Drexel, Penn, and the Battle of 33rd Street makes a return to the Daskalakis Athletic Center
The Quakers will head up 33rd Street to a new-look DAC for the first time since 2016
For the first time since 2016, Drexel and Penn will face off in the Battle of 33rd Street in a new-look Daskalakis Athletic Center on Tuesday night (7 p.m., NBC Sports Philadelphia/FloSports).
The Dragons (1-0) enter with a strong win over Old Dominion last Friday, while the Quakers (0-3) have played stiff competition to start the year are still looking for their first win of the season.
Watch out for...
Through three games, 6-foot-3 guard Jordan Dingle leads the way for the Quakers, averaging 19.3 points per game on 41.7% shooting from the field. In Penn’s most recent loss to Towson, Dingle scored a game-high 24 points, all coming in the second half.
“I think he’s going to be one of the most elite guards we’ll face all season,” Drexel head coach Zach Spiker said. “… His size, his physicality, his shot-making off the bounce, and his range from three. He’ll be a handful for us and every other team he plays this year.”
» READ MORE: Here’s how Drexel’s Daskalakis Athletic Center just became one of the premier sports venues in the city
Coaching ties
From 2004-09, Spiker coached at Cornell under current Penn head coach Steve Donahue. The Red made the NCAA Tournament in the final two seasons Spiker was on the staff. The two faced when Penn and Drexel last played in 2016, Donahue’s squad beating Spiker’s, 78-67.
“We’re incredibly close,” Spiker said of his relationship with Donahue. “… A little bit uncomfortable, personally, but that’s just because of the respect we have for each other — or at least I have for him.”
These two have a history
The teams played each other every season from 1996-97 to 2010-11 but have only played three times since then. Penn leads the all-time series 16-10, and Tuesday’s matchup will be only the third time the contest has taken place at Drexel.
They said it
“I don’t know that [it feels different because it’s against Penn]. I think it’s a basketball game. We have a home basketball game, they’ve got a road basketball game, and it’s college basketball. You can’t overthink it sometimes. Let’s not overthink it. Let’s just compete and play. We’re excited about the opportunity to play. Anytime we get a chance to play Big 5 teams, we love it.” — Drexel head coach Zach Spiker
Looking down the line
Drexel will host Division III Arcadia on Friday before heading to Estero, Fla., for the Gulf Coast Showcase, where the Dragons face Texas-Arlington in the first round. Penn has another tough test playing West Virginia on the road on Friday.