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Penn's Palestra moment
Quakers handle Villanova for rare win vs. Big 5 rival. Plus, Michigan impresses against St. John's, Zach Edey has a "quiet" 28 and 11, the biggest risers after Week 1, and much more.
It’s a multiple-monitor night for college hoops, with three Top 25 matchups and a handful of other notable games. But don’t worry. If you’re not the type who can keep an eye on several games at once, watch The Field of 68 After Dark, which will be live at the Champions Classic after Kansas-Kentucky wraps.
Of course, we’ll also have everything to know on Wednesday morning.
Let's dive into Monday’s news.
1. ‘It’s kind of a dream to win it here in the Palestra.’
Penn’s a proud college hoops history — 26 Ivy League titles, a pair of Helms Trophies, a Final Four — gives it equal footing with most of the Big 5.
The Quakers had lost 18 of their last 19 games to No. 21 Villanova entering Monday night’s game at the Palestra. Didn’t show. Penn trailed for all of 53 seconds in its 76-72 win, giving them and Penn students a rare opportunity for revelry.
A Palestra court storm in @jensenoffcampus finale. You can’t make this shit up. Penn downs No. 21 Villanova, 76-72.
— Jeff Neiburg (@Jeff_Neiburg)
2:19 AM • Nov 14, 2023
“I’d been thinking about that moment for awhile,” guard Clark Slajchert told the Philadelphia Inquirer. “We play ‘Nova every year. They have a lot of noteriety. It’s kind of a dream to win it here in the Palestra, to give everyone in the gym this moment.”
Guard Tyler Perkins (22 points) said he knew Penn (3-1) could win the game “when we started to scout,” and certainly brimmed with confidence. He hit plenty of big buckets down the stretch that kept the Wildcats (2-1) at bay.
Justin Moore led the Wildcats with 25 points, including a couple 3s in the final 10 seconds that made it close. Not that Villanova ever looked ready.
It missed plenty — 34.9% from the field, and just 27% from deep. The 3s never fell despite taking 33 attempts beyond the arc. The defense also struggled to get stops, allowing 1.15 points per possession. And the rebounding? Well, when you get beat on the boards by a team that plays six guards, it’s a bad sign.