The Penn Quakers men's basketball team is the college basketball program representing the University of Pennsylvania. As the twentieth-winningest men's basketball program of all-time, the team from Penn had its greatest success from 1966 to 2007, a period of over 40 years. Penn plays in the Ivy League in NCAA Division I.
Prior to the formation of the Ivy League in 1956 Penn was a member of the Eastern Intercollegiate Basketball League (EIBL) from 1903 through 1955. Penn won 13 EIBL regular season championships (1906, 1908, 1916, 1918, 1920, 1921, 1928, 1929, 1934, 1935, 1937, 1945, 1953). Penn was retroactively recognized as the pre-NCAA tournament national champion for the 1919–20 and 1920–21 seasons by the Helms Athletic Foundation and for the 1919–20 season by the Premo-Porretta Power Poll.[2]
Penn has appeared in one Final Four, in 1979. Penn and Princeton are tied for the most Ivy League regular season championships with 26 each.[3] Their main Ivy League rivalry is with Princeton, whom they used to always play as the last regular season game. Combining the EIL and Ivy Championships Penn leads with 39 championships; Princeton 32; Columbia 14; Yale 13; Dartmouth 12; Cornell 8; Harvard 6; and Brown 1.
The last NCAA tournament victory for the Quakers came on March 17, 1994, at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale, New York. The No. 11 Quakers defeated the No. 6 Nebraska Cornhuskers, 90–80, in the first round. The Quakers then fell in the second round to No. 3 Florida on March 19 as the Gators prevailed, 70–58.
Notable seasons
1979 Final Four
One of Penn's most memorable seasons came in 1978–79 when the Quakers advanced to the NCAA tournament Final Four. Player Tony Price led the Quakers, who stunned the nation with victories over Iona, North Carolina, Syracuse, and St. John's to advance to the Final Four. The Quakers faced Earvin "Magic" Johnson and Michigan State in the national semifinals in Salt Lake City, Utah, but were met with defeat, 101–67. They are the last Ivy League team to advance to the Final Four and Elite Eight of the NCAA tournament as of 2023.
Others
Other notable Penn teams include the team led by guards Matt Maloney and Jerome Allen during the mid-1990s and the nationally ranked teams of the early 1970s led by Dave Wohl, Steve Bilsky, Corky Calhoun and Bob Morse. Penn's 1970–71 team completed an undefeated regular season (26–0) and advanced to the Eastern Regional Final in the NCAA tournament, losing there to a Villanova team it had defeated during the regular season. Villanova lost to UCLA in the national championship game, but was later found to be using an ineligible player, Howard Porter.
Rivalries
The Quakers, a member of the Philadelphia Big 5, have long-standing rivalries with a multitude of institutions such as Temple University, La Salle University, Saint Joseph's University, and Villanova University. Another rival is Drexel University, which is a member of the City 6. Penn’s traditional rival in the Ivy League is Princeton.
Postseason
NCAA tournament results
The Quakers have appeared in the NCAA tournament 24 times. Their combined record is 13–26.
| Year | Seed | Round | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1953 | Sweet Sixteen Regional 3rd Place Game |
Notre Dame DePaul |
L 57–69 W 90–70 | |
| 1970 | First Round | Niagara | L 69–79 | |
| 1971 | First Round Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight |
Duquesne South Carolina Villanova |
W 70–65 W 79–64 L 47–90 | |
| 1972 | First Round Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight |
Providence Villanova North Carolina |
W 76–60 W 78–67 L 59–73 | |
| 1973 | First Round Sweet Sixteen Regional 3rd Place Game |
St. John's Providence Syracuse |
W 62–61 L 65–87 L 68–69 | |
| 1974 | First Round | Providence | L 69–84 | |
| 1975 | First Round | Kansas State | L 62–69 | |
| 1978 | First Round Sweet Sixteen |
St. Bonaventure Duke |
W 92–83 L 80–84 | |
| 1979 | #9 | First Round Second Round Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight Final Four National 3rd Place Game |
#8 Iona #1 North Carolina #4 Syracuse #10 St. John's #2 Michigan State #2 DePaul |
W 73–69 W 72–71 W 84–76 W 64–62 L 67–101 L 93–96 |
| 1980 | #12 | First Round Second Round |
#5 Washington State #4 Duke |
W 62–55 L 42–52 |
| 1982 | #12 | First Round | #5 St. John's | L 56–66 |
| 1985 | #15 | First Round | #2 Memphis | L 55–67 |
| 1987 | #16 | First Round | #1 North Carolina | L 82–113 |
| 1993 | #14 | First Round | #3 Massachusetts | L 50–54 |
| 1994 | #11 | First Round Second Round |
#6 Nebraska #3 Florida |
W 90–80 L 58–70 |
| 1995 | #12 | First Round | #5 Alabama | L 85–91 |
| 1999 | #11 | First Round | #6 Florida | L 61–75 |
| 2000 | #13 | First Round | #4 Illinois | L 58–68 |
| 2002 | #11 | First Round | #6 California | L 75–82 |
| 2003 | #11 | First Round | #6 Oklahoma State | L 63–77 |
| 2005 | #13 | First Round | #4 Boston College | L 65–85 |
| 2006 | #15 | First Round | #2 Texas | L 52–60 |
| 2007 | #14 | First Round | #3 Texas A&M | L 52–68 |
| 2018 | #16 | First Round | #1 Kansas | L 60–76 |
NIT results
The Quakers have appeared in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) one time. Their record is 0–1.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | First Round | West Virginia | L 64–67 |
CBI results
The Quakers have appeared in the College Basketball Invitational (CBI) one time. Their record is 1–1.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | First Round Quarterfinals |
Quinnipiac Butler |
W 74–63 L 53–63 |
Coaches
Player awards
|
Ivy League Rookie of the Year
|
Participations in FIBA competitions
- 1975 FIBA Intercontinental Cup: 4th place
References
- ^ "Elements of the Penn Logo". Branding.Web-Resources.UPenn.edu. Retrieved November 14, 2022.
- ^ ESPN, ed. (2009). ESPN College Basketball Encyclopedia: The Complete History of the Men's Game. New York, NY: ESPN Books. p. 535. ISBN 978-0-345-51392-2.
- ^ "2011–12 Ivy League Men's Basketball: Week 2 • November 14, 2011" (PDF). IvyLeagueSports.com. p. 5. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 12, 2012. Retrieved 2011-11-14.
