On Sunday, Penn women's hoops did battle with Texas in the Quakers' first NCAA Tournament action in ten years. Though the Red and Blue fell to the Longhorns even with a dazzling start from senior captain Alyssa Baron, the overall achievement of reaching the Big Dance was not only the perfect culmination of the 2013-14 season, but even more meaningful for Penn's four seniors. As the calendar flips to the next season, now's the time to discuss the takeaways from Sunday's game.
Sports Editor Riley Steele: I'd by lying if I said I hadn't fallen in love with Mike McLaughlin's team this season. Not only did the Quakers defeat Princeton for the first time in six years and end the Tigers four-year run atop the Ancient Eight, Penn also had a stellar nonconference slate as well.
Ultimately, that's what I take away from Sunday's matchup with Texas; though the Longhorns blitzed Penn throughout the second half and eventually pulled away, the Quakers were prepared for the moment. They never looked overmatched or scared. I believe that the ability for Penn to challenge top-tier nonconference opponents like Notre Dame, Miami and members of the Big 5 kept the Red and Blue focused entering Sunday's game. Thus, if McLaughlin and the Quakers succeed in challenging themselves outside of the Ivy League, Penn will continue to rise up in pressure games.
Sports Editor Ian Wenik: Watching Penn dominate Texas in the first half but getting torched inside in the second stanza, I think I realized on Sunday just how important it is for Penn to keep its frontcourt duo of Sydney Stipanovich and Kara Bonenberger out of foul trouble. You could tell from the second that both were on the bench that the Longhorns were out for blood.
I think that going forward, the inside-out game and interior presence that Stipanovich and Bonenberger provide are going to be absolutely crucial and will likely be the centerpiece of McLaughlin's offensive sets. The only question will be as to who will take all of those open jumpers that the pair will set up, now that Alyssa Baron is gone. Will it be Keiera Ray? Kathleen Roche? A freshman? That remains to be seen.
Senior Sports Editor Steven Tydings: My main takeaway from that game was the extreme effort that the senior class gave, not just in that game but all season long . Baron led the way, as usual, scoring and doing everything she could to put Penn ahead early. Fellow captain Meghan McCullough was her normal self, playing her steady game at the point and keeping the Quakers grounded.
And Courtney Wilson stepped up in a big way off the bench. All season long, she took a backseat to Stipanovich. On Sunday, with Stipanovich in foul trouble, Wilson gave one of her best efforts of the year and that will not soon be forgotten by the underclassmen who will follow her role in the future.
Watching the senior class all year long, from Baron to McCullough to Wilson to Kristen Kody , there is no doubting the effort they gave to the program and how deeply they cared while on the court. The seniors will be missed and a defining moment for next year will be how this year’s junior class steps up into similar leadership roles.
M. Grace Calhoun was formally introduced as Penn’s next athletic director at a press conference at the Palestra at 1 p.m. today. She officially takes over effective July 1, but she had plenty of thoughts on Penn Athletics at the presser. Here’s our full Q&A from Calhoun’s Monday remarks.
Q: As you know, Penn has a long history of embracing athletic success at an Ivy League and national level as a major part of the campus community and a way of bringing people together. For as many teams in recent years that have succeeded in the Ivy League, with some of the programs including men’s basketball having fallen off a little bit and attendance having fallen off a little bit, and that feeling in the community having faded, what are your goals for bringing that back?
Provost Vincent Price: We certainly value the role of Penn Athletics in building bridges within the community, not just the larger community but the community just before us, the student body, the faculty, the staff here on campus. So one of the reasons we’re so excited about bringing Dr. Calhoun to campus is that she does have that kind of experience in having built that kind of excitement in other programs, and we have such fabulous opportunity to build on strengths at Penn, and I have every confidence going forward that we’ll be able to do just that.
Calhoun: Attendance at sporting events is a national issue, it’s not local to the University of Pennsylvania. But I welcome that challenge. I have always believed that it starts from within, that coaches need to support other coaches, student-athletes need to support other student-athletes, and if you can build that kind of energy base from within, then you start reaching out and there’s that infectious energy that permeates the campus.
I understand so many great partnerships have been formed, I was hearing over lunch about a sorority tug of war contest that happens at halftimes of games. I love involving as many campus groups as possible in our events to help make them their events as well. I would look to ensure that we have one or multiple events that we’re doing around every game and create those extra draws to bring people in. There’s a lot of competition for students’ time these days, many have grown up in places or at a time where going to athletics was just not part of their culture, part of what they did, so we need to train them that this is fun, that this is community-building, that these will be some of the great moments that they’ll take with them for the rest of their lives, and we’ll build it collectively as a partnership.
Q: Over the years, the Palestra the home of the Big 5, the doubleheaders going all the way back to the ‘40s. Now a lot of the games aren’t played at the Palestra anymore, a lot of them are back on the home campuses of each team. What are you kind of looking for in how to bring back that atmosphere, because I’ve talked to a lot of coaches and they kind of want to be back here. What is it going to take to bring the Big 5 back to its original home?
Price: We certainly welcome any and all interest in coming to the Palestra. It is a fabulous facility, since 1927, has been the centerpiece of college basketball. ESPN has called it the Cathedral of Basketball. We’ve seen just how energizing Big 5 competition can be here at the Palestra, so we are absolutely open, we would avidly welcome that sense of excitement that only Big 5 basketball can deliver and this is the house of Big 5 basketball.
I would echo Provost Price’s sentiments on that one. When you think of the Big 5, it is history and tradition, which is exactly what this building is all about. Again, the Cathedral of Basketball. I have the good fortune that three of the other four ADs are friends of mine. I guess that’s up to me to be a good negotiator going forward, but I’ve also learned to underpromise and overdeliver so I’ll learn the backdrop there. But I’d certainly love to honor the history and tradition of that event. If they say that copying is the best form of flattery, I can tell you that the last two years in Chicago, the five athletic directors have talked about trying to form a preseason tournament to mimic the Big 5. So it’s something that’s certainly known around the country, and embracing that history and tradition and really trying to get back to the big deal that it once was and can be again is certainly something we’ll aspire to do.
Q: I’ve read that student apathy was an issue that you had to deal with at Loyola upon taking over there in 2011. How did you go about trying to rectify that issue and what’s your sense of the student apathy at Penn right now?
A: Absolutely, it was certainly an issue I was confronted with in taking the position. We very much tied it to student life. We looked at athletics competitions as opportunities to really promote that sense of community and to get that sense of student life energized on campus. Certainly I just know what I’ve read from the Penn situation and talking to select individuals. Again, I repeat what I said earlier, this is a national issue, this is nothing that’s unique to Penn by any means.
But I think it’s how you approach it, again, starting from within. But really looking for those strong university partnerships, many of which I think you have in place already. But how can we expand upon those? What will make things more fun for students? I always feel like if we can get them into the arena, if we can get them into the Palestra and show them a good time, they’re going to keep coming back. So it’s all about how we put that together and create those experiences that we want to come out to and keep them coming back. It’s something that we all work together toward. When you look around this remarkable facility and think about the history and tradition here, I do think that Penn students all need to have that experience before they leave here, and we’ll work hard to do that.
Q: You’re the first athletic director at a Big 5 school, how do you address what that means to you?
A: I did hear that earlier. Certainly it’s an honor regardless, but I want to look towards Provost Price, Executive Vice President [Craig] Carnaroli, certainly President Gutmann and thank them for being willing to hire a female. I was the first female athletic director at my current, soon to be prior, institution. I’m surrounded by firsts. I believe Robin Harris was the first executive director of the [Ivy] League, certainly many women presidents. It’s wonderful to expand that tradition. I’ve always looked at that with a sense of responsibility that I need to ensure that I do a fantastic job because I know that if I do so, I’m helping to open doors for other women, just like so many phenomenal women have helped to open doors for me by being the first to serve in their positions.
Q: Can you talk about your fundraising experience and how much of this job will entail that?
A: So much is about the resources. My job is to properly support and advocate for coaches and student-athletes, and a big part of it is having the resources to be able to fund competitive programs. And fundraising has been a piece of all jobs in that every place, regardless of how big the budget, there are always financial needs. But obviously, it’s been a real focal point, my three years at Loyola. When I got there, all external revenue streams were a fraction of what we knew they needed to be.
So whether it was that outreach and really trying to amp up the fundraising, corporate sponsorship and those other partnership opportunities to enhance support are critical as well, as well all the other pieces – concession sales, ticket sales, parking, everything that flows into the Division is an extra dollar. I understand we’re under resource center management. Every dollar that comes in, I’ve been told is a dollar that we get to work with. So there’s great incentive to go out and do all we can do to fundraise. I personally love to do it. I’ve always felt I enjoy meeting people. I enjoy sharing my passion, and if you feel real strongly about what you do and you look at those student-athletes every day and know that they deserve a high-quality experience, it’s really easy for me to make a compelling pitch.
I enjoy being able to do that, as Provost Price has made it clear that he does not enjoy getting asked for money, and I don’t know a leader that does with all the different units reporting in and all the needs. So I’m hearing loudly and clearly that that’s going to be a big part of my responsibility. It’s something that Steve Bilsky did a tremendous job of, to increase fundraising. I think I saw that it quadrupled over his time. So the challenge is to keep that moving forward. We’re coming off a big campaign so it’s all about how we reframe that big Compact 2020, some new goals. That’s something that I’ll start doing. In fact, from today, I plan to ask for a list of phone numbers and start making those connections, seeing what we can do to raise that bar.
Q: You mentioned your soon-to-be former school Loyola. Obviously you take over here effective July 1. What’s your timeline of backing off your duties at Loyola going to be like, and when do you effectively take over authority as acting AD at Penn?
A: That will be as of July 1. Steve Bilsky is in the position until then and I fully expect him to continue his decision-making until then. Quite honestly, this will be the sanest transition I’ve had. I’ve had a lot where I finish in one state on Friday and start in the next job on Monday, so there’s plenty of time to really start, really understand well the issues and challenges ahead of me at Penn. I will certainly make some trips to get to meet with people. I really look forward to the opportunity to spend some time working directly with Steve and benefiting from his 20 years of experience so there are not wheels that I have to reinvent. But the effective transition will be for July 1.
Q: What is the philosophy that you’ve developed about the balance between revenue and nonrevenue sports in an institution and what the priorities for administrating should be?
A: I myself was an Olympic sport student-athlete. I was a gymnast up until eleventh grade, when I had a growth spurt and then I switched over to track and field. I love to say that my husband tells me I’m still waiting for my growth spurt. So it was gymnastics, track and field and skiing. So as an Olympic student-athlete myself, I never felt like I was any lesser of a student-athlete because I chose to do an Olympic sport, a nonrevenue sport. In fact, there weren’t a lot of options with reference to sports when I was young. So I have felt that all student-athletes should feel like they’re treated equivalently. There is a certain standard of expectations they should all have. I will do my best to support them all equivalently.
Now we know equivalently does not mean equally. By the nature of what we do, the revenue sports will need some extra accommodations and considerations. But in my mind, that should be done in a way that does not change the high-caliber quality of experience for any student-athlete, that they all feel valued, that they all feel invested in their education. And certainly that there are as many Olympic sport contests as they do regular sports. So you will see me there supporting all of them. With 33 sports, it might take a cycle or two, but I will get out with each of them on a roadtrip at some point. I’ve always said, once you spend seven hours on a bus with somebody, you get to know them pretty well.
Q: There’s a lot of hoopla, for lack of a better word, surrounding the success or lack of it for the Penn basketball program. What’s your sense of how the program is doing and what experience do you bring overseeing men’s basketball program coaching changes, as you did at Loyola? *
*Calhoun fired then-Loyola men’s basketball coach Jim Whitesell a month after taking over at Loyola.
A: Well first and foremost, during this transitional period, we have no plans to make any changes. I believe strongly that I need to get in and really assess the situation firsthand. I believe everyone is entitled to a fair opportunity. Certainly I can see the records as everyone does and read the blogs as everyone can. But I really need to understand what’s happening there, and certainly will begin that evaluation and my fact-finding immediately. But certainly I am very committed to a fair and full process with this in figuring out how I can best support the program going forward.
Q: Is it strange to come into a situation where a lot of people are asking questions about the basketball program. Is it strange to have to come into that?
A: I don’t think it’s so strange. I certainly walked into a situation at Loyola where many of the programs were down and needed to be assessed. That really meant looking at all pieces of them to really identify why they’re not being successful. Do they have the proper resources? Do they have the proper leadership or top-down support? Those are certainly challenges that go along with the job.
I know that looking at this historic building again, basketball has been successful [at Penn] for most of its history and the greater Penn community is going to expect and demand that sort of success. So it’s my job to go in and figure out why that’s not happening but give that fair opportunity to see if we can do it with current leadership.
Q: Obviously at Loyola, you had a lot of restructuring to undertake. How do you compare the situation that you inherited there to the situation you’re inheriting here? *
*Calhoun restructured 40 new coaches and staff members at Loyola.
A: The situations are very different. I knew going into Loyola that it was a rebuild opportunity. The president, vice president, university leadership made it very clear to me that they had been down for a lot of years and needed to be rebuilt. If I look at the Penn program, it’s very different in that things are going relatively well. They have some of the best facilities at an urban institution, to have the fundraise accounts be as healthy as they are right now. So many teams doing so well. It’s really looking at what’s being done and how we get to those higher levels of excellence.
But things are going well here and we need to start by acknowledging that far more is going well than not going well, and how do we fine-tune and make those adjustments to achieve the higher success. But we don’t need the change Loyola did three years ago.
Q: Were you approached for this job or did you make the overture?
A: I was called by the search firm [Parker Executive Search]. Certainly Parker had known of my background and I think knew that I had been outspoken about the fact that getting back to the Ivy League was certainly an ultimate destination for me. When I look at the Ivy League job coming to a place like Penn that’s got this rich tradition, having family roots in the Philadelphia area, Shamokin for my mother and St. Clair for my father, … The search really seemed to get going after the turn of the year. I remember it was by the end of February that materials had to be in and certainly from the phone conversation I knew it was something my heart was in.
Calhoun’s thoughts on the FCS playoffs and the prospect of having an Ivy League men’s basketball tournament:
Some of the conversations every few years, I know they pop back up again … I know for the football championship, that’s one that the presidents have felt very strongly about, that they do not want to participate in the postseason. I went to Brown and in fact I was serving as class officer when Gordon Gee took over the presidency and I remember that being a big controversy because he was in favor of postseason competition. There’s been a rich debate there. I certainly don’t know all the specifics but I do know that the presidents have arrived at this stance after much debate and deliberation so I certainly respect that we’re not competing in the postseason for good reason.
As to the tournament, there are certainly pros and cons. It’s great to have the excitement of a tournament but the big downside is that you often have conferences that are sending less than their best representative because anyone can get hot for a game or two for a tournament. I respect that the Ivies feel you should win that opportunity based on the body of your work and not based upon a tournament, and in fact, I’m surprised that more conferences don’t feel the same way.
Q: As far as coaching goes, people are making parallels with the situation in basketball you inherited at Loyola and the situation in basketball you’re inheriting at Penn. How did you go about assessing the basketball situation at Loyola and how do you go about making that assessment now?
A: Again, very different situation in that I learned coming into the Loyola situation that the coach was going into the last year of his contract. I’ve been in college athletics to know that when you have a coach in the last year of his contract, there’s no ability to recruit, that would inevitably be used against that individual. It certainly would not have been my choice to make a change at that time. Personally it was very difficult, I was finishing a job, starting a new one, transitioning a family and then had to do a men’s basketball coaching search. Made for a very difficult time. But again, knowing that the coach was going into his last year, we came to terms with the fact that we had to be willing to either extend or we had to make a change. Ultimately, we just did not feel comfortable enough that the student-athletes were having that quality of experience and that the winning was there to extend that coach’s contract.
Q: It seems you made that decision fairly quickly.
A: Yes. We really had to. There tends to be a narrow window where positions turn over and we knew that to get a good pool for that position, we would have to move quickly.
Penn Provost Vincent Price announced today that the next Penn Athletic Director is M. Grace Calhoun, effective July 1. Calhoun is currently the athletic director and assistant vice president at Loyola Chicago, having assumed the former role there in Feb. 2011.
Calhoun oversaw Loyola Chicago Athletics as the university jumped from the Horizon League to the Missouri Valley Conference on July 1, 2013. A month after taking over at Loyola, Calhoun fired men’s basketball coach Jim Whitesell, assuming control of a men’s hoops program that had (and still has) no NCAA appearances since 1985. Calhoun replaced Whitesell with Porter Moser, who has gone 32-61 in three seasons. Calhoun also hired women’s basketball coach Sheryl Swoopes and oversaw the final stages of renovation to the Gentile Center, Loyola’s basketball venue.
Additionally, Calhoun dealt with cuts to the school’s volleyball program in 2011, when seven players were dismissed from the program.
Calhoun has the Ivy League and urban university background to guide her at Penn. In fact, Athletic Director Steve Bilsky’s successor has a long background in athletics administration and also chaired the NCAA Research Committee from 2006-08.
- 2011-14: Athletic Director at Loyola Chicago
- 2005-11: Associate Athletic Director at Indiana
- 2002-05: Associate Athletic Director at Dartmouth
- 1998-2002: Associate Executive Director of the Patriot League
- 1997-98: Acting Athletic Director at St. Francis (Pa.)
- 1993-97: Florida Athletics, including working for Florida’s University Athletic Association
- 1992 Brown graduate, bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering
- Husband Jason is a PGA golf professional
The four month-long wait for Penn’s next athletic director is almost up.
Penn Athletics announced this evening that the university’s next athletic director will be introduced at a press conference at the Palestra at 1 p.m. tomorrow.
This introduction comes just over four months after outgoing Athletic Director Steve Bilsky announced on Nov. 21 that he would retire effective June 30 following 20 years of service in that capacity.
So who will it be? Below are a few possibilities. These are only speculation, but they’re food for thought as we count down to a new era for Penn Athletics:
Alanna Shanahan C '96
-Penn Deputy Athletic Director June 2012-present
-Penn Senior Associate Athletic Director July 2007-June 2012
-has been administrator throughout Penn Division of Recreation and Intercollegiate Athletics since 1999
Tony Vecchione
-Penn Senior Associate Athletic Director: May 2012-present
-George Washington Associate Athletic Director for Facilities and Operations: 1998-2006
-Penn Director of Athletic Facilities and Operations, Associate Director of Athletic Operations: 1995-98
Jennifer Strawley C'98
-Miami Senior Associate Athletic Director for Admininstration June 2012-present
-Two-year Penn softball captain
Donna Woodruff C'90
-Stony Brook Interim Athletic Director November 2013-present
-All-American for Penn field hockey, led Quakers to Final Four of 1988 NCAA Championship
Carolyn Schlie Femovich
-Patriot League Executive Director 1999-present
-Penn Senior Associate Athletic Director 1986-99
-Penn Associate Athletic Director 1982-86
Mary DiStanislao
-Marquette Executive Vice President March 2012-October 2013
-Penn Associate Athletic Director 2000-12
Paul Schlickmann
-Central Connecticut State Athletic Director April 2010-present
-Yale Associate Athletic Director for Varsity Program Administration and Football Operations 1993-2003
-applied unsuccessfully for Holy Cross Athletic Director position in December
It's almost tip-off time in College Park, Md., so we take a look back at Penn women's basketball's previous times in the NCAA Tournament
2000-2001
Overall: 22-6, Ivy: 14-0, Big 5: 1-3
In her second year coaching the program, Kelly Greenberg led the Quakers to a remarkable undefeated Ivy League season, and the first Ivy Title in Penn women’s basketball history. The Quakers ended the season on a program-record 21-game winning streak.
Forward Diana Caramanico, a senior captain, was named Ivy League Player of the Year at the end of the campaign for the third straight season. The Ivy League’s all time leading scorer averaged 21.7 points in her senior year.
Freshman Jewel Clark became the third Quakers player to be named to the Ivy League’s All-Rookie team, and averaged 8.9 points per game.
Penn was awarded a No. 15 seed and a date with No. 2 seed Texas Tech in the first round of the tournament.
In its first ever tournament appearance, Penn was outclassed by the Lady Raiders, 100-57 in Lubbock, Texas.
Pienette Pierson scored 19 to lead Texas Tech, which held the Red and Blue to 37.5 percent shooting from the field.
Junior guard Jennifer Jones led the Quakers with a career-high 19 points, and Caramanico added 15 in her final collegiate game.
2003-2004
Overall: 17-11 Ivy: 11-3, Big 5: 1-3
The 2003-4 squad coached by Kelley Greenberg went 17-11 overall and 11-3 in conference play to win the Ivy League. Penn clinched the Ivy Title with a decisive 78-61 victory over Dartmouth in its second-to-last regular season contest.
The team’s two seniors, Jewel Clark and Mikaelyn Austen, would end their Penn careers just as they started it: in the NCAA tournament. Clark, the Ivy League Player of the Year, led the Quakers into the tournament with 19.9 points per game.
The Quakers were granted a No. 15 seed again and received the tough matchup of defending national champion, #2 UConn (the first time in six years the Huskies were a 2-seed instead of a No. 1). Furthermore, the Red and Blue were essentially playing a road game, as the contest was held in Bridgeport, Connecticut. It was also the first time the two teams had ever faced off.
The mismatch on paper played out on the floor, as UConn downed Penn 91-55. The Huskies were led by legendary guard Diana Taurasi, who had 18 points and nine assists. UConn, which would go on to three-peat as national champions, used its size advantage over the Quakers, and outscored them 44-14 in the paint.
Perhaps fittingly, the Quakers’ offensive attack was led by seniors Clark and Austen, who finished their Penn careers with 16 and 14-point efforts, respectively.
The Red and Blue hung close in the opening minutes, but were done in by a 21-6 UConn run that put the Huskies up 51-23 at the half. The blowout would only worsen after the break.
After losing to Princeton on the court on Mar. 11, Penn basketball also lost on the recruiting trail today.
St. Andrews (Del.) junior guard Myles Stephens has committed to Princeton. Stephens had been recruited by many Ivy League schools, receiving offers from Yale and Columbia while taking a visit to Penn last June.
Stephens previously went to the Pennington School (N.J.), close to Princeton, where he helped the school to a Prep B State Championship.
He has previously played as a shooting guard/wing but has played point guard more this past season, and may be more of a one-guard when he reaches the collegiate level.
Here's you chance to beat our bracket with the DP's bracket challenge. Below is our analysis as we reveal our own picks for the 2014 men's basketball NCAA Tournament.
SOUTH REGION
Game to watch (Round of 64)
VCU (5) vs. Stephen F. Austin (12). Havoc? Not so fast. VCU’s all-out press may rank second in adjusted defense by Ken Pomeroy’s metrics, but the Lumberjacks’ plodding pace is designed to avoid the turnovers and transition opportunities that the Rams thrive on. A Stephen F. Austin upset will be in the cards if junior guard Jacob Parker (46.7 percent from beyond the arc) can get going early.
Game to watch (Round of 32)
Kansas (2) vs. New Mexico (7). The Jayhawks dispatched the Lobos by 17 in Kansas City back in December, but that was in large part due to the presence of freshman sensation Joel Embiid in the middle, who scored 18 points and blocked four shots. But with Embiid out due to a back injury, there’s no one available to stop powerful forward Cameron Bairstow. The Lobos pull the upset.
Sweet Sixteen
Florida (1) vs. UCLA (4). The Bruins, though, bring a much stronger backcourt to the table in Jordan Adams and Kyle Anderson. Anderson lights it up from deep, while Adams can create his own shot from anywhere on the floor. UCLA’s bugaboo? It can’t board to save its life. Against glass-crashers like Florida’s Patric Young and Will Yeguete, that’s a recipe for disaster.
Syracuse (3) vs. New Mexico (7). The Orange have garnered a reputation for thrilling finishes this season. Remember Tyler Ennis’ buzzer-beater against Pitt? Or the duels with Duke? ‘Cuse will likely need some late heroics to hold off the Lobos. Look for a veteran like senior forward C.J. Fair to be the difference down on the low block.
Elite Eight
Florida (1) vs. Syracuse (3). Did the Gators coast through a soft SEC this season? Plenty of detractors have being saying that all season, and those cries will be even louder against the battle-tested Orange. But in those disturbing late-season losses to Boston College and Georgia Tech, Syracuse forgot how to shoot from deep. Look for that trend to pop up again against Florida’s relentless perimeter defense.
EAST REGION
Game to watch (Round of 64)
Cincinnati (5) vs. Harvard (12). Led by do-it-all Sean Kilpatrick, Cincy is essentially a one-man show. Harvard, in contrast, has the desirable problem of needing to figure out how to distribute the ball to its six different all-Ivy selections. The Bearcats simply don’t have the secondary scoring options needed to keep up with Siyani Chambers, Laurent Rivard and the rest of the Crimson.
Game to watch (round of 32)
Villanova (2) vs. UConn (7). There’s nothing quite like an old Big East rematch. The veterans on the Wildcats and Huskies are certainly familiar with each other, and UConn senior guard Shabazz Napier is chomping at the bit to crush coach Jay Wright’s NCAA dreams. But the Wildcats are too diverse on offense through their four-out motion to fall in the first weekend.
Sweet Sixteen
Villanova (2) vs. Iowa State (3). (DeAndre) Kane is able. Pardon the pun, but it’s been the efforts of the Cyclones’ senior guard that have resulted in coach Fred Hoiberg’s first Big 12 title. Kane has scored in double figures in 11 straight games and forms an outside-in threat with senior forward Melvin Ejim (18.1 ppg) that Villanova simply doesn’t have the firepower to keep up with.
Virginia (1) vs. Michigan State (4). No one rebounds quite like a Tom Izzo-coached team. And now that the Spartans are finally fully healthy, the preseason No. 2 team in the country is geared up to make another deep run. The Cavaliers are strong inside, but don’t have the perimeter firepower to match up with guards Gary Harris, Keith Appling and Branden Dawson.
Elite Eight
Iowa State (3) vs. Michigan State (4)
Every recruiting class of Tom Izzo’s career has made at least one Final Four appearance in its four years on Michigan State’s campus. If this year’s senior class wants to keep that streak alive, it will likely need a herculean effort from senior forward Adreian Payne (7.4 rpg) on the defensive glass against Ejim to keep the Cyclones from getting second-chance opportunities. This could be the game of the tournament.
WEST REGION
Game to watch (round of 64)
Gonzaga (8) vs. Oklahoma State (9)
The Cowboys have come alive since the return of star sophomore Marcus Smart from a suspension for shoving a fan, winning four of their last six games. Smart’s presence, combined with the sudden emergence of Phil Forte on the wing, should be enough to handle a solid Gonzaga squad that was not tested heavily in the WCC.
Game to watch (round of 32)
Creighton (3) vs. Baylor (6)
The hits just keep on coming for Sports Illustrated cover boy and Jays superstar Doug McDermott, who captured the NCAA scoring title with a 26.9 ppg average. But the Bears are one of the hottest teams in the nation, having won six consecutive games before falling to Iowa State in the Big XII tournament final. It will take a village to stop Baylor.
Sweet Sixteen
Arizona (1) vs. San Diego State (4)
The Wildcats crash the offensive glass, grabbing 35 percent of offensive rebounding opportunities, and they already beat San Diego State on its home floor by nine points, grinding it out due to the presence of freshman forward Aaron Gordon. Unless the Aztecs come up with a way to deal with Arizona’s superior inside athleticism, they’ll be going home early.
Wisconsin (2) vs. Baylor (6)
Bo Ryan’s Badgers have a history of falling to lower seeds in the tournament, but this year, his squad has caught a break. Wisconsin plays it safe, committing turnovers on only 11.1 percent of its possessions. Even though Baylor is far superior on the glass, the Bears won’t have nearly as many offensive chances as they would need to catch up.
Elite Eight
Arizona (1) vs. Wisconsin (2)
Arizona might be able to neutralize Wisconsin forward Frank Kaminsky with a combination of Gordon and forward Brandon Ashley, but can it keep up with the Badgers’ guard play? As long as junior guard Nick Johnson keeps up his high level of play, the Wildcats will be able to force the Badgers out of their tempo and earn a long-awaited trip to Arlington.
Midwest
Game to watch (round of 64)
Texas (7) vs. Arizona State (10)
Very little separates these two teams, save for Texas’ overwhelming ability to rebound. But Sun Devils guard Jahii Carson has scored at least 20 points in 12 different games this season. You can’t rebound the basketball if it’s going through the bottom of the net. Arizona State survives and advances.
Game to watch (Round of 32)
Wichita State (1) vs. Kentucky (8)
How the mighty have fallen. Once considered a foregone conclusion to win the national title, John Calipari’s Wildcats have crashed hard, as his fabulous freshmen have failed to truly coalesce. That lack of chemistry will be fatal against the talented, deep and, most importantly, united Shockers, who have been laser-focused all year long.
Sweet Sixteen
Wichita State (1) vs. Louisville (4)
Last year, the Shockers’ stunning run to the Final Four was halted by the eventual national champion Cardinals. This year, Wichita State has an even bigger target on its back that reads “34-0.” Criminally underseeded, Louisville will use the oft-spectacular play of senior guard Russ Smith to end the Shockers’ perfect season and keep hopes of a title repeat alive.
Michigan (2) vs. Duke (3)
Will it be the Jabari Parker show in March? The Duke guard has quickly proven himself to be the best of a much ballyhooed freshman class, averaging 19.3 points per game. If Parker gets hot, not only will he prevent an Elite Eight rematch of last year’s national title game, he’ll also give himself a shot at being picked first overall in the NBA Draft.
Elite Eight
Duke (3) vs. Louisville (4)
It’s tough to find too much separation between the Blue Devils and Cardinals. Both shoot efficiently from all spots on the floor and find ways to crash the boards on both ends of the floor. But Louisville is far superior at trapping and forcing turnovers, and its veteran backcourt will be able to flummox Parker and junior guard Quinn Cook.
Final Four
Florida (1) vs. Michigan State (4)
When healthy, Michigan State is the most talented team in the country. But there’s a big difference between “most talented” and “best team.” With eight different players receiving at least 10 minutes of action per game, it doesn’t matter who spreads out around elite point guard Scottie Wilbekin, the Gators will find a way to penetrate and get easy buckets.
Arizona (1) vs. Louisville (4)
The Wildcats are the beneficiaries of the weakest region in the tournament, but will run into a cardinal-red buzzsaw when they tip off in AT&T Stadium. Louisville’s forward combination of Montrezl Harrell and Chane Behanan may be the best frontcourt duo in the country, and Arizona simply won’t have enough to answer the call on the post — or outside on kick-out passes.
National Championship
Florida (1) vs. Louisville (4)
Can Rick Pitino repeat? Well, Peyton Siva isn’t walking through that door. Neither is Gorgui Deng. This year’s Cardinals are certainly comparable to last year’s champs, but the Gators have certainly proved themselves capable of fending off any challenge. The difference will likely be Florida’s superior three-point shooting, as the Gators claim the NCAA title.
Check out this video done by 2011 Penn graduate Jeremy Maas. It is Penn baseball like you haven't seen it before. Highest level of recommendation.
Coming off a spring break in which it won its first two Ivy contests of the 2014 season, the Penn women's lacrosse team returns to action on Wednesday against No. 2 Maryland (9-0). The Red and Blue's matchup with the Terrapins marks the first of four consecutive nonconference games for No. 12 Penn before resuming Ivy play on April 12.
Three Up-
Defensive Play: Both Penn (4-1) and Maryland are two of the top defensive teams in the nation. Led by goalkeeper Lucy Ferguson, the Quakers have allowed only 7.4 goals per contest in 2014, the 11th best mark in the country. However, in nine games this year, the Terps have given up only 6.56 goals per game. As a result, Wednesday's game is expected to be a low-scoring affair.
Maryland's Past 32 Games: The past two seasons have been a nearly perfect stretch for the No. 2 team in the country. The Terps have won 31 of their last 32 games, including their first nine of the 2014 campaign. In fact, over the past two seasons, Maryland's only loss remains its triple-overtime defeat to North Carolina in last year's national championship game.
Penn's Offensive Distribution: Senior attack Tory Bensen has been incredible for the Quakers thus far this season, notching 13 goals in only five contests. Though Bensen leads Penn in scoring, the Quakers feature a variety of additional weapons. Of Penn's 45 goals in 2014, 19 of those scores have come from sophomore players, including nine from midfield Lely DeSimone.
Three Down-
Playing North Carolina: If only teams could avoid playing those pesky Tar Heels. Penn did battle with top-ranked North Carolina in its season opener. Despite playing the Tar Heels close for a half, the defending national champions eventually pulled away. As for Maryland, a sudden death North Carolina goal in the third overtime of last year's title game was the only thing separating the Terps from an undefeated season.
Penn's History with Maryland: In 21 meetings with Maryland since 1980, the Quakers have had little success when doing battle with the Terrapins. Since defeating Maryland in the 2007 NCAA Tournament, Penn has gone winless against the Terps, having dropped all five meetings that matchup. Last year against top-ranked Maryland, the Quakers dropped a tense road contest, 15-10.
Slowing down Maryland: Though Penn has one of the country's top defenses, the Terps consistently pack a punch. Maryland's seventh-ranked attack is led by sophomore Taylor Cummings, the reigning ACC Freshman of the Year, with 28 goals and 41 pointsrestructured sentence moving "Maryland's seventh-ranked attack" to beginning of sentence. While Cummings ranks sixth in the nation in goals scored, her teammate, junior Kelly McPartland, has added 25 goals for Maryland, tenth-best in the country.
We caught up with Penn baseball coach John Yurkow after a busy spring break in which the Quakers dropped six of eight games. The squad, which is seeking better consistency at the plate, battled the likes of Navy, Towson, Monmouth, Delaware State and Richmond over the break.
The DP: Your team had a busy break with eight games, some of them in cold weather. You were only able to win two, but they were all pretty close. Can you talk about how the team played and your biggest takeaways?
John Yurkow: It was good keeping the guys together for a week. I think its good for chemistry, and you don’t have to worry about school as much. They were able to focus on being good teammates and enjoying the game for a week. It was interesting because we did play in some really cold weather.
DP: Can you talk about how it felt to get your first win as a head coach?
JY: It was almost a feeling of relief for the team. We got the first one, and then we really exploded in the second game [against Delaware State] and started swinging the bats a little bit. It’s definitely a good feeling to get the first win. You hope your guys then understand what it takes to win. I think right now we’re in a bit of a rut as far as our offense. We just haven’t been able to get a big hit in a bunch of these games.
DP: In many of your early losses, the team fell behind early and was unable to come back. Is coming out stronger something you are emphasizing?
JY: When you get out to a lead, it allows you to be more aggressive in your offense. You can play some more hit and runs, you can try to steal some more bases, you can start runners. When you get behind, you’re a little bit limited with what you can do offensively. The way our offense is made up, we need to be a team that is consistent one through nine. And that’s the one thing that we haven’t done a good job with so far this spring. We’re a team that has to pitch well, play good defense, and have a solid offensive approach. We’re not good enough to fail in one of those areas and still be successful.
DP: Your pitching staff was able to keep you in a lot of close games. Can you talk about some of the pitching performances that impressed you over the break?
JY: Those guys are starting to settle in and that’s what I thought they would do. Connor Cuff has pitched great. Its kind of frustrating how we still haven’t been able to get him a win, as well as he’s pitched. He’s been great, Dan Gautieri has been a lot better his last two times out. Ronnie Glenn has given us solid performances too. And some of the freshmen are starting to come along.
DP: Junior Jeff McGarry and sophomore Marshall Harden, two players who were not very involved at the plate last season, have been two of Penn’s biggest weapons this season. Can you touch on your emergence, and whether it has surprised you?
JY: Jeff McGarry, he’s probably the best athlete on our team. There’s not much he can’t do. He goes over to first base, makes a couple of great diving plays. He can really throw for a first baseman. Obviously he’s gonna pitch some for us this season. He’s settled into the three-hole rather well. He’s got great hand-eye coordination. He can hit the ball to all fields. ... It’s also good to see Marshall Harden because he didn’t get a ton of at-bats last year. He’s really developed into a solid hitter.
Spring Break was a dizzying time for Penn Athletics, with the women’s basketball team punching an NCAA Tournament ticket with a stunning upset win against Princeton on its own floor. But what was the top moment for Penn’s other teams? Our Sports Editors discuss:
Sports Editor Ian Wenik: I’m going to show some recognition for the men’s lacrosse team and what it was able to accomplish in front of a national TV audience on Fox College Sports against Villanova on the first Saturday of break.
Trailing 11-7 in the fourth quarter, the Quakers pulled off a comeback you almost never see, scoring five goals in eight minutes to somehow pull out a 12-11 victory in hostile territory. It’s certainly early in the season, but I’m sure that junior midfield Joe McCallion’s winning goal with just two minutes left to play will be one of the Quakers’ emotional high points.
Penn may have lost its only other match of break to then-No.16 Princeton, 15-12, but this team is currently sitting 13th in the nation with a lot of momentum as it heads into Ivy play and a date on Saturday with No. 3 Cornell. An NCAA run could be coming.
Senior Sports Editor Steven Tydings: While men’s lacrosse pulled off the impressive win away from home, Penn wrestling had a solid showing in the Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association (EIWA) Championships in the friendly confines of the Palestra.
The Quakers had two grapplers get to the finals of their weightclass. No. 11 in the country, junior Lorenzo Thomas was ranked No. 2 in EIWAs at 184 pounds, and made a run all the way to the finals to have a rematch with Cornell’s No. 1, Gabe Dean. While Dean was able to defeat Thomas, 3-1,thanks to a controversial takedown, Thomas clinched an NCAA berth and will be No. 11 in Oklahoma City in his weightclass.
Meanwhile, senior Brad Wukie was the surprise of the weekend, defeating No. 5 Brian Harvey of Army to get to the finals, where he was upended. Wukie will head to NCAAs as well, facing off with Pittsburgh’s No. 7 Tyler Wilps .
Sophomore Casey Kent had a solid showing at 165 pounds, making it to the semifinals. Kent lost two of his final three duals, but he came out with a bid to NCAAs thanks to a fourth-place finish. And while freshman Caleb Richardso nlost both of his matches at EIWAs, he received an at-large bid to NCAA Championships at 125 pounds, where he will face the No. 9 ranked grappler, Wyoming’s Tyler Cox .
Sports Editor Riley Steele: I tip my hat to Mike McLaughlin and the rest of the women’s basketball squad for a remarkable performance over break. But I think one definitely needs to take a look at the work of the Penn women’s lacrosse team from the past two weekends.
On the field, the Quakers took down two quality Ivy opponents to kick off their Ancient Eight slate. On Mar. 8, No. 15 Penn took down Harvard in a defensive battle, one that saw both teams go scoreless over a 15-minute period. The 9-4 victory moved head coach Karin Brower-Corbett into a first-place tie on Penn’s all-time wins list with 151.
Corbett didn’t have to wait much longer to pick up her 152nd win though. The following weekend, the Quakers, who moved up to No. 13 in the country after their win over the Crimson, took down Yale, 11-9. Senior attack Tory Bensennotched another goal, improving her team-leading mark to 13 on the season.
The Red and Blue have now won 11 consecutive Ivy contests, and 50 of their last 52. Penn will play four consecutive nonconference games before returning to conference play on Apr. 12 .
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Program turnaround
Began, ended with Baron
Transformative clutch
No final piece till
Stip took up tripping Tigers
At every step
ACL rearview
Now NCAA awaits
McCullough moving
Selection Monday
Cathedral open to all
Be there or be square
Selection Monday is going to be a big night for Penn women's basketball and the Quakers are going to let the rest of Penn's campus celebrate with them.
On Monday, the team will hold a Selection Show watch party at the Palestra that will be open to the public. The videoboard at the Cathedral of College Basketball will display the Selection Show, which will be televised on ESPN. The show will announce the field of 64 for this year's NCAA Tournament and the Quakers will find out right at home at the Palestra.
The doors to the Palestra will open at 6:15 p.m. and the first 200 fans will receive free t-shirts, while all fans in attendance will have the opportunity to take pictures with the Ivy League championship trophy. There will also be streamers for fans to throw when the Quakers are announced, a nod to the long-standing Palestra tradition.
The Quakers clinched the Ivy League's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament by beating Princeton on Tuesday, finishing off the season 22-6 and 12-2 in Ivy play.
According to ESPN bracketologist Charlie Creme, the team is likely to be a 12 seed when the bracket is announced but a 13 seed isn't out of the realm of possibilities.
It's no secret that Fran Dougherty's senior season with Penn basketball didn't go as planned.
Expected to finish second in the Ivy League when the season started, the Quakers struggled all year, and managed single digit victories for the second consecutive year. 2013-14 also saw Penn lose nine of 14 Ivy contests.
And while Dougherty has played his last game as a member of the Red and Blue, the senior forward has received some recognition for his efforts with Penn this season.
On Wednesday, the New Britain, Pa., native was named second-team All-Ivy, the first and only All-Ivy award of the big man's career. Dougherty was the only Penn basketball player to be honored by the Ivy League based on the Quakers performance this season.
Dougherty was twice named Ivy Player of the Week during the season. The senior forward finished the season averaging 12.7 points per game and 7.3 boards per contest. He was second on the squad in scoring (behind Tony Hicks) and led the team in rebounding.
After a junior season marred by both illness and injury, Dougherty recovered nicely during the 2013-14 campaign. The senior scored in double figures in 18 of Penn's 28 contests, including 11 of the Quakers 14 Ivy games.
Dougherty is joined on the second-team All-Ivy squad by three Harvard players: sophomore guard Siyani Chambers, junior forward Steve Moundou-Missi and senior guard Laurent Rivard. Columbia's Maodo Lo also was honored.
Though Dougherty's career is now over, the forward is able to ride off into the sunset with the most notable award of his stellar Penn career.
The accolades keep coming in for Penn women's basketball.
For the first time in program history, the Quakers swept all of the Ivy League's postseason awards, with Alyssa Baron winning Ivy Player of the Year and Sydney Stipanovich taking both Ivy Rookie of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year.
Baron, who was also a unanimous first-team All-Ivy selection, was key in the Red and Blue's run to their first Ivy title in a decade, placing in the top 10 of the Ancient Eight in points (14.6), rebounds (5.9), assists (3.4) and steals (1.7) while also sporting an 80.3 percent mark from the free-throw line.
Baron is Penn's first player of the year selection since Jewel Clark took home the award after the Quakers won the Ancient Eight crown in 2003-04.
Meanwhile, Stipanovich was a force on both ends of the court for Penn, receiving Penn's third ever Rookie of the Year (Diana Caramanico and Baron were the first two). Her 98 blocks have her sixth in the nation and those 98 rejections are more than six other Ivy teams have in total all season.
And while Stipanovich broke Penn's record for both blocks in a season (previous record was 72) and blocks in a game with nine, she also provided steady offense for Penn, including a 19-point, nine-rebound effort to help Penn beat Princeton on Tuesday.
Stipanovich was also named second-team All-Ivy along with her partner in the frontcourt, junior forward Kara Bonenberger. Bonenberger started every game this year, putting up 11.1 points and 6.5 rebounds per game.
With the Ivy season now behind them, the Quakers will find out their NCAA Tournament opponent on Monday. In an email, ESPN bracketologist Charlie Creme said that Penn's ceiling is likely a 12 seed but the team is unlikely to fall below a 13 seed.
Creme was confident that the Quakers end up on the 12-seed line, which would be a big step up from Penn's last appearance in the Big Dance as a 16 seed.
With the NCAA announcing the brackets for the 2014 NCAA Wrestling Championships, Penn knew it had three wrestlers heading to Oklahoma City via automatic bids from EIWA championships.
And the Quakers will also be sending a fourth.
Penn wrestling will be sending junior Lorenzo Thomas (184 pounds), sophomore Casey Kent (165 pounds) and senior Brad Wukie (174 pounds) through automatic bids and got a fourth qualifier, freshman Caleb Richardson , thanks to an at-large bid at the 125-pound weightclass.
Both Thomas and Wukie made the finals at their respective weightclasses at EIWAs, which were held at the Palestra last weekend. While Thomas was ranked No. 2 in his class for EIWAs (he is ranked No. 11 for NCAAs), Wukie was ranked eighth before making a surprise run to the final.
Thomas will face Oregon State’s Austin Moorehead, whom he pinned at the Southern Scuffle in early January. Wukie will face Tyler Wilps from Pittsburgh, who is the No. 7 seed.
Meanwhile, Kent took a fourth-place finish, falling in the semi final at 165 pounds. The sophomore will face the No. 4 seed in North Dakota State’s Steven Monk, who has lost just once all season.
Richardson will be facing the No. 9 seed, Tyler Cox from Wyoming. The freshman will look to respond after losing both his bouts at EIWAs. Richardson went 12-9 in his freshman campaign.
All four Penn grapplers will be making their first NCAA appearances when the Championships start on March 20.
Watch Penn women's basketball count down the final seconds of its 80-64 triumph over Princeton at Jadwin Gym, which gave Penn its first Ivy title since and NCAA tournament berth since 2004:
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Penn women's basketball just won its first Ivy League championship since 2004 at Jadwin Gym, beating Princeton just two months after the Tigers beat Penn by 31 at the Palestra. Watch a snippet of the award presentation ceremony here:
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