But let’s chew on a little more recent history. None of the current Tigers have ever lost at the Palestra, and Princeton has won five straight overall against the Quakers.

Toughening league competition and Princeton’s quirky academic calendar are the two main factors that brought about this year’s Monday night special at the Palestra.

Sydney Johnson had conquered the Ivy League. Yet three weeks later, he stunned the Tigers faithful when he left for Fairfield. His former teammate, Mitch Henderson, was hired as his replacement.

To My Fellow Quakers, On behalf of the entire men’s basketball program, I want to thank all of you who have attended our basketball games this season.

A roundup about Penn Men's Basketball class of 2016.

This year, pride will have to wait. For the first time since 1997, there was no neighborhood matchup.

Formed in 1955 to exhibit the city’s hoops prowess, the unofficial conference has since become a staple — not just of Philadelphia, but of college basketball as a whole.

If my team loses more than they win in my presence, I convince myself that I must be cursed. So after witnessing Penn men’s basketball’s two most lopsided losses of the season, I began to worry that I might be bad luck.

Why the heck is this Ivy Leaguer Zack Rosen a finalist for the Bob Cousy Award? National writers can barely spell his name right, and you’d better believe they don’t botch Jardine.

If the Quakers continue to perform with this type of rapid-fire intensity throughout the conference season, composure will be an extremely valuable commodity.

In a nail biter at the Palestra, Penn’s men’s basketball team withstood a furious Red Hawk’s rally to notch their first Big 5 win of the season. VIDEO: Highlights from the game

Now, a year later, that same St. Joseph’s team will return to the Palestra on Saturday. However, much has changed for both teams.

Marveling at the inside of the self-proclaimed ‘Cathedral of College Basketball,’ I was rudely awakened from my daydream when my red-and-black plaid Washington Nationals cap was roughly flipped off my head.

These days, the Penn band, Quaker Girls and cheerleaders form the majority of the student contingent at many home games.

According to his Twitter bio, former Penn basketball player Justin Reilly is a “Wharton Grad. Entrepreneur. Poet. Activist. Writer. Retired D1 Athlete.”

College freshman and New Orleans native Henry Brooks lost everything to Hurricane Katrina. His life, education and ability to play the game he loves are blessings that he does not take for granted.

Too many times this year, the Quakers have been on the brink of victory but have fallen just short. But against the Big Red — finally — Penn was firing on all cylinders.