Fresh off its first Big 5 victory in four years, the Penn men’s basketball team will now set its sights on another goal pending since 2007: an Ivy League championship.
The Quakers will kick off the conference season at the Palestra tonight against Yale (9-7, 2-0 Ivy) and tomorrow against Brown (7-9, 0-2).
“For us, we have an opportunity to control our own destiny,” coach Jerome Allen said. “It starts [tonight].”
In order to keep pace with Harvard, Yale and Columbia — which have all already started 2-0 in the Ancient Eight — the Quakers (6-8, 0-0) will need to take advantage of a stretch of four home games to start the conference schedule.
The Bulldogs and Bears will feature an unfamiliar cast after graduating their top players from last season — guard Alex Zampier and center Matt Mullery, respectively.
On their way to second-team All-Ivy selections, Zampier was third in the Ivy League with 17.4 points per game, while Mullery managed to lead Brown in scoring, rebounding, blocked shots and even assists.
The Penn roster from a year ago remains mostly intact, and the Quakers hope to capitalize on their added experience in playing back-to-back games.
“The guys on the floor, the majority of them have been through it and know what it’s like,” junior guard Zack Rosen said. “It always helps to have older guys out there. I think our chemistry is really coming around.”
The Quakers offense will look to ride a hot streak from senior Tyler Bernardini, who believes he has shaken off the rust since missing most of last year with a foot injury. After struggling with his shot to begin this season, Bernardini has averaged 20.2 points per game in his last five contests, including a career-high 27 in the win over Saint Joseph’s.
“Taking a whole year off and coming back, your mind isn’t where it was — you’re not necessarily as confident,” Bernardini said. “You have these expectations that you put on yourself and other people put on you, so sometimes it’s hard to balance everything that’s out there.”
Bernardini’s renaissance gives Penn a balanced, more dangerous offensive attack. Four of the five Quakers in the starting lineup — Rosen, Bernardini, freshman Miles Cartwright and senior Jack Eggleston — are averaging more than 11 points per game.
“Every game you’re going to really have to pick your poison,” Bernardini said. “I think we’re just able to really use each other to get our games off.”
Allen continues to emphasize a defensive mindset, especially in the event that the shots aren’t falling. According to Bernardini, first-team players stay on defense for virtually all of practice and play offense for “like two minutes.”
Against Yale, Penn will look to contain the inside-outside duo of junior forward Greg Mangano and sophomore guard Austin Morgan. Morgan boasts a deadly 45.1 percent mark from beyond the arc, so Penn must remain disciplined to secure the perimeter.
Brown has a relatively small team, with no players listed over 6-foot-8, which should present a favorable matchup for Penn’s frontcourt.
Last year, the Quakers had a 1-1 record against both Yale and Brown, but the margin for error is much slimmer if Penn hopes to achieve its goal of an Ivy crown.
“Everything’s right there in front of you, and the sense of urgency has to be at 100 percent,” Rosen said. “It’s a one-shot deal, and you get one crack at it.”
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