Now in Ivy League play, Penn basketball still has an opportunity to surprise
Records aside, both the men's and women's programs now in the throes of Ivy play have an opportunity to pad a tournament resume
The midseason records of Penn men’s (8-7) and women’s (8-5) basketball teams aren’t an accurate representation of where these two teams stand officially in the throes of Ivy League play.
Junior guard Jordan Dingle has been sensational, averaging the third most points per game in the nation (23.8). The offense has leaned heavily on his scoring and playmaking in the brief absence of junior guard Clark Slajchert.
Slajchert averages 18 points per game on very efficient shooting splits. More importantly, his presence on the court diversifies Penn’s offensive options and lightens the scoring load for Dingle.
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“I think the improvement really needs to happen on the defensive end,” said men’s coach Steve Donahue. “It’s been inconsistent, and I feel like since break, we’ve really worked on that hard … In general, it’s keeping people out of the lane, solid ball pressure, better in rotations. At the same time, we want to be a little more aggressive and turn people over.”
The Quakers faced the toughest out-of-conference schedule among Ivy League schools, and with the return of Slajchert, a healthy Penn will look to vie for a conference title this season.
On the women’s side, the Red and Blue will hope to carry the momentum of their seven-game win streak deep into conference play.
The Quakers have been stifling opposing offenses, holding teams to just 35.7% from the field and 31.4% from deep. The defensive effort has been key for a Penn team that has otherwise struggled to find its groove offensively this season.
Senior guard Kayla Padilla appeared poised to either continue or improve upon her dominant play from last season when she averaged 18.5 points per game to lead the Ivy League. This season, Padilla is only averaging 14.9 points per game and has struggled shooting from the field.
Penn will need to rely on big games from its other pieces such as junior guard Jordan Obi, senior guard Mandy McGurk, and freshman guard Simone Sawyer, who each average around 10 points per game.
Despite the Quakers’ stars underperforming this season, with the talent on this roster and the team’s recent surge, Penn will easily be able to challenge the top teams in the Ancient Eight.
Regardless of any team’s records at the moment, everything begins anew with the start of conference play, and both Penn teams are hitting their strides at the perfect time to compete for a conference championship.
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