VIDEO: Post-game vs. Delaware

After an impressive 78-68 victory on the road against Delaware, Jerome Allen and Miles Cartwright discuss everything from Zack Rosen's 30-point explosion to the team's solid defense. The settings weren't as conducive to video here at the Bob Carpenter center as they are in the Palestra media room, so sorry about any echoes, shakiness, etc. I was talking to Delaware coach Monte Ross when Zack Rosen met the media, so I didn't get that video unfortunately. Also, I'm told Jack Eggleston got a gatorade shower in the locker room for his 1,000th point, but we didn't get to ask him about it.

Here's Allen:

And Miles:

LIVE BLOG: M. Hoops @ Delaware

Finals are over and it's time to get back to some basketball. I'm here with Jen Scuteri at the Bob Carpenter Center in Newark, Del., for the Quakers' showdown with Delaware. Follow along for all the action:

Eggleston approaches 1000th point

Barring some unforeseen event, senior captain Jack Eggleston will score his 1000th career point for the Quakers tonight against Delaware.

"It's something I've thought a lot about," he said. "Obviously we're more focused on our team goals this year, and it is what it is. It doesn't matter how many points we score against Delaware. As long as we win, I'm going to be happy."

Since scoring 12 points against Villanova two weeks ago, Eggleston has sat at 995 points for his career, poised on the edge of joining an elite club of Quakers, which up to tonight includes just 34 players.

"If by some chance it does happen, it's going to put me in a group that I would not have been if it weren't for our situation the past few years," he said. "If I had been around when Coach Allen was here and they had three NBA players on the team, my number would probably be in the double digits, not four digits. It's humbling.

And for the ever-humble Eggleston, there is a great chance he enters the 1000-point club tonight. He enters the game averaging 14.5 points per game this year, and has averaged 10.5 per game in his Penn career.

Other notables for Penn-Delaware: Jerome Allen on Delaware leading scorer Jawan Carter: "He'll be one of the focal points in terms of our scouting report, as far as us limiting his ability to be effective."

Miles Cartwright on coming out of finals week: "It has been tough, but I think we've done pretty well dealing with it."

On the Delaware game: "I think it's huge. Just to step away from the Delaware game, I think the stretch is huge. Everybody's excited for this five game stretch, because in a sense it kind of makes or breaks our season. Five road games, for a relatively young team going into Ivy play, it's a huge stretch so we just want to get wins and if we do we should be fine"

Return of the bigs

If you can remember all the way back to when Penn played Villanova almost two weeks ago, you'll remember that the Quakers were seriously lacking depth in the paint. Senior Jack Eggleston was his reliable, old self, playing all 40 minutes, but the other post position was split primarily by senior Conor Turley (13 minutes), freshman Fran Dougherty (21 minutes). Even freshman Cam Gunter got in the mix with three minutes.

Missing from the lineup — and the bench — was senior Andreas Schreiber, who was apparently battling illness, so much so that he could not attend the game. Schreiber's absence, compounded by that of Mike Howlett, who has been injured since the beginning of the season, left the Quakers at a loss down low.

According to coach Jerome Allen, at least one of the big men will be back Wednesday against Delaware.

"Andreas never left us. He was feeling ill to the point where it would affect his production on the floor. He’s come back. He’s looking fine and trying to do the right things and we’ll see going forward."

Last week, point guard Zack Rosen seemed to let slip last week that Howlett's return was impending, telling The DP, "the return of Mike Howlett will give us some improved rebounding production right off the bat," in reference to the winter break slate. Howlett has been suffering a shoulder injury, according to Eggleston.

However, the coach seems to think otherwise.

"That’s news to me. I don’t know if they’re pillow talking," Allen said of Rosen's prediction, "or if it’s a conversation between the two of them. Obviously [Howlett] can help us with his experience and his ability to score somewhat and his ability to rebound the ball. But at the end of the day I’m not really sure as to his timetable. I don’t want to make any statements as far as how close we are to getting him to return."

Eggleston echoed that sentiment. "Mike’s a great player and we hope to have him back, it’s tough to tell with those types of injury situations. Just having him in there, another guy who’s going to fight and scrap and get the most out of his abilities and play hard as long as he’s out there is going to be tremendous for us"

Rosen named Bob Cousy Award candidate

Star point guard and junior Zack Rosen was named one of 66 candidates for the Bob Cousy Award today. The award is given annually to the best point guard in any division of men's college basketball.

Rosen is surely a longshot for the award, which was awarded to the likes of Greivis Vasquez (Maryland) and Ty Lawson (North Carolina) the past two years. But to be nominated in that vein is a testament to 2009-10 all-Ivy player's talents and efforts.

The field of 66 will be narrowed to 20 on January 3rd (when Rosen and Penn take on Kentucky), and then again to 10 and again to five finalists by March. Cornell's Chris Wroblewski is the only other Ivy League guard nominated.

Big 5 Nominees include Corey Fisher (Villanova) and Juan Fernandez (Temple). And those Big 5 buffs out there will remember that St. Joseph's guard Jameer Nelson took the inaugural award in 2004.

For those unfamiliar with the award (from the Cousy Award website): "The selection criteria emphasize leadership, team work, success, and fundamentals as being critical parts for the game of basketball as a point guard."

The entire list of nominees follows after the jump.

Aaron Johnson, UAB A.J. Rompza, Cental Florida A.J. Walton, Baylor Alec Burks, Colorado Alex Tucker, Florida Atlantic Brandon Knight, Kentucky Brendan McKillop, Davidson Brock Young, East Carolina Bruce Ellington, South Carolina Bryan Dougher, Stony Brook Cameron Wells, The Citadel Casper Ware, Long Beach State Chaisson Allen, Northeastern Chris Warren, Mississippi Chris Wrobleski, Cornell Corey Fisher, Villanova DeAndre Brown, Louisiana Tech Demetri McCamey, Illinois Demontez Stitt, Clemson Derek Needham, Fairfield Derwin Kitchen, Florida State Devin Gibson, UTSA Devon Moore, James Madison Diante Garrett, Iowa State D.J. Cooper, Ohio D.J. Gay, San Diego State Hank Thorns, TCU Isaiah Thomas, Washington Jacob Pullen, Kansas State Jay Threatt, Delaware State Jimmer Fredette, BYU Joe Jakubowski, Bowing Green Joey Rodriguez, VCU Josh Ashworth, IUPUI Jordan Callahan, Tulane Jordan Taylor, Wisconsin Juan Fernandez, Temple Julyan Stone, UTEP Junard Hartley, Campbell Juwan Staten, Dayton Kalin Lucas, Michigan State Keegan Bell, Chattanooga Keiton Page, Oklahoma State Kemba Walker, UConn Kevin Anderson, Richmond Kevin White, Maryland Eastern Shore Kwadzo Ahelegbe, Northern Iowa Kyrie Irving, Duke Lewis Jackson, Purdue Malcolm Delaney, Virginia Tech Marquis Jones, Rhode Island Michael Dixon Jr., Missouri Mickey McConnell, Saint Mary’s Mike Williams, Western Carolina Nolan Smith, Duke Norris Cole, Cleveland State O.J. Avworo, Navy Phil Pressey, Missouri Randy Davis, Ball State Reggie Moore, Washington State Scott Machado, Iona Talor Battle, Penn State Tu Holloway, Xavier Tyshawn Taylor, Kansas Zac Swansey, Tennessee Tech Zack Rosen, Penn

Early look at Delaware

Penn heads down to Newark, Del. to take on the Blue Hens Wednesday, and for an early scouting report, we can look at how Delaware did last night when they played Villanova, also the Quakers' most recent opponent.

Perhaps most telling was the final score: 78-59, Wildcats. When Penn hosted Nova two weeks ago, it held the Big 5 rival to a twelve-point game, and one that was by most accounts winnable for Penn. Last night, Nova was boosted by 21 points from Corey Fisher, while Penn-killer Corey Stokes — who scored 34 against the Quakers — was held to a quiet 10 points, eight of which came from the charity stripe.

But the Quakers aren't worried about Stokes or Villanova anymore. For Delaware it was guard Jawan Carter — who scored 35 last year in the double overtime victory over Penn — who paced the Blue Hens with 14 points. Forward Jamelle Higgins scored 12 and led Delaware with eight rebounds.

The Blue Hens were able to force 17 turnovers against No. 11 Villanova. But where they really faltered was in fouling; they committed 28 on the night and Villanova converted on 28 of 35 free throw shots (80%).

If Delaware comes out physical again Wednesday, it might be to the Blue Hens' advantage this time. As my colleague Kevin Esteves pointed out, Penn is shooting just 66.5% at the free-throw line.

Rush The Court takes a look at the Ivies

College basketball blog Rush the Court published an in-depth look at the Ivy League so far this year, pointing out what many are beginning to notice — that the Ancient Eight as a whole is looking stronger than it has been in quite some time. As RTC puts it, "Could it be that the RPI has found a kindred spirit in another three letter ranking system…the all-important GPA? Can you say “multiple bids?”

The Ivy League's RPI (Ratings Percentage Index, which measures wins, losses and strength of schedule) cracked the top ten of leagues nationally.

In RTC's power rankings Penn falls in at fourth, just behind Columbia, who has been on a tear lately, winning five of its last six. Harvard and Princeton, respectively, round out the upper half.

For more on the rest of the League, check out the rest of RTC's analysis here.

Head-to-Head Stats as Frosh: Rosen vs. Cartwright

As the men's basketball team heads into break, I thought it would be good, just for fun, to compare the numbers freshman guard Miles Cartwright has put up so far to those that star junior Zack Rosen tallied during his first eight games as a freshman. Now before taking a look at the numbers, remember that this comparison is somewhat unfair, but I'll have more on that after the digits.

So through their first eight games as freshman:

Meanwhile, Cartwright has had the great opportunity to come in and not only play alongside Rosen (both guards each help one another get open looks) but also come in under Rosen's wing after the junior has really blossomed as a leader. So, ultimately, I believe that much of the difference between the two, numbers-wise, can be attributed to the different roles they were asked to fill upon arrival at campus.

With that said, what Cartwright has done is extremely impressive. The points are great, especially coming off the bench, and his ability to drive and dish gives Penn another key playmaker on the court alongside Rosen.

His crafty ability to score inside (because let's face it, he's not bulldozing anyone) is also one of his great strengths.  But to me, what's been most impressive has been his poise. Whether it was the first game, when he came in quickly after Rosen picked up two early fouls, or just his demeanor in general when he's on the court, he just looks comfortable. He looks for his shot when he's open (which is harder than it sounds for a freshman) and he's not afraid to attack the rim.

So I'll toss it out to the Buzz faithful: what's your take on Cartwright?

(As an aside: Is anyone else concerned about Penn's free-throw shooting so far this season? Without Cartwright's steady contribution at the charity stripe (19-21 FT's), Penn as a team would be even worse than their atrocious 66.5% so far)

One year later (Part II)

I had the opportunity to speak with men's basketball coach Jerome Allen this morning before the team (minus those taking exams) started practice on the newly resurfaced Palestra floor and we talked briefly about the one year anniversary of him taking over as head coach:

(Sidenote: I learned that they actually resurface the hardwood twice a year, once during the final exams break, and once after the hoops season ends. They do it now because it is the only stretch during the athletic season when there is no action, and they do it again after the season in preparation for summer camps.)

See our short conversation after the jump.

So, coach Allen, what's it like a year after the fact?

The same excitement, the same sense of appreciation that I had then, I still have now. Nothing much has changed in terms of my approach except that it’s one year later. I’m still trying to make it about the kids, and their experience. I’m trying to get them to master the basics.

And if there's one fundamental difference between the team now and the team that you took over, what would it be?

To be quite honest I would say we put such a great emphasis on the defensive end of the game.

I won't say it was lacking [before I took over] in terms of them having a concept of it. I just think that some coaches' philosophy is different from others. I do know that this game is fickle. Some days the ball goes in, some days it doesn't. But the one constant is, if you defend, you will always give yourself an opportunity to win. You may not win, but you'll always give yourself an opportunity.

Penn softball hits the red carpet

If you hadn't already made plans to see the new romantic comedy "How Do You Know" this weekend, you might want to start right now. Two former Penn softball players acted in the film, which stars Reese Witherspoon, Owen Wilson and Paul Rudd. And they were accompanied by former Princeton and Columbia players, and a Harvard assistant coach as well.

Christina Khosravi (class of 2008 and 2006 Ivy Player of the Year) and Kaelin Ainley (class of '07) were both extras playing members of the USA softball team. The movie, in which Witherspoon plays a former professional softball player and Owen Wilson plays a Washington Nationals reliever, debuts tonight.

According to this article from the Ivy League, which chronicles the entire movie-making event, the two former Quakers were told about the opportunity to try out by none other than coach Leslie King.

"To see that woman's softball is getting the recognition it deserves is a testament to how hard both former and current players are working in building the image of not only softball but woman's sports as a whole," Khosravi told the Ivy League. "It was awesome to see the time and effort it takes to film just a 30-second scene, to be on set with the director and to hear how direction is given and taken."

A look at the finals week

Locust Walk is a buzz with highly stressed and overly caffeinated Quakers this week — both of the athletic and non-athletic variety. Exams began this morning, and all Penn sports are on hiatus from competition until they finish, Wednesday the 22nd, when men's hoops heads to Delaware. The question is, how does finals week affect men's hoops? In addition to their exams, the players have exactly two weeks off from games, enough time for a little winter rust to develop.

Looking back over the last 30 years, the break has not been kind to the Quakers. They've amassed an 11-19 record since the 1980-81 season in the game after finals. But this survey is by no means scientific; they play different teams ever year, the break varies in length, sometimes they are home, sometimes they are away and sometimes they get a free trip to Hawaii.

Here's the last 30 years in chart form:

One year after the Glen Miller firing

Today Penn basketball celebrates (er...) an anniversary. Exactly one year ago, Director of Athletics Steve Bilsky sent head coach of men's basketball Glen Miller packing, and elevated the new guy — the new, old guy — Jerome Allen, who was then the volunteer assistant coach, to the status of interim head man.

The story has been well told over the last year: how Miller took over a championship team in 2006, led the Quakers to another Ivy title in 2007, and then the Quakers faithful watched as the team sunk to the status of has-been over the last two seasons — capped with an 0-10 run to start 2009-10 and punctuated by Miller's firing seven games into the worst start in program history.

The story of Allen's rise to the top of the program that he once ran as point guard has been similarly chronicled: How he and his Quakers finally got their first win over winter break at Maryland-Baltimore County; how three days earlier they suffered the program's worst ever defeat, 114-55, at the hands of eventual-national champion Duke; how Penn finished 5-9 in the Ivy League, tied for fifth with the likes of Columbia and Brown and just above the bottom dwelling Dartmouth Big Green; how the stumbling Quakers toppled No. 22 ranked Cornell at the Palestra, storming the court as the Big Red were whisked out of the national spotlight, for a few weeks at least; and how Allen was named head coach in March.

And so a year later much has changed. Glen Miller landed himself a job Connecticut's director of basketball administration — "It is what it is,” Miller told the New Haven Register over the summer. “It’s a step backward, the first time I’ve had to experience a step back like this, but I’m just very excited to get this opportunity."

Back at Penn, there's a different attitude at the Cathedral of college basketball. Penn surely has a chip on its collective shoulder, coming out of the worst season in program history, but there's a refreshing attitude of winning, or at least wanting to win. This isn't the Ivy frontrunner that alumni expect the team to be on a perennial basis, but it appears to be heading back in that direction.

In eight games so far this season, the Quakers (4-4) have already downed three teams (Davidson, Lafayette, UMBC) that had roles in the 0-10 start to last year, and they'll get a chance at another, Delaware, next week. They hung tough with a No. 12 Villanova team that looked capable of doing serious damage (though, as we learned afterward, there's no such thing as a moral victory for Allen). Team defense, a focus of Allen's, has improved greatly. But there are still problems, highlighted by Penn's second-half meltdown against Manhattan, where the Quakers gave up 17-straight points to end the game and lose it.

Miller's last full recruiting class is a non-entity, struck from the record, after sophomores Sean Mullan and Tommy Eggleston were cut from the squad during the preseason. Former classmate Brian Fitzpatrick transferred to Bucknell when the roster ballooned to over 20 players over the summer, much like Carson Sullivan, also a sophomore, who left the team to seek a "better situation," closer to his Charlotte, N.C., home.

The recruiting class of 2014, begun by Miller and held onto by Allen, has so far been an asset if only in one name: Miles Cartwright. The freshman and two-time Ivy Rookie of the Week has exceeded his own expectations, his coaches expectations and almost everyone else's expectations. He's averaging 11.1 points per game — below only captains Jack Eggleston and Zack Rosen — and playing 27.1 minutes per game — more than all of his classmates combined — with the poise, drive and basketball IQ of a player far beyond just his eighth collegiate game.

But a year later, what Allen truly brings back to the program can't be established with statistics or win-loss records. He brings an unrivaled appreciation to be where he is, coaching on the hardwood he ran in the early 90s. He brings an understanding of the program, both a knowledge of its history and a vision for its future. He earns respect from his players, setting an example for how to conduct one's self both on and off the court.

The program is undoubtedly in better hands than it was 366 days ago. But can those hands that once drained basket after basket at the Palestra now guide the team back to prominence? A year is surely too short a time to tell.

Recruiting File: Patrick Lucas-Perry

With the success of point guard Zack Rosen and the fast maturation of freshman Miles Cartwright it makes sense that Penn coach Jerome Allen is looking for one more feather in his cap. And he may have found one in Patrick Lucas-Perry.

The 5-foot-11, 165-pound point guard from Flint, Mich., has opened eyes across the country with his solid play and his great pedigree. Lucas-Perry is coached by former Michigan and NBA forward Tim McCormick on Team Legion and Lucas-Perry’s brother played at the University of Michigan.

“Patrick has an insatiable desire to win,” McCormick said. “He reads the game better than any other high school athlete I have seen.”

And after talking to Lucas-Perry, I would venture that Penn is among the front-runners with Oakland University and Harvard as he nears committing to a college program. He is primarily drawn to Penn by coach Allen and the rest of the staff and the sense of connection with Penn basketball. Lucas-Perry has a scout’s grade of 88 on ESPN and is rated the No. 47 point guard prospect by ESPN in the Class of 2011.

“I think my strengths are my speed and the ability to see a play develop before it occurs,” Lucas-Perry said when I spoke to him.

“And most importantly winning,” he added.

Lucas-Perry hasn’t set a firm timeline of when he would decide to commit, but hinted that a decision would come before the end of the basketball season.

“I’m still talking to my parents about it, making sure everything is right if I decide to go to Penn or other schools,” he said. “Right now I’m just focusing on [my season]. I’d like to say, I will decide very early next year.”

“I talk to Coach Allen and Coach Martin almost every other week and Coach Kampe (Oakland University) and his staff and have been keeping in touch with Harvard,” he added.

Although Lucas-Perry didn’t play AAU this year because of an ACL surgery, one of the knocks on him in the past has been his lack of consistency with a jump shot and his tendency to select bad shots.

“He’s so fast that he gets open, but he needs to be able to consistently hit his perimeter jump shot,” said McCormick, who added that Lucas-Perry would flourish in the transition game. “He also goes to his right hand about 75 to 80 percent of the time and I would like to see him use his left.”

Despite these weaknesses Lucas-Perry is a proven winner who always elevates the team over himself. Speaking with Lucas-Perry he was quick to point out that he led his team to the state championship — his biggest accomplishment to date.

-Sushaan Modi

This Week on 33rd Street: Dec. 10

It's our final edition of the semester, and we've got a full preview of the men's basketball team's winter break. Highlights include my best John Wall dance, and a fired up Jerome Allen.

One more note on Nova

Ari did an excellent job analyzing last night’s 12-point loss to Villanova in detail, touching on Penn’s use of zone defense (1-3-1 and 2-3) at the end of his post. ‘Nova coach Jay Wright praised the Quakers' 2-3 zone at the press conference following the game.

“I don’t want to say anything about shots we made or turnovers without saying that you have to give Penn credit. I thought they were really active in their zone,” he said.

Wright even went as far as to compare the Quakers’ defense to Syracuse’s renowned 2-3 zone in “really extending it” and taking away the three-point shot with ball pressure on the perimeter. Villanova was not able to take advantage by pounding the ball inside, he added.

While much of what the ever-positive Wright says needs to be taken with a grain of salt, it appears Allen may be onto something with the zone defense. Players like Tyler Bernardini and Rob Belcore, a great defender who is lacking in lateral quickness, can be better utilized in a zone that emphasizes discipline and collective movement rather than one-on-one defense — especially against the quicker, more athletic teams in the Big 5.

I think part of the reason Allen and Zack Rosen were so upset after the game is that they knew how effective the zone could be but several lapses cost them. Really, though, had Corey Stokes not been on fire from the field — he shot 73 percent (11-for-15) despite being at just over 40 percent for his career — we’d be spending today and the next few weeks discussing another astonishing Penn upset.

Fran Dunphy going for 400th career win

Another milestone alert: Legendary Penn coach and current Temple headman Fran Dunphy is going for his 400th career win tonight against No. 9 Georgetown here in Philadelphia.

Dunphy racked up 310 of his 399 wins here at Penn between 1989 and 2006, when he won 10 Ivy titles. The Inquirer's Keith Pompey wrote a great story previewing the game tonight and profiling Dunphy, so be sure to read. But spoiler alert, the coach is a bit shy:

"If you ask me about [former Penn star turned Quakers coach] Jerome Allen or [Temple swingman] Scootie Randall or any other things, I'm happy to talk about that," Dunphy says. "Talking about me, I don't find it that exciting."

M. Hoops Villanova notes

I covered last year's game at Villanova and was in attendance last night. This was certainly not the same Villanova offense. Last year, the Wildcats ran all over the Quakers and it was at times embarrassing to watch. This year, Villanova went through stagnant stretches and failed to take advantage of its size and athleticism in the frontcourt. But some credit has to go to Penn for dictating the pace by slowing it down, standing strong on the interior, and holding the Wildcats to a season-low 65 points. The Quakers actually held a 22-18 advantage in points in the paint.

Meanwhile, the Quakers are probably kicking themselves for missed free throws and a few other missed opportunities in the second half like Conor Turley's missed dunk and Rob Belcore's turnover after securing a rebound. Still, it was a good, encouraging effort all around, and though it's nice to hear Penn say that there's no such thing as a moral victory, we all know better.

I was able to pay closer attention than usual since I was not frantically typing a live blog from press row, so I have a few other notes:

*Andreas Schreiber was not on the bench last night, depleting an already thin Penn frontcourt. Coach Allen didn't comment on the situation last night, but it doesn't take a rocket scientist to speculate that Schreiber was not pleased with the trajectory of his diminished playing time and was either voluntarily or involuntarily not in attendance. I will again emphasize that I'm just speculating, but I can't think of another scenario in which a coach would refuse to comment after a player is entirely absent from a big game. If my speculation is accurate, Schreiber should have gotten attitude lessons from Darren Smith, a fifth-year player who has seen limited action but is still supporting his teammates. I know that Schreiber has had ambitions to play professionally overseas, but you'd have to think with his past injury issues and now this, it would be a long shot.

*Schreiber's absence meant an opportunity for more minutes for Conor Turley. Turley may now be Penn's most physical frontcourt player, but he got into quick foul trouble. Freshman Fran Dougherty filled in nicely and actually reminds me a little bit of the Eggleston of three years ago. At one point, Allen became irate when Dougherty missed a help assignment on defense, which led to a Villanova layup. Allen quickly called timeout, even though Villanova had just called timeout a possession earlier, and inserted freshman Cam Gunter into the game. I'm hardly a professional talent evaluator, but it was obvious that Gunter needs to get more polished on both ends of the floor. Apparently Allen agreed, because both times Gunter got into the game, it only lasted a few possessions before Dougherty went right back in. Still, it was nice to see Allen holding players accountable for their mistakes. Dougherty still needs to get stronger, which should come with time, and he will need to improve his jumpshot to truly fill Eggleston's shoes next year.

*Speaking of which, the Quakers really miss Mike Howlett right now. Howlett is the only big man other than Eggleston that forces defense to respect his ability to stretch the court with his mid-range jumper. He is still developing his post offense, but regardless, his size on the boards is sorely missed. Villanova out-rebounded Penn by 12, and I honestly didn't see many missed assignments or blown box-outs. There have been a number of times this year, including last night, when Eggleston in particular has perfect position on a box-out and goes up for the rebound, only for it to be tipped and kept alive by someone behind him. On a few occasions, I have felt that an over-the-back foul should have been called, but the refs haven't obliged. I'm not sure there's much more that Eggleston could do, except somehow grow taller.

*On the subject of the refs, I have never seen anything like the officiating crew last night. They appeared to have 9:15 dinner reservations in Center City because they were constantly harassing both sides, but especially Penn, about hurrying up after dead balls and timeouts. At one point, a referee who felt that Tyler Bernardini was being too slow on an inbounds actually put the ball on the floor and started his five-second count. Bernardini ran back and got the inbounds in, but it seemed unnecessary. It wasn't an isolated instance, as a different ref had appeared to say something to Eggleston on a similar play which elicited a priceless facial expression from the senior. The refs also let the teams play, with relatively few fouls called on either end. I'd have to think that allowing such physical play was an advantage for the bigger Wildcats. There was also a puzzling play late in the second half when a Wildcats guard dove on a loose ball near midcourt as Rob Belcore dove on him to seemingly cause a jump ball. The referee awarded Villanova a timeout, and Belcore was justifiably furious. Unless Jay Wright has been hiding secret telepathic powers, that was just an inexplicable call. I hope the refs enjoyed their dinner, wherever it was.

*I paid extra close attention to Rob Belcore last night since it's no secret that he has not been a big part of the offense and hasn't filled up the box score defensively either. In my opinion, he really is the Quakers' best perimeter on-ball defender, and it's not that close. That probably explains why he's earned his place in the starting lineup.

*I still can't figure out why Miles Cartwright isn't starting. Based on the number of minutes he's playing, it's obvious that Allen thinks the team is better with him on the floor. I'm not sure if it's just a matter of deferring to upperclassmen or what, but it's hard to rationalize when the Wildcats jumped out to a 12-4 advantage, and then the Quakers reel off a 13-4 run to take the lead with Cartwright on the floor.

*It's becoming increasingly obvious that Tyler Bernardini does not have the same rhythm on his jumpshot as the Bernardini of old. I'm guessing that he is showing more consistent flashes in practice, and the team feels the only way for him to shake out of it is to keep getting minutes. In recent games it seems he has been a little bit more gunshy, but Penn needs him to get his stroke back prior to Ivy League play. I actually think that Bernardini's defense has improved, especially playing on the wing in a zone. In previous years, when Penn went to man-to-man, Bernardini was exposed somewhat and often got into a lot of foul trouble.

Game 8-Villanova, The Good, Bad and Ugly

For the second-straight game against ranked opponents (not including last year's win over Cornell), the Quakers beat the spread, but lost last night to No. 12 Villanova, 65-53. Some observations from an exciting Palestra:

The good: Despite the Quakers' insistence that there's no such thing as a moral victory, Penn exceeded expectations and, despite the final score, was poised for most of the second half to make a run at the Big 5 rival. The Quakers may not have had much (or any) success against city teams recently, but this should be a big motivator going into the next three Big 5 games.

The bad: Shooting continues to plague the Quakers. Miles Cartwright and Tyler Bernardini combined to go 0-for-7 from behind the arc — and with Bernardini's low offensive and defensive production (five points, zero rebounds Wednesday night), the senior needs to turn it up to earn the 28 minutes he played.

The ugly: Jack Eggleston finished with 12 points, five shy of the 1000 mark, and will now have to wait until Dec. 22, when Penn goes to Delaware, to hit the milestone. The senior co-captain was heating up in the first half and made two pretty threes, but hit just one field goal in the second stanza.

VIDEO: Penn vs. Nova press conferences

The Quakers hung tough against No. 12 Villanova, but couldn't pull out the Hanukkah miracle, losing 65-53. Heres' your post-game press conference footage.

For Penn, it's Jerome Allen, Zack Rosen and Jack Eggleston:

For Nova, it's coach Jay Wright (center), guard Corey Stokes (right) and forward Antonio Pena (left):

LIVE BLOG: Penn vs. (12) Villanova

Hello all and welcome to the Palestra for tonight's Big 5 opener between Penn and No. 12 Villanova. I'm here pretty early, just couldn't wait to get back on the basketball beat after my second year as an editor came to a close. I'll be joined tonight by Jen Scuteri and Brian Kotloff. Follow along with us as Penn goes for its first Big 5 win in, well, far too long.