Pandemonium Part Two? Penn men's basketball preps for clash with Villanova

Drama both on and off the court shapes a historic showdown between Penn men's basketball and rival Villanova.

Last year, a packed Palestra was stunned after the Quakers defeated then-nationally ranked Villanova 76-72, Penn's first win over the Wildcats since 2018. The major upset was a shining light in what proved to be a disappointing season. This year, the Quakers look to prove this win wasn’t a one-off, while the Wildcats will seek redemption and to defend the Finneran Pavilion.

This matchup is also both teams’ last of Big 5 pod play—where the “City 6” consisting of Penn, Saint Joseph’s, LaSalle, Villanova, and Drexel are split up into two groups, or pods, of three. Each pod completes a round-robin before the two pod winners battle on Dec. 7 at Wells Fargo Center for the elusive Big 5 championship. After the Quakers’ and Wildcats’ losses against Saint Joseph’s last week, this matchup’s winner will head to the Big 5 Classic’s third-place game and the loser will play in the fifth-place game. 

While this game is all about the redemption and the rematch, the stars stepping on the court for each team look different from before. Two of the Wildcats’ three highest-minute players from last season — guards TJ Bamba and Justin Moore — have graduated. Forward Eric Dixon and guard Mark Armstrong, the team’s leading scorer and assist man, return, but a true highlight is Villanova’s transfer portal gain of Penn’s very own Tyler Perkins, who put up 22 points for Penn in last year’s edition of this matchup. 

Perkins cemented himself as a star in the aftermath of last year’s game, setting a new Penn record for points for a freshman and led the team with 40 steals at the end of the season. A more underrated part of Perkins’ skill was his rebounding — he averaged 5.3 per game, good for second on the team — which made Perkins a true do-it-all, well-rounded integral part of the Red and Blue. In bringing his talents to the suburbs, Perkins followed the footsteps of one of his basketball inspirations but left the Quakers majorly weakened. In addition to Perkins, the Red and Blue lost top scoring guard Clark Slajchert as well as key defensive piece senior forward Ed Holland. That trio were the top three scorers in last year's upset.

While Perkins is a big asset, coach Kyle Neptune’s Wildcats as a whole are a far cry from the team that won national championships in 2016 and 2018 under former coach Jay Wright. Last season, Villanova finished last place in the Big 5 and ended the season with an 18-16 record, missing out on March Madness — well below the program’s storied standards. Penn also is coming off a disappointing season, an 11-18 clip overall and a 3-11 clip in conference play, the program's worst since 1956-57.

Entering Tuesday, both teams are on a two-game losing streak, with both notably suffering defeats to Big 5 rival Saint Joseph’s. Villanova also fell to Columbia earlier in the season, a team which the Quakers went 1-1 against last season.

Beyond their shared history, the Quakers and Wildcats aim to shape their strong season narratives early and earn a spot in the top three of the Big 5. Penn men’s basketball faces Villanova away on Tuesday with tip-off at 7 p.m.