penn's Zack Rosen.
4) On Friday, the Ivy League released its Ivy Hoops guide for both men's and women's basketball.
5) Lastly, congratulations to the men's soccer team, which beat, Harvard 1-0 on a breakaway goal off a turnover in overtime to clinch the Ivy League's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. Senior goalkeeper Drew Healy earned his 11th shutout this year, which set a new Penn record. The Quakers, in all likelihood, are going to be the only fall team to take home an Ivy League crown, unless the football title is split four ways.
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- For a 34-point underdog, Penn put together quite a performance tonight at the Dean Dome. If you didn't get a chance to watch the game on television or listen to Brian Seltzer's radio call, here are a few quick reactions to what was a very encouraging performance by the Quakers.
- After the game, Roy Williams referred to Tyler Bernardini as an "all-world" player against UNC. The assessment isn't too far off. Though Glen Miller spoke more humbly about the sophomore sharpshooter, the numbers don't lie. For the second season in a row, Bernardini torched the Tar Heels from the perimeter, draining key shots with amazing consistency. When he had an open look, he simply did not miss. But Bernardini also demonstrated a real ability to create shots for himself. In the last minute or so of the game, Bernardini shook off two Carolina defenders from just inside the three-point line and knocked down an off-balance jumper as he tried to draw a foul. Unfazed by the big moment and always willing to take the open shot, Bernardini has the potential to be a very special, once-in-a-decade kind of a player for Penn if he continues to progress at this pace.
- I was a little curious to see what the dynamic would be like with both Zack Rosen and Harrison Gaines on the floor at the same time. Again, the answer was encouraging. First of all, Gaines looked much improved offensively. He was much smarter in his shot selection than we all remember from last season, and he had several impressive takes to the basket, including one great spin move into a jumpshot, which he canned. Rosen's line, 0-6 from the field, belies how well he ran the offense when he was out on the floor. Simply put, he is the true point guard that Penn has been seeking for years. Though his three-pointers didn't fall, he showed tremendous quickness, deft ball-handling skills, and good dribble penetration, along with a solid understanding of Penn's motion offense. He acted as a solid leader out on the floor, directing traffic and trusting the system. He had a beautiful spin move on a dribble drive of his own, kicking the ball out to Bernardini for an open three -- one of his five assists. He did throw the ball away a few times, but for his first career game -- against Carolina, no less -- he really delivered. Defensively, he had an impressive steal as Carolina tried to beat Penn in transition in the first half and was generally helpful in slowing the Heels' deadly transition game throughout the night.
- Senior Kevin Egee stepped up several times tonight for the Red and Blue, despite fouling out early on in the game. In the first half, he dribbled straight at Carolina's big men and jumped over two defenders to convert an acrobatic layup. He also knocked down a few big threes to keep Penn in it. He needs to cut down on the fouls, but he definitely provided a nice spark for the Quakers off the bench.
- The big question for Penn is in the paint. Cameron Lewis got the start, but he played only six minutes. After the game, Miller insisted it was his decision to keep him out of the game -- Lewis was not injured in any way. Brennan Votel played well in Lewis' place and seems to have developed a pretty soft touch on his jumpshot. He also showed some range, hitting a three in the second half. Jack Eggleston was scrappy on the boards, pulling down 12 rebounds, but his interior defense needs work, as does Votel's. Then again, they probably won't have to go up against anyone as tough as Deon Thompson or Tyler Zeller too often, if at all, for the rest of the season.
- The other freshmen played, well, like freshmen, but not much else could have been expected. Mike Howlett adds size in the paint, but he's still certainly a work in progress. He never seemed to get comfortable after bricking his first shot almost immediately upon entering the game for the first time. Larry Loughery didn't add much at all, except for a flagrant foul late in the game that drew a chorus of boos from the Dean Dome. In limited action, Rob Belcore drained his only attempt, a three-pointer, which is exactly what he was brought in to do. His role should increase as the season progresses.
- Finally, though Roy Williams and Glen Miller tried to downplay it, Eggleston told me bluntly that a Tyler Hansbrough-less UNC team was a significantly weaker one. Without Hansbrough in the paint, Penn wasn't too severely outmatched on the glass, preventing the Heels from getting out in transition as much as they usually do. It was the transition game that killed Penn last year.
Hansbrough aside, it was an inspiring performance for the Quakers, who got off to such a slow start last season. So Penn fans, fear not. We didn't think we'd learn much from a season opener against the top team in the country, but we did. Right from the get go, Penn is ready to play ball.
Penn will take on Drexel on Tuesday morning at the DAC. Speaking about the early start, Bernardini joked that his pre-game meal will be a McGriddle before walking over to the gym. The breakfast of champions.
CHAPEL HILL, N.C.--Welcome to the Dean Dome, it's David Bernstein here for Penn's opener against North Carolina. The atmosphere is unreal--the 22,000-capacity stadium is nearly full. Tyler Hansbrough and Marcus Ginyard are out for the Tar Heels, and Penn will be without Andreas Schreiber, Aron Cohen and Darren Smith.
Final: UNC 86, Penn 71
First of all, our apologies for the lack of second-half updates, the internet in the Dean Dome and my old PC were not mixing.
But as you can see, UNC maintained the pace it had to end the half, and never really gave Penn a chance. Freshman Tyler Zeller and the UNC frontcourt burned Penn, and when that failed, the Tar Heels simply ran it down the Quakers' throats. Tyler Bernardini kept the Red and Blue in it, shooting lights-out and racking up 26 points.
Penn cut the lead to 10 with four minutes to go, but the Tar Heels' defense clamped down its perimeter defense. It was the closest Penn has been in its three-game series with UNC, but there was still a sense of dissatisfaction after the game--if a few more shots had fallen, and if a few passes were just a little bit crisper, it could have been a down-to-the-wire affair.
First Half Stats
Penn: Bernardini--12 points on three 3-pointers; Egee--eight points on two 3-pointers; Eggleston--six rebounds to go with two points and two assists.
UNC: Ellington--10 points and four assists; Thompson--10 points and five rebounds (two offensive); Davis--eight points and eight rebounds in just 11 minutes.
End First Half, UNC 48, Penn 33
Sorry, loyal Buzz readers, but the internet hit a rough patch here in the press section. UNC really clamped down to end the half, pounding it inside in its half-court offense, and scoring in transition the rest of the time. Penn scored the last points of the half after Bernardini fed Gaines in transition. Gaines hit the layup as he was fouled, but missed the free throw.
First-half stats will be posted when they arrive.
3:37 First Half, UNC 37, Penn 29
Penn barely breaks the Tar Heels trap, but it leads to a nice Egee dish to Bernardini inside. He's hacked, and his free throws are the first of the game for Penn--he hits one of two. Remy Cofield replaces Bernardini.
4:03 First Half, UNC 37, Penn 28
Egee comes out firing, and swishes a three from the corner. The Quakers are absolutely shooting the lights out right now.
UNC responds with an offensive board, and a Thompson bucket inside. Gaines is called for a push-off on Penn's next possession, a VERY questionable call that inspires Miller to put Votel and Belcore back into the game. But they can't stop Danny Green, who lays in a pretty finger roll on a drive to the hoop.
5:39 First Half, UNC 33, Penn 25
Mark it down--6:54 to go and Glen Miller's jacket is off. The coach is incensed after Bernardini is called for a charge. Seemed like a bad call from behind the basket.
The next possession, Ed Davis throws down a put-back jam, firing up the crowd. On the next UNC possession, Ellington hits a three from the right corner over the hands of Gaines, who's a little late getting there. Miller calls a timeout.
7:12 First Half, UNC 27, Penn 25
Rosen creates a nice opportunity for Bernardini, who nails yet another trifecta. Meanwhile, UNC coach Roy Williams is staying with what's working--pounding it inside. Deon Thompson is finishing strong, but right now the UNC student section (conveniently located one foot behind us) is a little deflated.
9:10 First Half, UNC 23, Penn 22
Miller is really going deep early, with freshman Mike Howlett coming into the game, and promptly bricking a jumper. Drew hits the front end of a one and one, and Bernardini nails a three from the top of the key after a UNC offensive foul.
10:17 First Half, UNC 22, Penn 19
The Quakers continue to set good screens on offense, setting up good looks. Egee just drained a three to cut the lead to one. But right after, Zeller is hammered by Votel, and he hits them both.
And the subsequent UNC press befuddles Penn, as Belcore steps out of bounds under pressure.
11:25 First Half, UNC 20, Penn 16
Coach Glen Miller deserves some credit for getting his team ready for this one--the Quakers are playing nice transition D and staying in it. Votel has hit a couple of buckets after a sloppy turnover to Ellington, and Gaines just hit a jumper off of a nasty move, spinning away from defender Larry Drew and draining the shot.
The Tar Heels are starting to work it inside more, and they're seeing some success. Quite simply, their bigs seem like giants in their, dwarfing the likes of Votel and Eggleston. Freshmen Rob Belcore and Larry Loughery stepped onto the court for their Red and Blue debuts, and Penn is really hanging in there right now.
15:05 First Half, UNC 9, Penn 7
Well look who it is. UNC guard Bobby Frasor gets into the game despite rumblings that he was going to miss the contest with his ACL injury. Meanwhile, Penn forward Brennan Votel puts in a bucket on an in-bounds play, and after a UNC bucket, Kevin Egee gets up and lays one in in transition.
15:56 First Half, UNC 7, Penn 3
Penn has worked mostly in a zone to start the game, a sort of trap zone. But the Quakers look slightly overmatched, having committed three fouls within the first three minutes of the game. Penn is fortunate that the Tar Heels' shots aren't falling.
After taking a 3-2 lead on a Bernardini jumper, Ellington comes out and drains a trey, and then slams one home in transition.
The Red and Blue are taking some questionable shots, but one early take-away: Rosen is truly running the offense. Talk about a memorable college debut, but let's see if he can help create some offense here.
Tonight's Starting Lineups:
Penn
G Tyler Bernardini
G Harrison Gaines
G Zack Rosen
F Jack Eggleston
F Cameron Lewis
UNC:
F Tyler Zeller
G/F Danny Green
F Deon Thompson
G Wayne Ellington
G Ty Lawson
Good afternoon from Franklin Field, Matt Flegenheimer here for an Ivy showdown between two 4-1 teams looking to break out of a three-way tie atop the conference. As has become a theme for home games this season, the wireless connection in the pressbox has been temperamental to say the least. We're already early in the second quarter, with neither team on the board yet. Penn came closest on its first drive, but saw a scoring chance slip away when Keiffer Garton's jump-ball lob to wideout Kyle Derham was deflected, then picked, by the Harvard secondary. Keep it with the Buzz the rest of the way for live updates on all the action.
Harvard 24 Penn 21, FINAL
Unbelievable. Garton was tremendous all drive, moving the chains with his legs and his arm to get Penn down to the 12. Then, with 16 seconds left, he overthrew Lawrence in the end zone, and the ball found the stomach of a Harvard defensive back. What a heartbreaker.
Harvard 24 Penn 21, 3:23 Q4
Drew Goldsmith and Joe Goniprow absolutely sandwich Pizzotti on first down for a five-yard loss, setting the stage for a quick three-and-out. Penn uses its last timeout with 3:29 left and takes over from its own 25 after a fair catch from Wynn. Does Garton have one more drive in him?
Harvard 24 Penn 21, 4:36 Q4
Penn gets another stop, and Garton cashes in this time. Beginning the drive at his own 46, Garton hit Lawrence for a couple of nice pickups, before calling his own number from the 13 with a run up the middle, carrying a couple of Crimson defenders into the end zone with him. It'll take another stop, but the Quakers have fought back valiantly in the second half.
Harvard 24 Penn 14, 7:27 Q4
One heartbreak after another near the goalline. Garton is sharp again on the ensuing drive, picking up a key first down to Blackmon on a broken play to get the ball to midfield, then hitting Tyler Fisher and Marcus Lawrence for sizable gains to get the ball to the 4. After a failed option toss to DiMaggio, Garton fired a bullet to Derham on 2nd and goal from the 6, which Derham appeared to corral for the score. The official, though, ruled the ball hit the turf first. Garton and Derham were both pleading their cases after the fact, but after another incompletion on third down, Penn was forced to settle for an Andrew Samson field goal attempt.
Which the kicker promptly pulled right of the goal posts to keep Penn down 10. Ugh.
Harvard 24 Penn 14, 11:43 Q4
Talk about a buzzkill. Fresh off of Garton's spectacular play, Harvard completes one of its own, a 42-yard bomb to 6-foot-6 wideout Matt Luft, with Chris Wynn all over him, down the left sideline to the 10. Two plays later, Pizzotti hits tight end Nicolai Schwarzkopf from two yards out for the score.
Harvard 17 Penn 14, 13:39 Q4
Wow, what a play! After big stop from the defense gives Penn the ball at its own 37, Garton corrals a bad snap, looks at Blackmon for a potential option toss, then keeps it himself, barreling up the middle, colliding with a blocker, then finding a seam out left with nothing but green in front of him. A Harvard defender caught up briefly for the last 20 yards or so, but Garton trudged down the left sideline for the score. The 63-yard scamper was Penn's longest play of the season.
Harvard 17 Penn 7, 0:43 Q3
Where was this all day? Garton looks sharp on a 12-play, 74-yard drive that finally gets the Quakers out of goose egg territory. The play of the drive came on a third down from the Harvard 39, when Garton found space on the left side and sprung free for 29 yards to set up first and goal. Three plays later, DiMaggio punched it in for pull the Red and Blue within 10.
Harvard 17 Penn 0, 6:55 Q3
The defense holds Pizzotti's attack to three, but it's now a three-possession game. Don't see how the Quakers can claw their way back into this one.
Harvard 14 Penn 0, 9:52 Q3
That might do it. Penn gets the three-and-out it desperately needed, but taking over from his own 30, Garton throws a pick on the first play of the drive, a badly underthrown ball inteded for Derham over the middle near midfield. Harvard corner Ryan Barnes barely has to move for the interception, and his return takes him down to Penn's 28.
Harvard 14 Penn 0, 10:56 Q3
A little life on offense for the Quakers, but no true threat. DiMaggio opened the drive with downhill runs of 11 and 12 yards, but the drive stalled before the Red and Blue could cross midfield. On third-and-five from the Penn 46, Garton tried to set up a screen for DiMaggio, but Crimson corner Collin Zych sniffed it out, dropping the Quakers' back for a loss. Harvard takes over with a chance to really put it out of reach.
Harvard 14 Penn 0, 14:38 Q3
Penn badly needed a stop to open up the second half. It didn't get one. On the second play from scrimmage, Harvard tailback Gino Gordon, on his first carry of the day, slid through the defensive line, juked out right and got past safety Jordan Manning--the Quakers' last hope on the play--to reach paydirt from 63 yards out. Considering the Red and Blue's offensive futility thus far today, the two-score deficit may be too much to overcome.
Harvard 7 Penn 0, Halftime
The Crimson are content to call a few runs and head into halftime with a lead. The Penn defense, frankly, has been strong as usual, often having to face Pizzotti's attack on a short field. The offense, though, has been anemic, showing few signs of life after an encouraging opening drive that ended in the Garton pick.
Halftime stats:
Penn
Garton: 7-8, 32 yards, INT
DiMaggio: 7 rushes, 20 yards; Garton 9 rushes, 26 yards
Derham: 2 catches, 18 yards
Harvard
Pizzotti: 8-11, 67 yards, TD, INT
Pizzotti: 4 rushes, 22 yards
Lorditch: 2 catches, 25 yards
Harvard 7 Penn 0, 1:34 Q2
Penn's offense can't get out of its own way. After a promising start to the drive--Bradford Blackmon, who's been lining up as a slot receiver on nearly every play, took a reverse for nine to set up a Matt Hamscher first-down run--an ilegal shift negates a nice completion from Garton to Blackmon that would have moved the chains again. Harvard takes over from its own 10 with one last scoring chance. We'll see if they choose to simply run out the clock.
Harvard 7 Penn 0, 6:04 Q2
Pizzotti makes amends with a touchdown toss, aided by a questionable penalty call. Defensive lineman Joe Goniprow was whistled for roughing the passer on the second play of the drive, which set up a PIzzotti strike to Richards on a 9-yard crossing pattern. Defensive back Tony Moses made a diving attempt to break the play up, but Richards had plenty of separation to give Pizzotti a passing window.
Harvard 0 Penn 0, 6:56 Q2
Huge play from Chris Wynn with the Crimson threatening. Harvard quarterback Chris Pizzotti had led a methodical drive deep into Quakers territory, but on second down from the Penn 15, Pizzotti found Wynn--the Red and Blue's All-Ivy corner--instead of intended receiver Levi Richards. Wynn read the play beautifully, leaving his own man to cut into the passing lane, then tipping the ball to himself with the right hand and securing it a couple of yards into the end zone.
Penn goes backwards on its next drive, though, and a poor punt from Scooter Belasco (who botched a perfect snap earlier in the game) gives the Crimson the ball back on the Penn 34.
Although rankings don't directly impact college basketball in the way they do college football, nothing quite compares to the burgeoning past time of "bracketology." Created by former Saint Joesph's SID Joe Lunardi, the practice of creating mock brackets throughout the season has become quite popular. In fact, Lunardi's bracketology updates can get 10 million hits in February and March.
So without further ado, here is the first Bracketology of the 2008 season. From now on, every time one comes out, I'll post it here and explain how the Ivy and Big 5 teams are doing.
Currently, Cornell is the conference rep, and this probably won't change until the Ivy League season gets under way.
Meanwhile, two Big Five teams have berths. (Saint Joseph's is the seventh team "left out.") Villanova, in one of Lunardi's more head-scratching decisions, is a six seed facing Kent State. Yet they're playing in Dayton, Ohio, which is about 3 hours and 30 minutes from the Golden Flashes' campus.
But even craizer is Temple, which as an 11 seed is playing Arizona St. in.... PHILADELPHIA! So much for preventing lower-seeded teams from having a distinct home court advantage.
But in addition to bracketology, which obviously has a national focus, there's a brand-new ranking out that is definitively local in flavor. DP alum Jonathan Tannenwald, of Soft Pretzel Logic fame, recently started "The Schuykill 16" which is a poll of the 16 D-I teams that play closest to Philadelphia, more or less.
The poll is comprised of voters of different backgrounds and slants. This includes MSM writers, bloggers and even the president of the DAC Pack. And no less than three people have connections to The DP, including myself.
Just like with Bracketology, I'll post the results for this poll each week when they come out, as well as my own ballot. (You can see this week's after the jump.)
1. Villanova
2. St. Joe's
3. Temple
4. Penn State
5. Rider
6. La Salle
7. Bucknell
8. Drexel
9. Rutgers
10. Penn
11. Delaware
12. Lafayatte
13. Lehigh
14. Princeton
15. Monmouth
16. Delaware St.
Too be honest, I'm not a fan of preseason polls. I prefer to rank teams based on what they've actually done, rather than what they're supposed to do. In fact, for this one, I just ranked them strictly according to their Sagarin ratings.
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