You might not know very much about the Illinois-Chicago Flames, but here's a few facts about their basketball team.
- Josh Mayo and T.J. Gray shoot 42 and 43 percent from three-point range, respectively. Mayo has gone 16-for-38, while Gray is 33-of-77 on the year.
- Guards Mayo, Gray and Spencer Stewart have combined to go 45-for-50 from the free throw line (90 percent), while starting forwards Jovan Stefanov and Othyus Jeffers combine for 75-for-121 (62 percent)
- Were the only team in the country to beat an ACC, SEC and Big Ten team in the non-conference schedule last year (Georgia Tech, Mississippi an Northwestern)
- Have a Philadelphia native in senior guard D.J. Smedley
Illinois-Chicago's nickname is the Flames. And the Flames' road uniforms certainly reflect this, appearing in photos to be the brightest things I have seen in a while. I mean, wow, you really need some sunglasses to look at this.
You might say that Penn's old red uniforms are the same color. You would be wrong. Look at this for comparison. And here's the two together for your viewing pleasure.
Also, you gotta love this tie by UIC coach Jimmy Collins. Hey Glen Miller, I like your red and blue tie, but why don't you mix it up a little bit. I think you've worn the same tie every appearance since your introductory press conference. If it was a winning streak, that would be one thing, but it's not.
On Saturday Penn goes up the NJTP to visit Seton Hall, who dresses like this at home (or the Meadowlands). I like the wavy font look, it goes with the pirate motif but doesn't take it too far. Also, I like that they eliminated the stupid shoulder stripes that I really can't stand.
However, the piping around the arm holes is a little odd. Unless the players in the pictures I have found are all wearing perfectly aligned T-shirts, I think that the added fabric between the striping and the end of the jersey looks weird.
Anyway, have a Happy New Year and we'll see you again for UNC.
I am terrible at sports predictions. I was among the bottom few in Prognostiquakers, have never won my fantasy football league and took Pitt in the Final 4 last year.
So it's clear that I don't make too many bold predictions these days. However, when Drexel matched up with Syracuse, I almost guaranteed the 8-point underdogs would win at the Carrier Dome. I told everyone, and for once I was right. Frank Elegar dropped 27 and 10 on the No. 23 Orange, while point guard Bashir Mason had five assists, five steals and no turnovers. Drexel was down 10 in the second half, but rallied for the 84-79 win.
Even drexeldragons.com used 'stunned' in the headline, but I saw it coming. Drexel is the best team in Philly, and barring a shocker on Tobacco Road, will have provided Penn its best win of the year. The 7-2 Dragons don't get the opportunity to play many quality opponents, but when they have had the opportunity, they have taken advantage of it. After losses to Penn (68-49) and Rider (89-81, OT), the Dragons have won five straight, including wins over St. Joe's, at Villanova and at No. 23 Syracuse - the latter two have accounted for half of the Quakers' losses.
What does all this mean? Drexel is ninth in the RPI according to cbssportsline.com, and with a win over Temple this weekend should definitely become a top 25 team.
Conor Turley, a 6-foot-7 forward from southern California, has rescinded his committment to play basketball for Brown and will instead join Glen Miller's Class of 2011 at Penn.
Turley had committed several years ago to play for Miller at Brown, enrolling in the 2007-08 academic year, as detailed in this press release. But according to Turley's father, Douglas, the 220-pounder from La Canada, Calif. changed his mind after Miller left for Penn and "sent a letter to pull his admittance" at Brown in September of this year.
Turley's father said that Penn had been the No. 1 choice all along, but that then-Penn coach Fran Dunphy "didn't recruit him as consistently as Coach Miller did," so Turley decided to head to Providence.
After Turley informed Brown of his decision, Miller and assistant Chris Sparks recruited him the second time around while he was on a two-year mission for the Mormon Church in Chicago, which he is set to finish this summer.
Turley becomes the sixth member of Miller's first recruiting class and the third one from SoCal. He is also the second legitimate big man, joining 6-7 Jack Eggleston from Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
And if you're reading this post, you have received some other news before Conor Turley himself. According to Turley's father, the family just received a letter of acceptance from Penn on Thursday. But because of his mission, the young man himself won't know he has been admitted for another few days.
It's done. This morning, I handed in my probability final exam, the hardest test I've ever taken. It's not that I was unprepared, just prepared for the wrong things.
For instance, I had the zero-one law down pat. Given a certain set of conditions, which you'll thank me for not getting into, an event must either have probability one or probability zero. It is or it isn't. No gray area.
So in that spirit, assume all the conditions hold, and here are my zero-one laws.
Event: Penn will beat Illinois-Chicago and Seton Hall.
Probability: One.
Never mind exams and the rust of 12 days between games. This team will be so ticked off that the Flames, 1-3 on the road, won't have a chance, and the Quakers will carry the momentum into the Meadowlands.
Event: Penn will follow that up with a win over North Carolina
Probability: Zero
Anger won't do a thing against the nation's Under-20 All-Stars.
Event: Penn will shoot 50 percent from the field for the season.
Probability: Zero
The Quakers are among 24 teams making more shots than they miss, but that's a nearly impossible thing to keep up. Sorry for using the word nearly, I forgot the rules. But shooting 50.1 percent through nine games isn't bad. Mark Zoller and Ibrahim Jaaber firing at 59 percent apiece isn't hurting their cause.
Event: Four Quakers will average 30 minutes per game
Probability: One
I'm a little nervous about this one, because the zero-one law doesn't let me cheat and say "if everyone stays healthy." Steve Danley is fourth at 30.4 per game (behind Jaaber, Brian Grandieri and Zoller) despite foul trouble early on. Look for Mike Kach to continue eating into Tommy McMahon's minutes, but nobody else's should be in danger.
Event: Paul Arizin's story would be laughed at by a movie producer
Probability: One
The Big 5, and the basketball world as a whole, lost a legend when former Villanova and Philadelphia Warriors great Paul Arizin passed away yesterday at 78. The script of Arizin's life story begins when he is cut from his high school team at La Salle High School. It moves on to spotlight his enrolling in Villanova, as a student, not a basketball player and eventually being invited to join the team. By the time the credits roll around, he's been an All-American, a Basketball Hall-of-Famer and a member of the NBA's list of its 50 best.
Nah, too unrealistic for Hollywood.
Not for Philadelphia.
As a bonus, and as appeasement for taking time off to survive finals (sportswriters and academics mix like oil and water) here are Philadelphia's top 10 in our player rankings.
As always, the formula, taken from the book The Wages of Wins, accounts for points, rebounds, assists, field goal and free throw attempts, steals, blocks, turnovers and fouls. This week's are adjusted to Penn's nine games played.
1. Zoller, Penn, 99.0
2. Crawford, Drexel, 97.3
3. Christmas, Temple, 81.8
4. Nivins, St. Joe's, 79.5
5. Jaaber, Penn, 77.5
6. Grandieri, Penn, 71
7. Sumpter, Villanova, 70.5
8. Dacons, Temple, 67.5
9. Elegar, Drexel, 65.8
10. Harris, La Salle, 63.8
6-foot-5 swingman Remy Cofield of Roxbury, Mass., will join the Class of 2011, according to njhoops.com
Most of the online buzz on Cofield centers on his physique, which is said to be great for a wing.
With this addition, the competition at that spot could be intense in the coming years, since classmates Tyler Bernardini of San Diego and Dan Monckton of Illinois also fit in at the three spot. Right now, sophomore Tommy McMahon is the only true wing who gets any minutes for the Quakers.
Cofield is also Glen Miller's fifth recruit for next year, and the first-year coach may yet add to that number. If he does, the Class of 2011 could be one of the biggest in recent memory for Penn -- and it could end up resembling the classes Miler brought in when he was at Brown.
If that happens, let's just hope the higher attrition rates don't follow as well.
Update, 5:30 p.m.
After some discussions, it is quite possible that Penn was not really in a strict zone defense, but a man-to-man that had a lot of switching and sagging, looking like a zone. I'm not sure exactly what to call it, but I'll look into it with coach Miller later on.
Anyway, I still think that whatever you want to call the defense, Miller should have changed it in the second half because it wasn't working. End update
Saturday was not a good day to be in the Big 5, but more on that later.
First, I just do not understand why Penn played a zone defense for so much of its 77-60 loss to Fordham Saturday. The Quakers came out switching defenses but soon settled on a zone, and then allowed the Rams to shoot 12-of-21 from three-point range.
Penn looked lethargic trying to respond to Fordham's screens and ball movement, and the Quakers rotated the zone too slowly and then too much, with three players going to cover a man who really didn't have the ball anymore.
I understand that starting in a zone was a good plan against a team that had hit only 31.1 percent of threes coming into the game. But where was the adjustment by Glen Miller? Penn was in a zone until there was about 3:20 left in the game and the Quakers were down by 16.
Apparently, Miller blamed defensive execution for the zone's demise. Maybe he should have blamed himself for staying in it so long.
Penn's loss was not the only low blow struck against the Big 5 Saturday. Temple turned a 10-point second-half lead into an 8-point loss to Cincinnati, when the Owls did not score for about 11 minutes, as the Bearcats went on an 18-0 run and didn't look back.
The lone Philly team not in the Big 5, Drexel, also pulled off a shocker Saturday night, beating Villanova for the first time in school history, at the Pavillion no less. Now the Dragons are 1-17 against the Wildcats, who may have fooled everyone into thinking that they are a little better than they really are after their relatively impressive wins over Penn and Oklahoma.
And a disappointing season on Hawk Hill continued Saturday, as Saint Joseph's lost 74-64 to Louisville -- itself not so bad, especially on the road. But then the Hawks lost the following day to Ohio University, after barely beating Division II Bellarmine by 12 on Friday. It was 60-57 in that game with less than six minutes to play.
La Salle at least got Saturday off, but is coming off an 11-point loss to the very unimpressive Maryland-Baltimore County Retrievers.
At least Philly fans still have the Eagles. And AI. For now. (Both of them)
The band hit a nerve with me on Saturday during the Fordham game, and not for the first time. As PA announcer Rich Kahn began reading off the Ivy League scoreboard, the band launched into song. None of the student section heard the scores, because the band was too busy playing.
I'll admit that's a little nitpicky, but my real pet peeve is when the band plays "Fight On" and stimulates a good "Let's Go Quakers" chant, only to subsequently squelch it by playing the second verse. Which is more important, generating crowd enthusiasm or making sure that the song is finished? If this conflict means the band only plays the first verse, so be it. The crowds for these reading-day/winter break games will be small enough without the band stifling them.
On the women's side, coach Pat Knapp's substitution rotations were again surprising. Yesterday against American, Knapp played Anca Popovici for the first three minutes of the game...then yanked her out and sat her on the bench for the remainder of the 61-51 loss.
Popovici and Maggie Burgess seem to be the frequent victims of this policy. Against Lafayette, both started: Popovici had 8 minutes and Burgess 14. Against Delaware, it was 16 for Popovici and 11 for Burgess. Admittedly, foul trouble sometimes hastens the process, but either way it doesn't take much for Knapp to go to Kelly Scott and Caitlin Slover.
Knapp is the most animated coach I've ever seen, and he provided another gem for the fans sitting on the Penn side today. After a careless turnover, he grabbed two cups, at least one of which was filled with water. He then proceeded to slowly and dramatically crumple the cups before dropping them onto the sideline.
It probably wasn't very funny for assistant coach Jennifer Wasson, though -- she was the one who got stuck cleaning up the mess after Knapp emphatically stormed away from the scene.
This year's 17-point loss to Fordham at the Palestra and last season's 15-point defeat to the Rams in the Bronx had more in common than just the nearly identical margin of victory.
Score: Last season -- 78-63 Fordham. This Saturday -- 77-60 Fordham
Penn scoring leaders: Last -- Ibrahim Jaaber with 18, Mark Zoller with 17. Saturday -- Jaaber with 18, Zoller with 14
Rams forward Bryant Dunston: Last -- 20 points on 6-of-11 shooting and 8-for-9 FTs, with 12 rebounds (four offensive). Saturday - 21 points on 7-of-11 shooting and 7-for-9 FTs, with 8 rebounds (four offensive).
Rams three-point %: Last -- 46.2. Saturday -- 57.1
Rebounds: Last -- Fordham 39, Penn 28. Saturday -- Fordham 38, Penn 25.
Turning point: Last -- The Quakers led 35-32 at halftime, but a 12-0 run by Fordham early in the second half took the wind out of the Quakers' sails. Saturday -- After Penn tied it at 44 with 17 minutes left, the Rams opened up a 12-2 run that was too much for the Quakers to overcome.
That's all from here at the Palestra. Fordham continued its strong play in the second part of the first half to coast to a 17-point win.
Penn 60, Fordham 77
Starters back in for Penn with a couple minutes to go, Fordham still raining threes. This could easily end up as the same score as last year - 78-63
Penn 54, Fordham 72
Stout nails one from NBA range. He then penetrates to draw a foul. A little weak on the rollout from the Red and Blue Crew: "Ha ha ha, FU"
Penn 54, Fordham 67
With seven to go Danley (4 fouls) comes back in for Schreiber. Zoller also picks up his fourth foul. Butler hits an open three to take a big lead. Penn's doubling down low really starting to hurt. A Brian Dunston dunk really breaks open the lead for the A-10 team. Grandieri's three and Jaaber's steal keep Penn alive as of now.
Penn 49, Fordham 58
Have to give Riley respect for being one of the few without an undershirt. He also seems to be supporting the soon-to-be former Sixer Allen Iverson with the one long black sleeve.
Another three and a miss from Andreas Schreiber makes the Rams lead, then Greene takes it to 10. A turnover in Penns own end results in an emphatic dunk.
Penn 46, Fordham 51
Danley takes his second charge of the half, some haltime speech from coach Miller. Zoller has gone the opposite direction. Following a miss he picks up his third foul on a reach in.
A bad pass from Votel results in a dunk the other way. Danley finally misses, and soon after draws his fourth foul. Riley checks in for him, as Jaaber is the only starter in.
Penn 44, Fordham 47
Danley starts the half off quickly, with a three, a strong layup and another three. He's already tripled his first half output of 2. Zoller isn't looking as hot as he was, badly missing two threes.
Halftime: Penn 34, Fordham 39
At the half two for each team -- Zoller and Jaaber for Penn and Greene and Stout -- lead the scoring with 12. Fordham's 17 boards from the starters is setting the tone. After their man defense got burned quite a bit in the beginning, the Rams wised up to the Quakers cutters, and are now playing tough D. Fordham's lead is also mostly due to its 7-for-12 shooting from three.
Jaaber is starting to make his mark on the game. He hits a nasty floater over a few guys, and then steals a pass and goes coast-to-coast for a layup at the buzzer.
Penn 30, Fordham 39
Thanks to a flailing Mike Kach, an airball gets the crowd into it, but Stout responds with yet another trey. Zoller answers again, though, from the top of the key. Yet again Fordham hits from deep, taking the lead to seven.
A few offensive rebounds get the Quakers three looks, but none go down. Green gets an and-1 layup on a dumb by Zoller from behind.
Penn 27, Fordham 31
Stout nails another three as Brian Grandieri can't get over fast enough to put a hand in his face. Pretty reverse layup from Zoller keeps the score tight.
Penn 25, Fordham 28
Sebastian Greene hits a three for Fordham, Smith returns the favor for Penn. Glen Miller now using the bench liberally, giving Brennan Votel, Smith and McMahon early time.
Rams' big man Dunston is killing the Quakers on the offensive glass, his free throws tie the game at 20. A Green layup takes the lead for Fordham. Jaaber hits a pullup, though to give Penn back its slim lead.
Justin Reilly is now in for Penn, so nine players have seen action 12 minutes in.
Stout hits a wide open three at the top of the key, Jaaber answers with a two, but then Green hits another from long range.
Penn 17, Fordham 11
The Rams are really gunning from three, while their big men are getting all the boards. Meanwhile, Zoller returns an and-1 of his own with a cut for a layup. Penn continues to do all its work in the paint as Jabber hits another putback layin.
A Tommy McMahon layup gets Penn its first bench points of the day. He's returning from an aggravated back that kept him out of the Navy game.
The Quakers finally take advantage of Fordham's trapping on defense as Darrin Smith hits an open three.
Penn 8, Fordham 6
Fordham starts in a man defense, as does Penn. After trading misses, Mark Zoller hits on a cutting layup. Marcus Stout drains a three for the Rams, while Penn continues to go inside, getting another layup each from Mark Zoller and Danley.
Off of a Zoller miss from long, Ibrahim Jaaber threw down an emphatic put-back dunk.
_____
Welcome to the Palestra, it's about 40 degrees warmer in here than it is outside. Refresh every few minutes for updates on tonight's Penn - Fordham game.
Last year the Atlantic 10 squad took down the Quakers 78-63 despite a hot start for Penn. Starting center Bryant Dunston dropped 20 and 12 for the Rams, while graduated guard Jermaine Anderson scored 25.
The Quakers try to avenge their worst loss of last year against Fordham tonight at the Palestra. The Rams' relatively simple road uniforms look like this.
Other than the fact that Fordham joins Saint Joseph's, Temple and Massachusetts in the dark red division of the 14-team, wholly color-creatively-challenged Atlantic 10.
In case you don't know what I'm talking about, aside from the dark reds, Dayton, Duquesne and Richmond all wear red and blue, La Salle and George Washington wear blue and yellow, and Xavier and Saint Louis wear navy, to go along with the random colors of Charlotte (green and gold), Rhode Island (light blue) and St. Bonaventure (brown).
Anyway, what I do like about Fordham's uniforms is the fact that they have the little "Rams" wordmark under the triangle created by their shorts stripes. It's a nice little touch.
Off to the Palestra now...enjoy the evening.
If you're Joe Scott, you can't help but smile.
A year ago, he was doing about as bad as a Princeton basketball coach can do. The Tigers had a D-III embarassment on the books and the program was still reeling from a tumultuous season and a half. Scott might have been looking at the Air Force program he left -- and which somehow ended up in the NCAA Tournament with a 13 seed -- with longing eyes. I know I would be.
But then again, I'm no rock star.
Just like the down-on-his-luck rocker, Scott ditched his old gigs and brought in a new backing band. The old gigs were senior Patrick Ekeruo and sophomores Geoff Kestler and Alex Okafor, none of whom are now with the team. With a huge freshman class and just one graduating senior, that was to be expected.
The new band, for now, seem to be a pair of freshman guards who are wowing the crowds all by themselves. Marcus Schroeder and Lincoln Gunn have each started all eight games for Princeton, and they are 1-2 on the Tigers in minutes played. Together, the two account for 12.4 points, no small potatoes on a team that scores only 54.2 per game. Schroeder, who did not even get into Princeton until Regular Decision, also leads the team in assists by a wide margin, with 26.
So rocker and the band are there. What's left? Another vocalist, of course, and it came in the form of another fresh face, 6-9 center Zach Finley.
Finley was the centerpeice of Scott's recruiting class last year, and Tigers fans saw him as a point center throwback from the Pete Carril era. The jury is still out on that, but Finley has filled in nicely for the injured Justin Conway and could be a valuable energy player down the stretch. Throw in the unrecruited freshmen Pawel Buczak and Nick Lake, each of whom has a roster spot, and Scott has really cleaned house.
Of course, there is always an odd man out, and right now it looks to be junior Noah Savage, who was second on the team in scoring his first few years but is now lucky to get 15 minutes in a game.
But the ultimate test of greatness for any rock star is simple: can he keep selling albums after the original lineup is gone?
Princeton has won its past three games by a total of five points. That could be construed as a good or bad sign, but the way I look at it, the Tigers are winning close games. That has been a major achilles heel of Penn in recent years.
And it was the Tigers' ability to find ways to win that helped them mount a resurgence during Ivy League play last year, including a big overtime win over the Quakers. That resurgence helped Scott take on the same aura he had when he first left Air Force for Old Nassau, and he has been working on it since.
With Penn-Princeton at the Palestra just over two months away, it's already shaking up as a chance for a certain rock star to bust out his newest material and take more than a few onlookers by suprise.
Aside from another pair of ugly free throws by Lewis, and Miller emptying the bench with 31.9 seconds left, the end of the game was uneventful, as Penn cruised by Navy 79-58. The Quakers improve to 5-3 while Navy falls to 7-3.
See tomorrow's DP for full coverage from Annapolis.
Good night from The Buzz.
A Jaaber three and Egee fast-break layup ended an interesting stretch of scoring for Penn. The Quakers hit one field goal after the 16:40 mark of the half and none since the 10:15 mark, but hit 15 straight free throws over that span, pulling a page out of Villanova's book from Saturday night.
And Cameron Lewis just came in, so maybe Miller is about to empty the bench.
Penn's naming and branding problem continues to be evident all over the place. First, Navy's game notes had Penn's old split P logo. Then there has been at least one chant and one sign calling the Quakers "UPenn," which of course is not the preferred term. As anyone who has read a Penn Athletics publication knows, "It's Penn, Please."
With a game against Fordham Saturday night and McMahon's availability for now uncertain, Penn coach Glen Miller has done a good job mixing up the lineup and resting the starters for decent stretches. The rotation tonight has Egee, Votel, Reilly and Smith all seeing some action.
I've noticed that in college hoops garbaaaj time (Marv Albert's pronunciation) the subs come in much later than they do in the pros. I guess it's easier to blow a huge lead in college. But with less than six minutes left and a 20-point lead, I think it's time.
But despite the score, to its credit, the Navy crowd is still very into this game.
First intentional foul I've seen this year, as Kach went up for a fast-break dunk and was fouled hard by Greg Sprink, landing hard on his back. He'll have the media timeout to catch his breath before he has to go to the line, though, and seemed all right.
Adam Teague just fouled out for Navy, which prompts me to tell you that only the aforementioned Zoller is in any foul trouble for Penn, with three fouls. Danley and Reilly have two.
Navy has Trey Stanton with three and Corey Johnson and Bryce Bringham with two.
Zoller just picked up his third foul on a somewhat shaky call in my opinion, and then didn't play defense on a layup right afterwards, allowing the Midshipmen an inkling of hope here.
Big possession in the game just happened.
Navy had hit a couple threes, got a turnover, and then had chance after chance to score again, with an offensive rebound, jump ball, block out of bounds, another offensive rebound and a foul on Penn, before a steal by Jaaber and subsequent foul shots by Grandieri gave Penn some control back.
The Midshipmen missed on their next possession as well, and Jaaber hit two free throws to make the lead 19 again.
This is the point where Penn can either put the game away or allow Navy back in. A 20-point lead with 10 minutes to play is hard to lose.
Three turnovers for Navy so far in the half, and the Mids call timeout after another steal and bucket by Penn (Grandieri finishing it off.)
This being Pearl Harbor Day, Navy just had a nice moment honoring all the military personnel in attendance tonight, who are here for free as a promotional event.
A Grandieri three and a Zoller three-point play start the second well for Penn. After a Navy bucket, Kach hits a layup and Danley hits a pair from the line to make it a 20-point game.
Halftime Stats:
Penn shot 57.7 percent, 5-of-8 from threes, and was led by Zoller's 13, and Danley and Jaaber's 8. And McMahon did not come because of his back, which sidleined him for much of last year.
Navy shot 38.5 percemt, 5-of-11 from threes, and was led by Corey Johnson's nine points.
Not great stuff out of Justin Reilly so far, with two fouls and a botched rebound in just a couple minutes of action.
However, for Penn, it was a very good half. The Quakers started hot, withstood the Navy run, and got the lead back up to double figures.
I was concerned before the game that perhaps Navy would jump out to a quick start and Penn would be in trouble, but the Quakers did a great defensively and they were the ones that started hot.
Back soon with halftime stats.
Some good signs for Penn despite the recent Navy run:
Penn has gotten to the line eight more times than Navy has (only making six though), and has only had three turnovers, forcing six.
And a three by Jaaber and a steal/dunk by Kach has given the Quakers some breathing room again.
A layup by Corey Johnson is Navy's fifth straight made shot, and he will go to the line after the media timeout to try to complete a three-point play.
Before that shot, the Midshipmen had gotten up to 39% from the field and 4-of-8 from three after starting so miserably (1-7, 1-5).
Penn's offense has slowed, and Navy has begun hitting some threes, and has gotten back in the game. The Midshipmen have a reputation for shooting threes, and tonight is no different. But after missing four of their first five, the Midshipmen have begun knocking some down.
Balanced scoring for Penn so far (on 8-of-14 shooting) -- Zoller and Jaaber have five, Kach and Grandieri have four, and Danley has three.
First subs of the game for Penn -- Brennan Votel and Kevin Egee. Egee got burned defensively on his first possession, but Mark Zoller hit a three and Ibrahim Jaaber stole the inbounds pass and hit a layup as Penn's lead has balooned to 15.
A Danley layup off another good defensive posession by the Quakers has forced Midshipmen coach Billy Lange to call his second timeout already.
Meanwhile, this place is about half full, but the students are very loud and very into the game. Think of the Palestra on a good night.
ANNAPOLIS, Md. -- Welcome to Alumni Hall for Penn-Navy updates. Sorry for the delay, but things are sometimes complicated when it comes to driving and the U.S. Military.
Anyway, Penn started hot, jumping out to a 7-0 lead. One change of note is Michael Kach in the starting lineup for Penn, as Tommy McMahon has not made the trip; I'll find out why soon enough.
Kach hit the first shot of the game, and appears to have his sea legs (pun intended) under him so far.
Penn hasn't visited the Naval Academy since 1992, but is playing the Midshipmen for the sixth time on Pearl Harbor Day, but just the third one of those at Navy. In case you were wondering, Penn is 4-1 against Navy on Dec. 7, in a series that has been played 77 times so far, as the two teams used to play each other almost every year until 1979, and sometimes twice in a year.
That happens to be the most games that Penn has played against a non-Ivy opponent, just edging out Saint Joseph's by two -- although unless Penn continues to play Navy, that lead will soon disappear.
But back to the important stuff, the uniforms. The game is only the third time this year that the Quakers will be in blue, the first time in about a month (since they were in blue against Syracuse and St. Francis).
So in their home whites, the Mids look like this.
It'a a relatively simple look, which is what I want from my service academies, and actually is the same Nike template that Penn saw earlier this year in UTEP, and will see later in two Ivy teams (don't want to ruin the surprise come Ivy season, you'll have to wait and find out who they are).
This uniform is also a huge upgrade from this hideous (especially the color) Drexel look-alike outfit the Midshipmen wore last year (and hopefully not this year).
And for those of you who cannot get CSTV to watch tonight's game, be sure to check out the Buzz for live updates.
Getting to basketball practice early has its advantages, and not just for players. This writer wandered into the Palestra a little early and got to take in a great show.
Assistants Chris Sparks and Mike Martin were on one end doing running and shooting drills. Not leading the drills, doing the drills themselves. On the other was Glen Miller taking foul shot after foul shot.
Two things I noticed:
1. Miller is left-handed. That's one of the first things we lefties notice about each other. Maybe it's just because I watched the documentary Wordplay last night, and all the best crossword puzzle solvers fill in the squares with the correct hand. Except northpaw Mike Mussina, who was prominently featured.
2. Miller doesn't miss. He told me later that he's made upwards of 60 in a row at one point in his basketball career. This only begs the question of why can't he pass the skill along to his players.
Although maybe if he'd been running up and down the court with Mike Nardi and company for 40 minutes, he'd have some clangers here and there too.
Enjoy the Navy game. Word out of Cavanaugh's is that the bar and restaurant at 39th and Sansom gets CSTV. So I hope to see a lot of you there.
Please feel free to post if you know of any other places to watch the game.
Lost in the excitement of Saturday's game was a special milestone. Mark Zoller scored his 1,000th career point early in the game to make him the 34th Penn player to hit a grand.
But Saturday saw a milestone just as momentous for Ibrahim Jaaber, who moved into 25th place on the all-time list and blew by a certain Penn athletic director.
Throughout the season on The Buzz, we'll keep you updated on Zoller, who is already moving up the list, and Jaaber who joined the 1,000-point club last season.
For reference, the Quakers' all-time leader, Ernie Beck, scored 1,853 points in his three seasons.
Seasons played are in parentheses.
23. Tim Begley 1,165 (2001-05)
24. Koko Archibong 1,124 (1999-03)
25. Ibrahim Jaaber 1,122 (2003-07)
26. Paul Little 1,116 (1979-83)
27. Steve Bilsky 1,108 (1968-71)
28. Jeff Schiffner 1,081 (2000-04)
29. Richard Heylmun 1,076 (1952-54)
30. Corky Calhoun 1,066 (1969-72)
31. John Engles 1,038 (1973-76)
32. Barton Leach 1,033 (1952-55)
33. Mark Zoller 1,024 (2003-07)
34. Hassan Duncombe 1,009 (1988-90)
I had the pleasure of covering two very different basketball games at the Palestra on Saturday. Among the only similarities was how easy it was to pick out the turning points.
In the early game, Drexel's pasting of St. Joe's, the key moment came early. The Hawks' Jawan Carter made a three pointer to put SJU ahead 7-4 and struck a pose with his shooting hand until well after the ball went through the hoop. He then performed the flapping motion of the Hawk to the crowd, but never did get back on defense. Drexel took the ball out of bounds, ran the floor and scored easily on a lob to Frank Elegar.
Those were points 1 and 2 of a 14-0 run that took the two-thirds of the crowd dressed in Hawks red out of the game.
For Penn, the turning point in the loss to Villanova was a little too familiar. The Quakers came out of a timeout ahead 72-70 with 8:50 to play and had Ibrahim Jaaber on the free throw line for a pair. Neither shot was all that close, and Villanova came down the court and got the ball to Scottie Reynolds for a three-pointer that opened a 12-2 run. Villanova wouldn't trail again.
Why is that so familiar? Think back to last year when Penn chipped away at a 22-point Villanova lead. The Quakers got it down to five inside two minutes with Jaaber at the line. The then-junior made the first but missed the second and fouled Randy Foye on the rebound. Foye knocked down a pair to go up six, and Penn wouldn't get close again.
Here are the abbreviated player rankings, as always using the formula from the book The Wages of Wins. The formula adds points, rebounds, steals and a half of blocks and assists and subtracts field goal attempts and turnovers and half of free throw attempts and fouls.
Zoller 88
Grandieri 58.5
Jaaber 47.5
Danley 37.5
Rest of the team combined 3
Finally, I've only posted once on The Buzz about squash, to lament the lack of upsets in the sport. I got quite the e-mail following that one from women's coach Jack Wyant. So given this weekend's events, I better change my tune.
On the same day that the No. 6 men's team handed No. 4 Yale a 6-3 loss, Wyant's fourth-ranked team defeated the No. 2 Elis, the defending champions, 5-4 in New Haven. And earlier this season, the Quakers beat top-ranked Princeton 5-4 at the preseason scrimmages.
So it means one of two things: either upsets are back or these weren't really upsets. Wyant has a strong senior class, the last remnants of the Jim Martel era, and has been bringing in top recruiting classes in the three years he's been at Penn.
So maybe these aren't really upsets, just the mark of an underrated team that has a real shot at a national title.
Despite a new career-high 33 points from Zoller, Penn falls to 4-3, 0-1 Big 5 with a 99-89 loss to Villanova (6-1, 1-0). Villanova made 27 of 29 free throws, not missing until there were 26.9 seconds left in the game.
It was the highest-scoring Penn-Nova game ever.
For complete coverage, check out Monday's Daily Pennsylvanian.
Grandieri and Clark both foul out, and the student sections exchange chants: "This is our house," by Villanova, "Safety school," by Penn, and "Scoreboard" and "It's all over" by Nova.
After two more Wildcats free throws, Jaaber commits an offensive foul and Shane Clark hits a bucket, and this one is just about over. Penn needs to pretty much shut out Villanova and get very lucky to have a chance at this one, which is now the highest-scoring Penn-Nova game in history.
Jaaber made only one of two at the line, followed by Danley committing his fifth foul on the ensuing rebound. It does not look good for the Quakers.
The referees have started to call a lot of fouls, most of them good calls. Villanova has taken advantage though, hitting all 19 of its free throws.
Penn's absurdly high shooting percentage and three-point percentage have dropped off, and Nardi hit a huge three to give the Wildcats an 8-point lead.
It's crunch time now for both teams. Penn has not won a close game where it had to play very well down the stretch in a long time. The Quakers are going to have to do just that to win this game, on both ends of the floor. It also wouldn't hurt to start making more foul shots, as Jaaber and McMahon have both misfired recently from the line.
Villanova has hit all 13 of its free throws tonight, as the Wildcats extend to a six-point lead. Meanwhile, Miller is playing offense-defense with Zoller to try to avoid having him foul out.
Zoller just picked up an offensive foul to nullify a bucket, and he sits down after picking up foul number four.
Aside from their good shooting and Penn's turnovers, (which have slowed a bit) the Wildcats have been helped by their offensive rebounds, where they hold a 15-5 margin over Penn. In fact, Villanova has almost as many offensive boards as Penn has defensive boards (17). On the last two possessions, Villanova scored off of offensive rebounds to retake a four-point lead.
Jaaber missed both free throws, and 'Nova responded with a Reynolds three to retake the lead. After Grandieri and Nardi traded misses, Penn will come out of the media timeout with McMahon going to the line for two shots.
Great Big 5 gameslike this in the Palestra give you goosebumps. The arena is rocking, and Jay Wright calls a timeout to try to stop a 11-2 Penn run, with Jaaber going to the line for two after the timeout.
Jay Wright is irate as Villanova picks up loose ball fouls on three straight possessions. The Quakers take advantage, as Grandieri hits two more to give Penn it's first lead since the first half.
Penn cannot quite make the run that would get them the lead or even make it a one-possession game, but as long as the Quakers stay solid offensively and get a few more stops, they are certinly still in it.
And as I type that, Zoller has a three-point play off a great pass from McMahon. Then Cunningham picks up his fourth foul on the ensuing rebound, Zoller goes to the line, and calmly ties the game. The same calm cannot describe the Palestra.
I keep talking about Villanova's hot shooting, but Penn is 10-of-11 from three-point range, and that is keeping the Quakers in this one, despite the now 20 turnovers.
More Penn turnovers, more Villanova baskets. But Penn is still hanging around, hitting shots, and waiting to make a big run. The Quakers need to stay in striking distance to make the run count though.
Zoller just picked up his third foul; we'll see how short of a leash Miller has for him the rest of the way.
I don't know the appropriate verb for what Mark Zoller is doing tonight, but whatever it is, it's very impressive. Zoller has 22 points on 8-of-10 shooting, 5-of-5 from behind the arc, and 1-for-1 from the line. Other Penn scorers include Jaaber (9), Danley (6), Grandieri (2) and Egee (1).
For the Wildcats, Sumpter had 17, Dwayne Anderson had 9, and Nardi had seven, among the leaders.
Villanova shot 16-of-31 from the field, but an even more impressive 9-of-19 from behind the arc, including a few from NBA range. Penn has shot even better, 14-of-21 from the field and 6-for-7 from deep, but have been hurt by an absurd 17 turnovers. If the Quakers take better care of the ball, they have a shot.
Meanwhile, odd reaction from the Palestra crowd when PA announcer Rich Kahn announced UCLA's upset of USC. I didn't know there were so many Michigan fans among the Penn faithful.
Penn hasn't allowed 100 points in a game in six years, but it looks like the Quakers may tonight, as the Wildcats head into halftime with 47 points. But Mark Zoller is keeping Penn in it, hitting 8 of 10 shots, including five of five threes. Back soon with some more halftime thoughts.
Penn keeps turning the ball over, and Villanova looks like one of the best offensive teams ever, making shot after shot and threatening to blow the game open.
Villanova is shooting 7-for-13 from behind the arc, a ratio that Penn cannot afford to give up. The Quakers also look very timid on offense, with 10 turnovers so far in 15 minutes.
The offense has picked up again, as has the atmosphere in the Palestra. But the Wildcats have hit three recent threes to stretch their lead to nine.
Good news for Penn as 'Nova guard Mike Nardi, the Wildcats' best shooter, picks up his second foul of the half. Expect him to sit the remainder of the opening stanza.
Penn's offense has completely disappeared in the last few possessions, as the Wildcats use back-to-back threes from Curtis Sunmpter to extend their lead.
Out goes Kach and in comes Kevin Egee, as Kach picks up his second foul in about three minutes.
And the action has slowed down considerably since the last media timeout. Now this looks like a Big 5 game.
Michael Kach, who just saw his first action last week against Monmouth, is, for tonight anyway, the Quakers' sixth man. He looks more aggressive than he did on Tuesday, but looked that way committing an offensive foul on his first touch of the night.
The teams are going up and down the court so far, with Villanova on a 9-2 run right now. The Wildcats are having some success on the offensive glass, and are playing some strong defense. But Penn has had some great passes so far to make up for some of that.
A Mark Zoller three and an Ibrahim Jaaber deuce have given Penn the lead and forced Jay Wright to call a quick timeout.
The Palestra is almost entirely full, and is very loud. Right now, the cheering is mostly from Villanova fans, who have seen their team force two turnovers on Penn's first two posessions. But Steve Danley hit two free throws to tie the game.
Welcome to the Palestra, where Penn and Villanova are getting ready for the first Big 5 game of the season.
Here are the probable starters, and keep checking back for updates throughout the night.
Villanova (5-1)
G -- (1) Scottie Reynolds, Fr.
G -- (12) Mike Nardi, Sr.
F -- (33) Dante Cunningham, So.
F -- (34) Curtis Sumpter, Sr.
C -- (50) Will Sheridan
Penn (4-2)
G -- (2) Ibrahim Jaaber, Sr.
G -- (21) Brian Grandieri, Jr.
F -- (20) Tommy McMahon, So.
F -- (24) Mark Zoller, Sr.
C -- (3) Steve Danley, Sr.
Glen Miller gets his first taste of Big 5 basketball tomorrow when the Quakers take on Villanova at the Palestra. The Wildcats have relatively old uniform design, going back I think until the late 1990s.
Here's Villanova's road getup. It's one of the best uniforms that Penn will see this year. It's simple, makes good use of the light blue in the piping and the writing, which by the way, is a great font. And although it's made by Nike, the Wildcats did not succumb to making one of the stupid templates that Nike likes to do with its college hoops teams.
Two other 'Nova-related uniform tidbits: Alas, they are not doing this anymore, but Villanova's fan section "Nova Nation" used to have two-colored t-shirts, white and blue, to wear based on the color of the other team. And while I can't find any pictures of it, believe me, it's true. I don't know how much it costs, but it's certainly an idea I have long advocated for the Red and Blue Crew. Penn has two colors, and I always found that it looked weird for a blue-clad student section to cheer for Yale or a red-clad one to cheer for Harvard. Go two-color and it'll be clear who the Red and Blue Crew is not supporting every game.
Of course, the other 'Nova style point is coach Jay Wright, who is the best-dressed and best-looking coach in the Big 5 (sorry coach Miller, you need to have at least four buttons in a suit -- with a matching handkerchief -- to win this one).
Leftover Monmouth notes: The Hawks were of course wearing a familiar style for Penn, the And 1 look the Quakers wore for the last two years.
And Athletic Communications director Mike Mahoney was bespectacled at the game, the first time I can remember that happening. Working at Penn is hard, Mike, it'll age you.
On the eve of the Big 5 semi-classic, it's time for a look at how the Quakers stack up statistically with the rest of the Big 5 and little brother Drexel.
Using the statistical formula that we've been using this season in the DP and in earlier posts on The Buzz, we find that the answer is that they're doing quite well.
Again, the numbers, which use nine major statistical categories, aren't to be interpreted as raw numbers, rather for comparisons. And the numbers are adjusted to six team games. For instance, La Salle has played just three, so their numbers are seen doubled.
Far and away the best:
1. Mark Zoller, Penn, 77
The crowded pack:
2. Brian Grandieri, Penn, 57.5
3. Chaz Crawford, Drexel, 57
T-4. Dionte Christmas, Temple, 56
T-4. Darnell Harris, La Salle, 56
6. Sherman Diaz, La Salle, 55
7. Ahmad Nivins, SJU, 54.6
The rest of the top 10:
8. Curtis Sumpter, Villanova, 46.5
9. Bashir Mason, Drexel, 41.4
10. Ibrahim Jaaber, Penn, 38.5
Pleasant surprise: Coming in one spot below Jaaber is DaShone Kirkendoll, a Temple junior who's done more than his fair share for the Owls. Last year, he averaged 0.8 points in 4.9 minutes per game. This year, his statistical rating is boosted by 13 points per game (including 20 against Rutgers) and just two turnovers in three games.
Disappointment: Way down at 41st on the list is Drexel's Dominick Mejia with a player rating of just 3.6. The Preseason Mid-Major All-American has averaged under eight points per game and is killed in the rankings by 36 percent shooting and only four points from the foul line in five games. Two assists and 12 turnovers aren't helping either.
And in case you were curious, here are the Penn rankings after six games:
Zoller 77
Grandieri 57.5
Jaaber 38.5
Danley 30
Egee 6.5
Votel 3
Franklin 3
Reilly 2.5
Schreiber 2.5
Kach 2
Gill 1
Lewis -0.5
McMahon -2.5
Cohen -4.5
Smith -8.5
Players not named Zoller, Grandieri, Jaaber or Danley have played 34 percent of the minutes and have 2 percent of the production.
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