Did you miss Steve Bilsky yet? Well, he won't be that far away.
When Bilsky's 20 years as Penn's Athletic Director comes to a close on June 30, Bilsky will become the Executive Director of the Big 5, starting in July.
“The Big 5 Athletic Directors could not imagine a better person to assume this position than Steve,” Dr. Thomas Brennan, Director of Athletics at La Salle University, and Chair of the Big 5 Athletic Director Council, said in a release. “The Big 5 is an historic institution in Philadelphia, and Steve understands its importance, the landscape of Philadelphia sports, and the challenges and opportunities facing all of the Big 5 schools.”
Bilsky is a member of the Big 5 Hall of Fame for his time as Penn basketball's point guard in the late 1960s/early 70s.
The Big 5 was first formed in Houston Hall in 1954 and has been an institution of Philadelphia college sports for the last 60 years, with Penn, Temple, St. Joseph's, Villanova and La Salle encompassing the group.
“It is a real honor to represent my friends and colleagues at La Salle, Saint Joseph’s, Temple, Villanova and, of course, Penn,” Bilsky said in a release. “More than 60 years ago, those Athletic Directors had a vision which became an enterprise that has never been matched by any city in our country. While collegiate athletics has certainly changed over time, I can say proudly that the commitment to this institution called the Big 5 remains as strong as ever
There was a lot for the Quakers to be excited about on Sunday as they swept the last two games of a four-game set with Cornell. Penn baseball is now 11-1 in Ivy play, two games ahead of Columbia for the lead in the Gehrig Division. Here is the good, the extremely good and the ugly from a sunny Sunday at Meiklejohn Stadium.
The Good: Pitching, pitching, pitching
The Red and Blue turned to a pair of junior pitchers to pick up wins on Sunday and both were happy to oblige. Connor Cuff began the day with a complete game, battling through some tough situations (especially the fourth and fifth innings) to pick up his fourth win of the year.
Meanwhile, Glenn was in much more trouble more often yet bested Cuff by not allowing a run during his start, leaving the game with a 9-0 lead. It was one of Glenn's best box scores of the year, holding down the fort as Penn's offense went to work.
The Extremely Good: Celebrations
The Quakers know how to celebrate and have fun in games. Whenever senior outfielder Rick Brebner came to bat, the entire bench would break out in dance to Brebner's at-bat music, including a quality version of the Bernie by senior Matt Gotschall. And after Cuff finished off the first win, the fist pump and shouts from the junior pitcher displayed pretty clearly the importance of the big win for Penn.'
The Ugly: Cornell in the field
It certainly was not a banner day for the Big Red as they tried to field the ball. A second inning dribbler up the line was thrown down the line instead of getting an easy out, letting Penn pick up a run. All in all, Cornell committed four errors in the first game of the doubleheader, all of that coming before letting a pop-up drop in the middle of the infield during game two. Yikes is all there is to say.
There have been few teams as solid in Ivy play so far as Penn men’s tennis, a squad that is off to a 2-1 start in conference play. The Quakers have matchups up north with No. 31 Harvard and Dartmouth. How will the Red and Blue fare in these crucial Ivy matches? We give you who is up and who is down for Penn’s weekend away from home.
Three Up
Matt Nardella — The Penn freshman is coming off a strong weekend against Yale and Brown, winning both of his singles matchups at No. 5 and winning his doubles matchup with fellow-freshman Marshall Sharp against the Bears. Nardella has been one of the few constants for the Red and Blue this year and has the potential to be a difference maker against Harvard and Dartmouth.
Denis Nguyen — The Harvard junior has been solid at No. 1 for the Crimson, going 8-3 so far on the year. Harvard has been 10-3 overall at the No. 1 spot, and Nguyen will look to continue that when the Crimson take on both Penn and Princeton over the weekend up in Cambridge.
Vim De Alwis — Despite losing his last match — at No. 2 vs. Yale — De Alwis has had a strong sophomore campaign for the Red and Blue, winning at No. 1 last weekend against Brown. The sophomore clinched that win, and he’ll try to follow that up this weekend.
Three Down
Spring Fling — With road matches on Saturday and Sunday, the Quakers won’t have the opportunity to enjoy the weekend in quite the same way as the rest of campus. Instead, the jubilation will have to come from playing some big Ivy matchups while trying to stay over .500 in the Ancient Eight.
Injuries — If you looked at the DP earlier this week, you would have seen the details of the Red and Blue’s struggles with injuries all year. Penn will have to make due with many key contributors either gone for the year (Ismael Lahlou comes to mind) or banged up, which makes for a tough weekend, especially against the nationally ranked Crimson on Saturday.
Everyone besides Columbia — Both Harvard and Dartmouth split Ivy matchups last weekend, losing to the Lions from Morningside Heights, N.Y. Columbia is the highest ranked team of any Ivy squad, and the Quakers will host the Lions a week after facing Harvard and Dartmouth. Columbia leads the Ivy League at the current moment, and it seems like none of these three squads has a strong chance of catching them.
By Associate Sports Editor Colin Henderson
Penn baseball may have had its 11 game winning streak snapped in an extra-innings overtime loss to St. Joseph’s on Tuesday, but the Quakers have been rewarded for their efforts nonetheless.
CollegeBaseballInsider.com has announced that Penn (15-11, 8-0 Ivy) has been named its Louisville Slugger Team of the Week.
The achievement was well earned by the athletes of Penn baseball. Prior to their loss on Tuesday, the Quakers had gone undefeated in their nine contests since March 31. Additionally, Penn’s perfect 8-0 start in Ivy League play – including victories over Yale, Brown, Harvard, and Dartmouth – is the best Ivy start in program history.
Offensively, the team has been led by senior outfielder Rick Brebner, who has been named Ivy Player of the Week for the first time in team history. Brebner has been a force at the plate all season, posting a 1.150 slugging percentage to go along with his Ivy League leading 7 home runs.
From the mound, the Quakers have been led by junior righty Connor Cuff, who has been named Big 5 Co-Pitcher of the Week. Cuff has posted a 1.21 ERA and a 3-1 record thus far this season.
The Quakers will look to recover from their loss to St. Joe’s and get their momentum moving back in the right direction today at home against St. Peter’s.
Penn’s track and field campaign this year has been dominated by headline-getters such as Sam Mattis and Thomas Awad, breaking school records despite the team getting flung all over the East Coast. But what should we expect from the Quakers for the rest of the season? Sports Editor Ian Wenik and Associate Sports Editor Colin Henderson discuss:
Sports Editor Ian Wenik: It’s tough to pin down specific expectations for the Red and Blue, considering just how big and diverse the team is, but if you’re going to force me to pick one event group, then I would have to say that people should expect bigger and better things from Penn’s relay teams in the coming weeks.
Consider Penn’s most recent relay performance at last week’s Sam Howell Invitational. The men’s 4x400-meter relay won with an impressive time of 3:16.74, a mark certainly aided by the presence of veteran sprinter Tom Timmins as the anchor leg. The women’s 4x400m relay team certainly did well in its own right, finishing in fifth place. I expect those strong performances to continue.
And you should expect big things from the 4x100m relay teams looking forward as well, as sprinters like Heather Bong and Brandon Senior get shuffled into coach Steve Dolan’s lineups.
Associate Sports Editor Colin Henderson: I completely agree with you, Ian. I really think that Penn’s relay teams have what it takes to put up some strong times as we approach some of the season’s biggest meets, especially the Penn Relays. Both the men’s and women’s sprint and middle-distance teams have a lot of speed and, more importantly, a lot of veteran leadership from seasoned competitors like Lydia Ali and Mato Bekelja.
But I also think that we would be remiss not to mention the throwers. They might not get as much shine as some of the runners, but they may be the standout athletes of the outdoor season thus far. I’m not sure that they have the depth to compete with some other Ivy throwing squads moving forward, but athletes like Sam Mattis, Jake Brenza and Nailah Hill could definitely make some noise as individuals.
IW: The throwers have been solid for sure, but I think that Penn’s best non-running event squad has been its jumpers. I mean, we all know how strong Maalik Reynolds has been as a high jumper, considering his All-American credentials, but he’s starting to get some company at the top. How about Thomas Pitt, who finished just .03 meters behind Reynolds last weekend? Or Noel Jancewicz, who’s quickly established herself as the top high jumper on the women’s team in her first outdoor season?
And I would be remiss to mention the long jumpers, who are starting to round into form as well. Junior Jenny Thompson came in eighth place last weekend in the triple jump, while Pitt can also certainly transfer his high jump talents to the sand pit.
CH: All are certainly valid points. I think it will be especially interesting to see how Reynolds, who underperformed at indoor Heps, and Jancewicz, who is still learning her role as a multi-event athletes, finish the season.
But I also think that it’s important to keep things in perspective. Penn is still a young and inexperienced squad. It is unreasonable to expect either the men or women to make a run at an Ivy title for at least another year or two. But if the younger athletes can gain some experience and some of Penn’s stars can flex their muscles toward the end of the year, coach Dolan has a lot to be excited about moving forward.
What a way to kick off the Ivy season. After starting the 2014 campaign with nine losses in its first 11 games, the Penn baseball team has rebounded, notching 11 consecutive wins, including its first eight in Ivy play. Not bad for a team that won seven Ancient Eight contests all of last season.
But the Quakers still have plenty of work left to do. Before four games against Cornell this upcoming weekend, the Red and Blue (15-10, 8-0 Ivy) take a break to host St. Joseph’s (15-9) on Tuesday in the second round of the Liberty Bell Classic. Let’s take a look at who’s up and who’s down entering the matinee.
Three Up
Rick Brebner: The senior from Langhorne, Pa., is certainly anything but boring. A season after the outfielder finished tied for the team lead in home runs, Brebner has picked up right where he left off — although arguably with even more success in 2014. Playing on a team that packs quite a bit of pop at the plate, Brebner has led the charge of Penn’s home run crusade. In 25 games, the veteran has smacked seven homers and piled on 25 RBI. Brebner’s seven bombs account for slightly more than 10 percent of the home runs hit by the entire Ivy League this year, as the conference’s eight teams have combined for 69 homers overall.
The Quakers on the mound: Everyone knows Connor Cuff is a star on the rubber. But the way Cuff has been neutralizing opponents this season is downright impressive. The junior righty leads the Ivies with a 1.12 ERA and is tied for second with three wins. But juniors Dan Gautieri and Ronnie Glenn and freshman Jake Cousins have all been on top of their games as well this season, combining for a 7-5 record in 14 starts.
Brian O’Keefe: St. Joe’s junior catcher leads the Hawks with a .363 batting average and four home runs and is second on the team with 23 RBI. The Hawks star behind the plate has also generated 13 walks this year, and his .431 on-base percentage is third-best on the team. The Albany, N.Y., native was named Atlantic-10 Player of the Week after last weekend’s series in which he hit .857 and scored seven runs against St. Bonaventure.
Three Down
St. Joe’s on the road: While the Quakers may be the ones getting most of the spotlight right now, the Hawks have had their fair share of success this season. St. Joe’s has won seven of its past 10 games, and currently sits in fourth place in the A-10 after dropping two of three to VCU over the weekend. But the Hawks have struggled on the road, losing five of nine contests away from Smithson Field, and are looking to rebound against Penn at Meiklejohn Stadium.
Penn’s schedule: The past week has been packed for the Quakers. After Penn’s first two Ivy doubleheaders had to be pushed back to March 31 and April 1, respectively, due to rain, the Quakers played five games in a three-day period, including a win over Lafayette to advance in the Liberty Bell Classic. Throw in Penn’s four games against Harvard and Dartmouth, plus Tuesday’s game against St. Joe’s and Wednesday’s matchup with Saint Peter’s, and the Red and Blue will have taken the field 11 times in 10 days.
K’s everywhere: The Hawks are a solid hitting team, as evidenced by their .285 batting average that ranks second in the A-10. But St. Joe’s also strikes out quite a bit — the squad has fanned 170 times this year, 18 more times than its opponents and 11 more times than Penn, a team that has already played one more game.
This past weekend featured a full plate of action for Penn’s spring sports teams. From John Yurkow’s baseball squad picking up its 11th consecutive victory to the men’s lacrosse team staving off a comeback from pesky Brown, there have been plenty of highlights for the Red and Blue over the past few days. With the spring season far from over, some Penn squads are in better positions than others to compete for Ivy titles. But which team is in the best position? Our editors weigh in.
Sports Editor Riley Steele: When Yurkow was hired over the summer to take the reigns of Penn baseball, I don’t think anybody expected this kind of run from the team. In Yurkow’s first season as skipper, it was fair to expect considerable growing pains. And the Quakers experienced quite a few of them, dropping their first six games of the season and returning home from spring break with a 2-9 record. Since then, this team has been red hot. The Red and Blue have won 11 straight and 13 of 14 overall.
The Quakers' strengths were all on display this weekend. Led by Connor Cuff and bolstered by the addition of freshman Jake Cousins, a deep and experienced pitching staff gave up only 13 runs in four games. Rick Brebner bolstered his Ivy League-leading home run total to seven, and Austin Bossart and Mike Vilardo continue to produce for the Quakers. Now that the Red and Blue sit atop the Ivy League with an undefeated conference record, it’s time for the rest of the Ancient Eight to pay attention.
Sports Editor Ian Wenik: I’m going to pick a lacrosse team for this one, but it’s not going to be the men — it’ll be the women. See, the funny thing is that despite losing to then-No. 6 Northwestern on Sunday, 7-2, the Quakers actually moved up in the IWCLA rankings this week, up to the No. 9 slot. Entering the bulk of Ivy play sitting at 6-3, Penn’s only losses this season are to the No. 1 (UNC), No. 2 (Maryland) and No. 5 (Northwestern) teams in the country.
What does that spell for the Ivy League? Pretty bad news, considering that the Red and Blue are entering conference play with two wins in hand after toppling Harvard and Yale back during spring break. Making matters worse for the Ancient Eight is a sterling Quakers defense that has really buckled down after giving up 15 goals in that loss to Maryland — goalie Lucy Ferguson’s third Ivy Defensive Player of the Week nod is proof enough.
Senior Sports Editor Steven Tydings: No. 11 Penn men’s lacrosse doesn’t seem to be in position to win the Ivy League title but the Quakers’ postseason hopes are invariably intertwined with their Ivy performance. The Red and Blue sit at 2-2 in Ivy play, losing to arguably the two best teams — Cornell and Princeton — while pulling out key wins over No. 13 Yale and Brown. And the Quakers’ biggest test will be a matchup with Harvard at Franklin Field this Saturday as the Crimson come in with a 3-0 Ivy record.
At two losses, the Red and Blue aren’t likely to win the regular season title but a win against Harvard would go a long way to getting Penn into the Ivy League Tournament, which is a must. At least one win in that tourney is likely the barrier for entry to the NCAA Tournament, if not winning the Ivy League.
Penn’s senior leadership will be key down the stretch, whether it’s Brian Feeney in goal or Zack Losco in the midfield, as the Quakers pursue that elusive NCAA bid.
Penn baseball is off to a blazing 8-0 start in Ivy League play and is riding an 11-game win streak. We caught up with head coach John Yurkow after his squad swept road doubleheaders against Harvard and Dartmouth this past weekend.
Daily Pennsylvanian: You guys are now 8-0 in Ivy play, having won 11 straight [games] . What do you have to say about how well this team is playing and how confident they are?
John Yurkow: They’re playing really well. Twice, we were down on this trip. They were unfazed even though we went down by a few runs. They weren’t worried about it, they came storming right back. There’s just a really good energy in the dugout right now. It’s fun being around them. They’re playing well.
DP: Would you say that the comeback win in game one against Harvard on Saturday gave you some momentum and energy that carried you guys through the weekend?
JY: Absolutely. They’re a pretty good team. They’re well coached and they threw some pretty good arms out there against us. They hopped on us early, but we were able to bounce back pretty quick. Those are signs of a good team.
DP: Can you talk about the importance of getting sweeps on the road, especially given that this is the first time Dartmouth has been swept at Biondi Park (which was built prior to the 2009 season)?
JY: Yeah, that’s the first time that [Dartmouth has] lost a home doubleheader at that park. Any time you can go on the road and beat a team, it demoralizes them a little bit. It’s always gonna be a little tougher on the road. We talk about that all the time — that we need to tighten things up on the road. You’re not gonna get as many calls from the umpires, and you’re playing further up north, so the weather’s gonna be a little colder and windier. We really showed some fight and were able to battle through things this weekend, which was good to see.
DP: Can you talk about the luxury of having Dan Gautieri and Connor Cuff start the earlier games of doubleheaders? It seems like they’re good for a complete game every time.
JY: That’s a huge lift to the staff, because when you’re on the road, you’re limited to your travel roster. You don’t have your full staff when you’re traveling — we had four arms we had to leave at home. It’s critical if you can get those seven inning games for Danny and Connor to go out and throw complete games. It’s a huge lift because you’re gonna need your bullpen more in those nine inning games. We were pretty well rested because of that.
DP: Can you talk about the offensive performance this weekend? Both days it seemed like you were able to get varied contributions both to gain and extend leads.
JY: Mitch Montaldo, he really bounced back. He had a better day [Sunday] with some big hits. Ryan Mincher is slowly raising his average. Him and Mike Vilardo got some big hits for us. His home run in the first game [against Dartmouth on Sunday] was a big one. It got us some momentum and we were able to expand upon it. Rick Brebner is still swinging the bat well. [Connor] Betbeze got a few hits and Brandon Engelhardt is starting to raise his average too. It’s definitely a well-rounded effort. If you’re going to have a good offense that scores a lot of runs, you need to get everybody going and everybody helping out.
Penn football’s spring season culminated on Saturday with its annual inter-squad Spring Game. We give you our biggest takeaways from the offensive side of the ball.
QBs
With senior quarterbacks Billy Ragone and Ryan Becker departed, the Quakers’ quarterback competition is the biggest positional battle to keep an eye on heading into the 2014 season.
Freshman quarterback Alek Torgereon, who showed flashes of potential against Cornell last season, started the first two series, and was followed by junior Patton Chillura.
The main battle appears to be between Torgersen and Chillura, as the two split that majority of the snaps behind center. The focus was also clearly on the passing games, as handoffs were few and far between, apart from the short yardage situations.
One did not clearly outperform the other, as both QB’s completed roughly a third of their passes for under 60 yards along with a TD and a pick.
Both quarterbacks struggled and looked out of sync with their wideouts early on, as the pair went a combined 0-for-8 with a pick in the first four series.
The early struggles were not too surprising given the lack of experience the two arms have, couple with the wind the was swirling through Franklin Field on Saturday.
The QBs eventually started to find more of a rhythm, and both were able to execute pretty touchdown passes to a tight end – Torgersen a 19-yarder to Mitch King, and Chillura a nine-yard connection to Ryan Kelly.
One piece of good news given the inexperience of Penn’s quarterbacks is that they have a handful of tall, talented weapons to throw to this season.
Sophomore QB Andrew Lisa also got a few snaps, completing a five-yard pass, and scrambling for 20 yards.
Freshman QB Adam Strauss saw the field as well, although his role is still undefined according to coach Al Bagnoli. Strauss did not throw a pass and instead worked on running the ball in short yardage situations.
RBs
In his limited amount of action running the ball, junior Kyle Wilcox displayed his ability to both plunge up the middle and scamper outside for chunks of yardage, as the Quakers have come to expect.
Sophomore Mike Elespuru and freshman Ryan Ripp also saw considerable action in the backfield.
Holes proved hard to come by, as both backs averaged under two yards on the day.
The Quakers’ line will certainly be something to keep an eye on, given that it endured some struggles last year, and will need to provide as much help as possible to the Quakers’ inexperience signal callers this year.
Junior flex-back Spencer Kulcsar – who led the Quakers with 110 carries last season – saw minimal time in the backfield, and rather spent his time in the slot at receiver.
Kulcsar corralled a handful of short-to-intermediate passes, and provided one of the day’s highlights when he broke a tackle in the left flat and bolted for a long touchdown.
Looking at the backfield situation, Wilcox will likely be the man, and Elespuru should be expected to see an increase from his 24 carry total last year, especially with Kulcsar playing wide receiver more often, according to Bagnoli.
Wilcox and Elespuru will play critical roles this year, as the experienced backs will likely often be called upon to both establish and extend drives.
With standout seniors Conner Scott and Ty Taylor returning, the receiving corps should be one of Penn’s biggest strengths in 2014. Scott and Taylor saw a handful of snaps, but Saturday was mostly about giving other receiving hopefuls reps.
6-foot-3 junior Cole Stern, who didn’t see any action last year, had himself a nice day in the slot, hauling in two balls for a team high 33 receiving yards.
Fellow junior Danny Gallagher also found himself busy, and posted a team-high three receptions.
Sophomore Christian Stapleton lined up outside on a significant number of snaps, but didn’t find himself in the mix.
Freshman Danny Ferens continued to show potential, making a nice catch over the middle in his limited action.
The one real deviation from the typical gameplan was a jet sweep to freshman Mason Bryant, which went for three yards.
TE
The tight ends had a solid showing on Saturday, catching the only two touchdown passes of the day. Mitchell King’s score was particularly impressive, as he was able to make an adjustment and climb the ladder to haul in a Torgersen pass in the back corner of the end zone.
As indicated in the Spring Game, the Quakers are going to look to take advantage of the size advantage their tight ends give them in the red zone – Ryan Kelly is 6-foot-4, King is 6-foot-6 and Ryan O’Malley is 6-foot-5.
Senior outfielder Rick Brebner was named Ivy League Player of the Week for the first time in his career after leading the Quakers to five straight wins over the week ending on April 1st. Facing arms from Villanova, Yale and Brown, Brebner hit .364 with four doubles, two home runs and 10 RBI.
The Langhorne, Pa. native’s biggest game of the week came in the second contest of Penn’s doubleheader versus Yale on Monday, where he went 4-for-5 with four RBI and two runs.
Brebner’s bat remained hot on Wednesday in Penn’s 11-5 win over Lafayette, as he went deep twice, driving in five runs along the way.
Brebner has started every game this year for the Quakers, hitting .321 overall with a team-leading five home runs and .605 slugging percentage. Brebner has thus far displayed the most power in a Penn lineup that has belted 23 bombs, an Ivy League high by a significant margin.
Brebner’s honor represents the second straight week a Penn outfielder has been named Ivy Player of the Week, as sophomore Gary Tesch took home the award the week before.
Consider our bracket alive — but just barely so. DPOSTM lost three of its Final Four teams — two in the Elite Eight, another in the Sweet Sixteen — but is still clinging onto its championship prediction of Florida. Let’s take a look back at last week’s craziness and look forward to the culmination of it all.
What We Got Right
Florida advancing easily
As predicted, the Gators emerged from the South regional with relative ease, toying with UCLA in the Sweet Sixteen before holding overmatched Dayton at arms length in the Elite Eight. The catalyst for Florida’s ticket to the Final Four? The electric play of point guard Scottie Wilbekin, who dropped 23 points against the Flyers, while also picking up three steals.
Michigan State toppling Virginia
In one of the tournament’s most thrilling games, the Spartans and Cavaliers went toe-to-toe at Madison Square Garden, with neither team budging an inch. Coach Tom Izzo’s decision to order an intentional miss of a late free throw that gave Virginia one last heave at the basket might have been risky, but his decision to leave the ball in the hands of Branden Dawson wasn’t — the junior guard pulled down 10 rebounds and accounted for almost half his team’s points in the 61-59 Michigan State win.
What We Got Wrong
Doubting John Calipari and Kentucky
I suppose we now know what the “real” Kentucky is. The Wildcats banded together to pick up two clutch wins over last year’s national finalists, Louisville and Michigan, looking experienced beyond their years in the process. Few people in Lexington will ever forget the sight of Aaron Harrison nailing a contested three-pointer with 2.3 seconds remaining in Kentucky’s Elite Eight matchup with the Wolverines, which clinched the program’s third Final Four appearance in four years.
Expecting history to repeat itself for Wisconsin
Badgers coach Bo Ryan traditionally attended the Final Four with his late father after his team had been eliminated. Now, he’ll be coaching on college basketball’s biggest stage. His Wisconsin squad barely outlasted top-seeded Arizona in overtime, 64-63, sending home one of DPOSTM’s Final Four picks and chasing away all the ugly memories of previous early NCAA Tournament exits in the process. His team has as good a shot as any in the semifinals.
Final Four Predictions
Sports Editor Ian Wenik
Florida (1) over UConn (7)
Sure, UConn beat Florida back when these two teams met in December, 65-64. But it took a miracle Shabazz Napier buzzer beater to beat the Gators back then, and it will take even more now, considering that was the last time Florida lost a game.
Equally disconcerting for the Huskies has to be the fact that they got virtually nothing from their frontcourt in their 60-54 win over Michigan State in the Elite Eight, as forwards Philip Nolan, Amida Brimah, Niels Giffey and DeAndre Daniels combined to shoot 8-for-24 from the field. That kind of effort will put UConn behind the eight ball very early on.
For Florida, Patric Young must be salivating at the prospect of taking on UConn’s soft frontcourt. He’s racked up eight blocks in the tournament, four of them coming in the Elite Eight against Dayton. I don’t see the Huskies having anything that even resembles an answer to either him or defensive-minded frontcourt-mate Will Yeguete on the boards.
All that considered, I don’t see any way Florida lets itself get caught napping for this game. The Gators have that loss from December firmly in the back of their minds, and are just too focused to let a repeat failure occur. Florida wins big.
Kentucky (8) over Wisconsin (2)
You can stop with all the Old School jokes about Wisconsin forward Frank “the tank” Kaminsky now. Sure, he bullied his way to 28 points and 11 boards in the Elite Eight, but Arizona simply didn’t have anyone that possessed the size or quickness to contend with him. Kentucky does.
Whether it’s freshman Dakari Johnson — a space-filling seven -footer — or likely lottery pick Julius Randle, the Wildcats have plenty of kinks to throw into Kaminsky’s game. Of course, Wisconsin has outstanding three-point shooters in Ben Brust and Sam Decker, but the Wildcats also have enough on the perimeter to force the ball into bricklayer Traveon Jackson’s hands.
Offensively, Kentucky’s dribble drive will be able to speed the game up to a level that the Badgers usually shun, which opens the door up to transition opportunities for Randle, along with Aaron and Andrew Harrison.
And that’s what’s going to be the difference. Kentucky’s youth will be able to run up and down the floor, ultimately running Wisconsin out of the tournament.
National Title Game
Florida (1) over Kentucky (8)
The supposedly-weak state of the SEC was used as a point of criticism against Florida all year long. Well, now that the conferences has two teams in the Final Four, who’s laughing now?
Florida probably is. After all, the Gators have beaten the Wildcats three times this year: at home, on the road and on a neutral floor. The closest of those contests was the SEC Tournament final, in which Florida only escaped by one point, 61-60. In that contest, Kentucky neutralized Young, Yeguete and Casey Prather, daring Florida to win through its jump shooting.
But that’s what the Gators did — Wilbekin and Michael Frazier II hit seven threes — and that’s what they’ll do again at AT&T Stadium. Wilbekin has shown too much poise in this tournament to back down when it matters most, not on the biggest stage of all, and especially not against a conference rival like the Wildcats.
Don’t get me wrong, this will be a close game, and Florida will get tested just as much as it did in the SEC Final. That doesn’t mean the result isn’t going to be the same in the end.
DPOSTM’s original championship prediction holds, as the Gators cut down the nets after winning their 32nd game in a row.
Final Four Predictions
Senior Sports Editor Steven Tydings
UConn (7) over Florida (1)
Oh Ian, I’m not going to let you go chalk all the way to the end. No. 1 overall is not destined for another run to the end like Louisville last year. Instead, much like Kemba Walker did for the Huskies in 2011, a senior point guard in Napier is ready to take Connecticut to the national title game. After all, it was this same Huskies squad that dealt Florida its most recent loss, all the way back in December.
I learned in 2011 not to doubt a star guard playing for Connecticut, regardless of whether it’s Jim Calhoun or Kevin Ollie coaching the Huskies. Call me crazy, but with all the hype around a group of freshmen this year (Jabari Parker and Andrew Wiggins to name a few), it’s going to be the senior guard getting things done.
Kentucky (8) over Wisconsin (2)
There is nothing more infuriating than watching Big Ten basketball (I’d much rather watch most Ivy games than boring Wisconsin-Purdue affairs). Therefore, I’ve got to go against the Badgers. Sure, Wisconsin has a grade-A quality mascot (Badgers are pretty awesome) but Kentucky is peaking at the right time and coach John Calipari is doing some of his best work at the perfect time.
National Title Game
Kentucky (8) over UConn (7)
Yes, this kind of contradicts my ‘senior star point guard trumps all’ rant from above, but these Wildcats from Lexington, Ky. are some of the most electrifying players I’ve seen in a while. With the way that freshmen Aaron Harrison and Randle are playing, not to mention a plethora of other guys at Calipari’s disposal, this is another year for a group of extremely talented first-years to take the NCAA by storm and give the preseason No. 1 overall team — Kentucky — its second championship in three years.
After two years as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator for Penn basketball under coach Jerome Allen, Scott Pera left last week, moving to a job on Mike Rhoades’ staff at Rice. The Daily Pennsylvanian spoke with Pera about the move and the trajectory of Penn basketball.
Daily Pennsylvanian: What was the reasoning behind the move to Rice and what is your relationship with coach Mike Rhoades?
Scott Pera: Coach Rhoades and I go back 20 years. When coach Rhoades was a college player at Lebanon Valley college, I was the high school coach at Annville High School. They were located about four blocks apart. We were very friendly during his playing days and it grew as we grew older and fortunately life has taken us to the point where we are both Division I assistant coaches all these years later. Each spring we both have our opportunities and maybe try and get head coaching jobs and Mike has been involved in a few [job openings] recently due to his success at VCU. We always talk about coaching together and how it’d be a dream of ours. When he got this, he called and made me an offer I couldn’t refuse.
DP: Obviously assistants move around a lot but how did coach Allen and rest of the staff react to the move?
SP: First of all, those guys are some of the greatest people, not only that I have gotten to work with but that I’ve ever gotten to know. They handled it as I thought they would handle it: professionally. It couldn’t have been more professional in how they handled it and I hope they felt that I handled it professionally as well. I certainly cannot say enough good things or how much I appreciate the kind of human beings coach [Jerome] Allen is, coach [Ira] Bowman, coach [Jason] Polykoff, coach [Mike] Lintulahti, they’re a great group of people.
DP: What was it like working with coach Allen, both how the dynamic between you guys worked game to game but also considering that you came in with a whole new staff in 2012?
SP: There’s always an adjustment period when new people who don’t each other come in but like I said, they couldn’t have had their arms more open and been more warm to me being part of the staff. Working with coach Allen, I learned a lot, not just about coaching basketball but also about life in the two years I spent with him. I’m just really appreciative about my time spent at Penn.
DP: Can you talk about your relationship with coach Bowman, Polykoff and Lintulahti? How do you think they’ll adjust since they may have bigger roles in the future?
SP: I don’t make those decisions. Coach Allen will make those decisions with the staff but obviously I think those guys are bright coaches with bright futures whether they move up at Penn or are hired by somebody else. They’re caring guys who want to teach kids about life as well as basketball and they’re going to be terrific coaches no matter what situation they’re put in.
DP: There has been a lot of criticism of the Penn program recently. What do you think about the direction of the program with the team struggling the last couple years?
SP: Obviously, one of my biggest, I don’t know if I want to use the word regret, but obviously, we all wanted to win more basketball games. My time spent at Penn I will always look back as more favorable and pleasant but I wish it could have come with more wins. That’s what we’re in the business to do and unfortunately, that wasn’t the case.
As far as moving forward, I have the utmost confidence that coach Allen will win more games and, whatever words you want to use or clichés, right the ship or get it right, just based on how hard he works and much he cares and the types of kids we have coming in this year will really benefit the program. And the recruiting moving forward should be a plus as well.
DP: How important over the last few years has been your relationship with senior captain Miles Jackson-Cartwright, who you had known for a while before Penn?
SP: First of all, I really enjoyed coaching Miles. I enjoyed being around Miles, all the times I got to spend with him. Again, I think we both look each other in the eye and just wish we had won more games together. He probably feels bad about that and he has no idea the level that I feel bad about that, because I know how hard he worked and I wanted to see the results be related how hard he worked. But personally, I think very highly of Miles. I look forward to Miles hopefully being a friend of mine for the rest of my life and I look forward to seeing what the next step is in his life.
DP: What can you say about criticism with regards to the team’s player development and players not taking the next step forward?
SP: There are reasons why the perception on the outside of things occurs the way they think they occur. You have a staff of guys teaching and developing everybody on the team. Did it translate to the wins we all wanted it to? No, but by no means do I think any of that is related to somebody’s perception on the outside of what they think somebody should be doing. I guess those people, whoever they may be, should get into coaching if they think they’re so smart.
DP: Now that you are away from the Ivies, what do you think about the balance of power in the Ancient Eight? Why is Harvard, at least by perception, head and shoulders above everyone?
SP: First of all, I think it’s a very good league. Obviously Harvard has done a lot for raising that bar or that perception nationally of what time of league this is. You look at the type of games that Columbia lost this year at Michigan State in the last minute, the game that Yale lose by one to Providence, these [games against] high major schools. The Ivy League has closed the gap in that fashion and it is a very difficult league. Yes, Harvard has had its run but over a 25 or 30-year period, Princeton and Penn has pretty good runs. It is up to the rest of the league to catch [Harvard] right now but I think things are cyclical and with the strong coaches that are in the league, you never know how things can turn. Certainly I have tremendous respect for Harvard and what coach Amaker has done.
DP: As someone who has worked both within and outside of the Ivy League, what are your thoughts on the fact that the Ivy League does not have a postseason tournament?
SP: It’s kind of mixed. I’m an old school, traditionalist kind of guy so the fact that the Ivy League has stuck to their guns through all these years has been kind of interesting. On the other side of that, when you’re a coach in the league, you’d like to see some form of [a tournament], possibly with the top four or with everybody involved. Whatever way they want to come up with for it would be fun and I think it would be entertaining because the Ivy League name right now basketball-wise has a pretty good perception and if they did something like that, it might bring more attention to it. But I don’t make those decisions and maybe presidents don’t want that kind of attention brought to it. It is hard for me to say and I can see both sides.
DP: Kyle Smith, one of the biggest proponents of the Ivy League Tournament, has really helped bring the Columbia program up. What have you seen from coach Smith and Columbia in your two years coaching against the Lions?
SP: I think he’s done a really good job having a system that he believes in, recruiting guys to those holes and getting pieces that [will do] what he wants them to do. They got some wins early [in 2013-14], got some confidence and they had a really good year. They have the core of that group coming back so there is no reason that they couldn’t continue to play at a high level.
DP: As recruiting coordinator at both Arizona State and at Penn, what are the unique challenges of recruiting in the Ivy League and at Penn compared to other places?
SP: I’ve been asked that question a lot from people in the business that knew I was at Arizona State for the time I was there. I really enjoyed recruiting at Penn. I think obviously it is a first class university. They have incredible facilities. They have a great commitment, a great past, a terrific staff and obviously the Palestra. So I enjoyed it. Are there challenges? Yes, but trust me, there are challenges at the Arizona State level as well. They’re just different challenges. Here [the challenges are] academic. At Arizona State, they are different things. It is how you embrace those challenges and know that there are plenty of kids out there. There are some really good students that want to become part of the Ivy League so I enjoyed it. I’m looking forward to being at Rice, a high academic school as well, and continuing to recruit those kind of kids.
After dropping seven consecutive games and going winless throughout a two-week span, Penn softball rebounded against Yale on Monday. In their first two Ivy contests of the season, the Quakers picked up a pair of 3-0 wins against the Elis. Now, Penn (6-11, 2-0 Ivy) turns its attention back to a nonconference opponent as it prepares to do battle with Big 5 rival Temple (8-14) at Penn Park today. We examine who is up and who is down entering the midweek matinee.
Three Up
Alexis Borden: Entering Wednesday’s first game against the Elis, junior pitcher Alexis Borden featured 2-6 record in her first eight starts of the season. But Borden was downright dominant against Yale, throwing her fifth complete game and first shutout of the year. Borden allowed only two hits in seven innings while striking out four, helping Penn end its seven-game skid.
Home Runs: The Red and Blue have had no trouble getting the ball over the fence this season. Against the Elis on Monday, freshman Alexis Sargentsmacked a solo shot in the first inning of the first contest before going yard again in the second game of the doubleheader. Fellow freshman Leah Allenalso hit a homer in the nightcap against Yale.
Rookie Sensations: While Penn has struggled all season, its freshmen have been stellar. Sargent and Allen are tied for the team lead in home runs at four apiece. Additionally, Sargent has been terrific on the rubber, notching a 3-2 record — including a win over Yale on Monday — and leading the Quakers with a 1.21 ERA.
Three Down
Temple’s Recent Schedule: Nothing has been easy for Temple lately. Since March 22, the Owls have dropped all three games that they’ve played, including three losses to Houston in a two-day span by a combined score of 23-6. But those are the only three games Temple has been able to play over the past ten days, as the Owls’ five games since then have either been postponed or cancelled.
Weather: Of course, one can imagine why the Owls have had such trouble getting time on the field. The weather in the Northeast has been extraordinarily poor throughout the month of March. 11 combined games were either postponed or cancelled between the two Philadelphia rivals last month.
Owls at the plate: Temple has struggled on offense in 2014. The Owls have managed only a .265 batting average this season, a mark that ranks fifth in the American Atlantic Conference. Temple’s batting average is .018 points higher than Penn’s, but the Owls have consistently been outhit by their opponents, allowing a .281 batting average this year.
Penn baseball kicked off its Ivy season in ideal fashion on Monday at Meiklejohn Stadium. The Quakers swept their afternoon doubleheader with Yale, winning by scores of 6-1 and 11-9.
The Good: (Crooked) Numbers on the Boards
The Penn bats appear to be heating up at just the right time. The Red and Blue put up 17 runs and scattered 21 hits off Yale arms in the doubleheader. A handful of Penn players had impressive days at the plate, but none more so than senior left fielder Rick Brebner, who hit huge home runs in each game. Overall, Brebner went 5-9 on the day with seven RBI. The Quakers continued their habit of punishing opposing pitchers with the deep ball, as the squad launched four balls over the fences in the two-game set. The Quakers have now averaged 10 runs per game in their last four contests.
The Bad: Yale’s Attempt to hit Dan Gautieri
Yale’s bats were no match for the Penn righty, who submitted his best performance of the season in the first contest, throwing a complete game four-hitter. Gautieri had a no-hitter through three and a third innings, and a shutout through six and two thirds. The top half of the Bulldog lineup especially struggled – Yale’s first five hitters mustered just one hit the entire game and also fanned four times.
Gautieri, the Ivy League Leader in strikeouts with 34, struck out a total of six Bulldogs in his seven-inning effort.
The Ugly: Glenn’s Early Exit
After fellow junior Gautieri went the distance in game one, lefty Ronnie Glenn lasted less than three frames in the second half of the doubleheader. Glenn gave up seven hits and five runs – three of them earned – before getting pulled. Glenn, who has the highest ERA among Penn starters at 6.31, is still getting adjusted to his starting role. Fortunately for the Quakers, freshman Jake Cousins came in and pitched four and a third innings of two hit ball to keep the Red and Blue in the ballgame.
On the doorstep of Ivy League play, we break down the Ancient Eight competition on the diamond.
Lou Gehrig Division (Columbia, Cornell, Princeton, Penn)
The Gehrig Division has won the last three Ivy League titles, and looks like the deeper division this season.
Coming off a convincing 16-4 Ivy title campaign and showing no lack of depth, Columbia is the team to beat in the Ivy League this year.
The Lions have seven returning All-Ivy players, including the daunting pitching duo of seniors Joey Donino and David Speer. Both Donino, a righty, and Speer, a lefty, are top 10 Ivy Prospects per Baseball America. Senior centerfielder Jordan Serena, another top prospect, is a luxury in the outfield and leads the Lions with seven doubles so far this year. Another outfielder, sophomore Rob Paller, has stepped up for Columbia thus far – he’s hitting .308 and is responsible for just under a third of the Lions’ 68 runs.
The Lions went 6-12 in a tough non-conference state that included series’ against the likes of Texas and South Florida. Time will tell if the battle-tested Lions have the might to repeat.
Cornell, which boasts depth on the mound, will look to build off an 11-9 Ivy season and be a threat in the strong Gehrig Division. The Big Red has the best non-conference record of the Ivy squads at 7-7. Cornell’s bats, which have been hot early on, lead the Anicent Eight with a .294 collective average.
Junior righty Brent Jones ranks as the Ivies’ top prospect, and wields a fastball that touches the mid-90s. He has seen mixed success this year, going 1-1 with a 3.93 ERA. Lefty Michael Byrne, a sophomore, has shined most for the Big Red on the mound, as he carries a staff-best 2.05 ERA into Ivy play. Junior left fielder Ryan Karl has provided plenty of power for the Big Red early on, as he leads the league with 17 RBI and a whopping .736 slugging percentage.
While this year’s Penn (6-10) squad hasn’t yet proven it can be a legitimate Ivy contender, the Red and Blue have a stable of arms that could carry a bounce back effort under new head coach John Yurkow. Junior ace Connor Cuff has an Ivy League best 1.00 ERA through four starts, and fellow junior Dan Gautieri leads the Ancient Eight in strikeouts with 28.
Freshman southpaw Jack Hartman has emerged from a first-year class filled with arms, posting a 2-0 record with a 1.80 ERA. If the Quakers keep slugging the way they have – they’ve launched a conference-high 15 home runs this year – they could catch some foes by surprise.
A young Princeton squad, 5-11 on the year so far, will likely need to endure growing pains before they become a legitimate contender.
Senior southpaw Michael Fagan has stood out amongst a relatively young staff, posting a 2-1 record with a 2.45 ERA thus far. The Tigers, who have racked up a collective 6.85 ERA in non-conference play, will need more consistent pitching to compete in Ivy play.
Freshman outfielder Paul Tupper has burst on the scene with a .333 average and a team-high 11 RBI on the offensive end for the Tigers.
Red Rolfe Division (Dartmouth, Yale, Harvard, Brown)
A Dartmouth (3-9) team that faces uncertainty on the mound will look to defend its Rolfe Division crown.
The Big Green return only one starting pitcher, senior Louis Concado, and the lack of experience has showed: Dartmouth’s collective 6.88 ERA this season is the highest among Ivy squads.
The grass hasn’t been much greener on the other side, either. Dartmouth is the only Ivy squad averaging less than four runs per game.
Senior outfielder Jeff Keller, while not on pace to match his gaudy 2013 numbers, has started out the season with solid production at the plate along with junior catcher Matt MacDowell – both are hitting exactly .300.
Junior second baseman Thomas Roulis has taken advantage of his role hitting at the top of the lineup. Roulis leads Dartmouth with a .302 average and seven RBI.
Yale, a 10-10 club last season, has the potential to give the Big Green a run for their money in the Rolfe division.
The Elis (7-9) rank near the top of the Ivies in most offensive categories, including runs, average and OBP.
Senior infielder Jacob Hunter leads the Bulldogs offense with 12 RBI, eight XBH and a .317 average.
Yale returned all of its starters from last year and is looking for the experienced bunch to step up in Ivy play. However, freshman righty Chasen Ford has been given the biggest workload on the staff so far, posting a team-best 4.39 ERA in 26.1 innings of work. The staff was middle-of-the road last season (3.92 ERA), and has yet to settle in this year, as it possesses a high 6.29 ERA and has given up an Ivy League high eight homers.
Harvard will look to turn its Ivy fortunes around after going 7-13 in league play last year.
The squad went just 4-13 in non-conference play this season, but like the Quakers, most of the Crimson’s losses have been extremely close – seven of their 13 defeats have come by one run.
In order to start winning those close contests, the Crimson will need to do a better job hitting with runners in scoring position.
Senior ultilityman Carlton Bailey enters Ivy play with a club-best .323 average, and junior outfielder Jack Colton leads the Crimson with 10 RBI and 19 hits.
The Harvard pitching staff has enjoyed solid performance from young arms thus far – sophomore Sean Poppen has a team-low 1.44 ERA in 25 innings pitched, and freshman Nick Gruener is averaging seven strikeouts per game.
Worst to first might not be a realistic scenario for Brown, a squad that went 3-17 in league play last year, but the Bears appear primed to make some significant strides.
Brown, 4-6 in non-conference play, has seen significant contributions from its youth.
Freshman pitcher Christian Taugner has made himself a candidate for Ivy League Rookie of the Year, carrying a team-low 1.23 ERA (which is also second best in the Ancient Eight). Taugner held No. 1 South Carolina to just one run in seven innings of action earlier this year.
Fellow rookie Marc Sredojevic, a third baseman, has heated up at the plate recently. He was named Ivy League rookie of the week after hitting .417 and driving in five runs last weekend.
Senior JJ Franco is off to a stellar start, having not struck out in 40 plate appearances. The second baseman leads the Bears with a .325 average.
Consistency on the mound may be Brown’s biggest struggle this season – all of the Bears’ starters other than Tauger have ERAs of over 5.75.
The Bears will have the opportunity to open the Ivy season with a statement against Columbia this weekend.
It is not a great day for Penn basketball.
On Monday night, freshman Tony Bagtas was arrested on four charges, including two felonies — burglary and criminal trespassing) — and two misdemeanors, theft by unlawful taking and receiving stolen property. Bagtas was arrested in connection with a burglary in the Quad and has been removed from Riepe College House since the arrest.
It is unclear at this moment how this will affect Bagtas' future with the basketball program. The freshman guard played in 20 games this year, starting six of them, while averaging 2.1 points and two assists per contest.
If sweeping the Ivy League’s postseason awards wasn’t enough, taking home some Big 5 hardware will suit Penn women’s basketball just fine.
Senior captain Alyssa Baron added to her resume by being named Big 5 Player of the Year while placing on the first team All-Big 5 squad for the fourth consecutive year. Meanwhile, freshman center Sydney Stipanovich was named Big 5 Rookie of the Year and coach Mike McLaughlin was named Big 5 Coach of the Year. Junior forward Kara Bonenberger was also named second team All-Big 5.
Baron also finished her Penn career with the Ivy Player of the Year award, leading the Quakers in scoring for the fourth straight year at 14.9 points per game. In addition, she averaged 5.8 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.7 steals per game.
Baron finished her career with 1,806 career points, the second most in Penn history, after a 25-point effort in the Quakers NCAA Tournament defeat vs. Texas on Sunday.
Meanwhile, Stipanovich received the first Big 5 honor of her career after a startling 99 blocks on the season, surpassing Penn’s previous record by 26 blocks. It was the second highest total in Ivy history.
She also averaged 12.0 points per game while leading the Quakers with 8.3 rebounds per contest. After beginning the year on the bench, she started Penn’s last 15 games with the Red and Blue going 13-2.
The man who placed her in the starting lineup also received some recognition for Penn’s solid season, as McLaughlin became Penn’s first coach to take home Big 5 Coach of the Year honors. The Quakers had the best season in McLaughlin’s time at Penn, overtaking Princeton for the Ivy title. In each of McLaughlin’s five seasons at Penn, the Quakers have improved their win total, going from two wins in 2009-10 to 22 wins this year.
Bonenberger has been part of the last three teams — starting all 29 games this year — and will join Stipanovich as a major part of next year’s team.
After Penn baseball’s matchup at Villanova was postponed on March 19, the Quakers will play the rescheduled game with the Wildcats on Thursday. With just two games until the start of Ivy play, the Red and Blue (5-10) look to maintain the momentum they picked up after defeating Lafayette three times last weekend. Meanwhile, Villanova (7-14) lost two of three in a series with Northwestern. Without further ado, here is a three up, three down for the Thursday matchup.
Three Up
Jake Cousins — The freshman starting pitcher is the probable pitcher for Penn on Thursday and would be making his second career start. In four appearances this year, Cousins has a 1.23 earned run average, allowing just 10 baserunners in seven and one-third innings pitched. In his first start against Delaware State on March 11, he was able to work himself out of early trouble and should be more steady five appearances into his career.
Gary Tesch — The sophomore outfielder was impressive last weekend against the Leopards, garnering accolades as the Ivy League Player of the Week. He had six hits, including a home run, and stole two bases. Expect Tesch to keep up the offense while playing well in center field for the Red and Blue.
Michael Vilardo — After the sophomore second baseman had just three hits in three games to start last weekend, he exploded to the tune of four hits in four at-bats in the latter half of Penn’s road doubleheader vs. Lafayette. Vilardo came around to score four times as well, which helped the Quakers score 11 runs, their second-best offensive output of the year. After a strong freshman year, this may be a sign that Vilardo is avoiding a sophomore slump.
Three Down
Jeff Courter — The junior pitcher for Villanova is the expected starter on Thursday. So far in the season, he has struggled to the tune of an 8.56 ERA, allowing 20 hits and six walks in 13.2 innings. Courter will look to improve on his first start of the year, a 7-2 loss vs. Miami at Alex Rodriguez Park in Coral Gables, Fla.
Nonconference play — After the Red and Blue face ‘Nova on Thursday, they will get a heavy dose of Ivy play with Yale and Brown coming to town for doubleheaders on Saturday and Sunday. With Penn getting its rotation of Connor Cuff, Dan Gauteiri, Ronnie Glenn and Jack Hartman set vs. Lafayette, the Quakers will be ready for those key Ancient Eight matchups.
Road woes —The Quakers are just 3-8 on the road this year while sporting a 2-0 record at Meiklejohn Stadium. Villanova is the last non-Ivy team that the Red and Blue play on the road, so if there is any time to start getting used to being the away team, this would be it.
With the Sweet Sixteen getting underway tonight, our DP Sports bracket currently sits tied for 7th out of 483 entries in the DP’s Bracket Challenge. What did we get right, and what did we miss? Most importantly, what’s going to happen next?
What we got right
Stephen F. Austin and Harvard pulling first-round upsets
We don’t want to say we told you so, but, well, we told you so. The Lumberjacks’ halfcourt offense — with the exception of a 10-minute run in the second half — was able to find tons of open looks against VCU, while Harvard saw five different players score at least nine points against Cincinnati in a game that wasn’t nearly as close as the 61-57 final score.
A deep run for Baylor
The Bears took Creighton to the woodshed on Sunday by beating the Jays at their own game, sinking 11 of 18 three-point attempts for a ridiculous 61.1 percent shooting clip in an 85-55 win. Baylor’s guard combo of Brady Heslip and Kenny Chery (both Canadian, by the way) is absolutely deadly both inside and out. Wisconsin is on notice.
What we got wrong
Misplaced faith in New Mexico
Poor Cameron Bairstow. All along, we thought he was going to demolish Kansas inside with Joel Embiid out. True, the Jayhawks were finished in the first weekend, but it was at the hands of Stanford instead. Bairstow dropped 24 against the Cardinal in the round of 64, but he never had a shot after his teammates combined to shoot 9-for-34 from the floor.
Duke in the Elite Eight
DPOSTM may have six of its predicted Elite Eight teams left in the tournament, but our bracket was dealt a huge blow — just like everyone else’s — when the Blue Devils decided to no-show in the round of 64 against Mercer. As the Bears bullied their way inside behind Daniel Coursey, our editors cringed a little bit more with the sound of each Duke pull-up three hitting iron.
What’s next: South Region
Florida (1) over UCLA (4)
The Bruins’ duo of Jordan Adams and Kyle Anderson has been as good as advertised so far, but so have the Gators. After facing a little bit of adversity against Albany, Florida asserted itself inside, with imposing center Patric Young recording four blocks in a dominant 81-65 win over Pitt in the third round. UCLA simply doesn’t have anyone that can seriously challenge him inside. The top overall seed keeps on rolling.
Stanford (10) over Dayton (11)
Raise your hand if you saw THIS matchup coming. Didn’t think so. As other commentators have pointed out, Dayton has made a Sweet Sixteen run not only due to strong interior play, but also due to the fact that its opponents missed an alarming number of three-point shots in the second and third rounds. A little bit of regression to the mean, and the lowest remaining seed in the tournament goes home.
Elite Eight
Florida (1) over Stanford (10)
Stanford can give Florida some serious trouble on the low block. Center Stefan Nastic has been versatile on the defensive end, while 6-foot-10 power forward Dwight Powell willed his team to an upset win over Kansas with 15 points and seven boards. The Gators will win this one from deep, as guard Michael Frazier II finally gets on track.
What’s next: East Region
Michigan State (4) over Virginia (1)
The Spartans advanced past Delaware in the round of 64 thanks to 41 points from forward Adreian Payne, before staving off an upset bid from Harvard through the outside shooting of Travis Trice and Branden Dawson. Michigan State can beat you any way it wants to, and Cavaliers coach Tony Bennett can’t possibly gameplan for everything that’s going to get thrown at his team.
Iowa State (3) over UConn (7)
Forget the clock issues at the end of Sunday’s game against North Carolina. Iowa State guard DeAndre Kane firmly established himself as a March hero with his game-winning layup. It’s easy to see Kane and forward Melvin Ejim getting hot one more time to will the Cyclones to the Elite Eight, even with key forward Georges Niang out with a broken foot.
Elite Eight
Michigan State (4) over Iowa State (3)
But Iowa State can live without Niang for only so long. And against the long and athletic Spartans, his absence will ultimately prove to be fatal to the Cyclones’ dreams. Payne should have a field day on the glass as a once even matchup becomes lopsided, even with Michigan State’s normal four-guard offensive set pieces creating size disadvantages at other spots on the floor.
What’s next: West Region
Arizona (1) over San Diego State (4)
Arizona has looked even better than expected, thoroughly demolishing Gonzaga by 23 points on Sunday. Meanwhile, the Spartans are lucky to even be here after barely escaping New Mexico State in overtime in the round of 64. SDSU is almost totally reliant on guard Xavier Thames at this point, and that’s a bad track record to bring in against a team that can score from all spots on the floor.
Wisconsin (2) over Baylor (6)
Baylor may have guards, but Wisconsin has forwards in bunches. Look for big men Frank Kaminsky and Sam Dekker to keep pounding the glass (and step out to take the occasional three) as Bo Ryan’s ballclub moves on and comes one step closer to shedding its reputation as a squad that consistently comes up small against lower seeds when it matters most.
Elite Eight
Arizona (1) over Wisconsin (2)
But Kaminsky and Dekker haven’t come across anyone quite like Aaron Gordon, who is making his case for most outstanding player of the tournament with each offensive outburst. He dropped 18 points against Gonzaga, hitting eight of his 10 shots from the field. The Badgers won’t have an answer for that kind of offensive efficiency.
What’s next: Midwest Region
Louisville (4) over Kentucky (8)
After the Wildcats stunned undefeated Wichita State, pundits were quick to proclaim that they had just seen the “real” Kentucky. But does anyone know what the “real” version of this inconsistent band of freshmen even is? Don’t be tempted to pick the upset in this one, as the defending champs will move on comfortably.
Michigan (2) over Tennessee (11)
The Vols sure didn’t look gassed after playing three games in six days, easily dispatching national darling Mercer. The run ends here, though, as the Wolverines will survive and advance behind a huge game from forward Jordan Morgan, who has weathered fan criticism all year.
Elite Eight
Louisville (4) over Michigan (2)
Expect this rematch of last year’s title game to have a similar finish. Morgan can’t keep up his hot streak forever, and he’ll get terrorized on the low block by Cardinals forward Montrezl Harrell, who has come dangerously close to picking up technical fouls on the court for his raw emotion. He’ll get one more chance to yell in the Final Four.
Final Four
Florida (1) over Michigan State (4)
The Gators are possibly the only team in the country that can handle the Spartans right now. Young is big and physical enough to neutralize Payne on post-ups and drives, and Frazier, along with point guard Scottie Wilbekin, will be able to generate just enough of a perimeter game to send Tom Izzo’s squad home empty-handed.
Louisville (4) over Arizona (1)
The difference-maker in this contest will likely be Louisville’s championship experience. Gordon, for all of his talents, is only a freshman. In fact, he can only count one senior among his Wildcats teammates. Rick Pitino’s squad has seen it all before — and embraces it. Led by Russ Smith, the Cardinals will advance to the brink of a second consecutive championship.
National Championship
Florida (1) over Louisville (4)
But they will go no further. Florida is peaking at just the right time, having won 28 games in a row heading into the Sweet Sixteen. In a tournament where one bad night spells the end to your dream, the Gators seem positively incapable of collapsing now. Our original title prediction stands.
Fresh off its 24th consecutive victory over Georgetown, the Penn men’s tennis team returns to action on Wednesday against St. John’s. The Quakers (4-8) will wrap up the nonconference portion of their schedule against No. 74 Red Storm (8-5) in a midweek match. Though the Red and Blue have struggled significantly thus far this season, Penn looks to build on the momentum it attained after its win over the Hoyas last weekend. Let’s take a look at who’s up and who’s down entering the match.
Three Up
Penn’s record against the Red Storm: Though the Quakers haven’t dominated St. John’s the way they have obliterated Georgetown, Penn has historically had quite a bit of success against its New York opponent. While the two teams didn’t begin playing each other until 1992, Penn has taken six of eight meetings against St. John’s. The squads have split their past four meetings, however the Red Storm have been red hot this season. Wednesday’s match is up for grabs.
Hamlin Tennis Courts: It’s hard to find silver linings in Penn’s season thus far. Unlike 2012-13, the Quakers have gotten off to a dismal start, and have only captured consecutive victories once this year. Yet, even though the Quakers have only one home win in 2013-14, the Red and Blue will see one noticeable change on Wednesday: they’ll be playing outside, weather permitting. The match with St. John’s marks the first time the Quakers will play at Hamlin. Maybe the change of pace will help Penn turn its season around.
St. John’s record in March: The Red Storm have been on fire this month, capturing six of its eight matches since March 3. St. John’s only two defeats came to then-No. 43 Cal Poly on March 6 and No. 38 Cornell this past weekend. Don’t expect that success to end anytime soon.
Three Down
Penn’s nonconference record: Unlike last season, when Penn finished with an 8-5 nonconference record, the Quakers have been unable to muster success this year. Though Penn finished under .500 overall in 2012-13, the Quakers did have nonconference success. The same cannot be said this season.
R.J. Del Nunzio : Matched up against some of his team’s staunchest competition, the St. John’s sophomore hasn’t been able to rack up too many victories this season. Playing in the top two spots in the Red Storm’s singles lineup, Del Nunzio has notched only four victories in 12 matches in 2013-14. The New York native is 1-5 in matches at the No. 2 position, and is coming off a loss to Cornell’s Stefan Vinti on Sunday.
Looking Ahead: Without a doubt, things haven’t been easy for Penn coach David Geatz’s squad this year. Junior Jeremy Court has won only five of his 11 singles matches this season, and his struggles haven’t helped the Quakers rack up wins thus far. As the Red and Blue enters Ivy League play at the conclusion of their match against St. John’s, Penn will be forced to prepare to take on several tough conference rivals, including a ranked Cornell team that just defeated St. John’s. After winning only one Ivy contest last season, it’s safe to say that Wednesday’s matchup with the Red Storm could be Penn’s last opportunity to win a match for a long time.
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