Archive: January, 2009
Jonathan Tannenwald, Philly.com
(With apologies to Eagletarian for stealing the title of one of its regular features.)"They got a first-hand glimpse of what it's like to play in the Ivy League. And the next lesson is what it's like to play in a back-to-back. We don't have much time to celebrate the victory. We've got to worry about it tonight, and then it's on to Dartmouth tomorrow."
Those were Penn forward Jack Eggleston's words to me last night after the Quakers beat Harvard.
I think we call Dartmouth's 63-60 win tonight a lesson.
Consider the following (with some bolding for emphasis on the important numbers):
Name |
Min |
FG |
FT |
3pt |
OR |
DR |
TR |
A |
S |
TO |
Blk |
PF |
Eff |
Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Z. Rosen |
38 |
1-3 |
2-2 |
1-2 |
0 |
5 |
5 |
7 |
0 |
3 |
0 |
2 |
11 |
5 |
Name |
Min |
FG |
FT |
3pt |
OR |
DR |
TR |
A |
S |
TO |
Blk |
PF |
Eff |
Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
R. Belcore |
12 |
1-1 |
0-0 |
1-1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
4 |
6 |
3 |
Name |
Min |
FG |
FT |
3pt |
OR |
DR |
TR |
A |
S |
TO |
Blk |
PF |
Eff |
Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
J. Eggleston |
36 |
2-7 |
1-2 |
0-0 |
1 |
7 |
8 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
8 |
5 |
At the other end of the floor, Dartmouth forward Alex Barnett - who might just be the best player in the Ivy League right now - scored 24 points, while frontcourt partner Dan Biber added 17.
Barnett did not turn in the best performance of the day by a player opposing a Big 5 team, though. That honor goes to Richmond's David Gonzalvez, who scored 36 points on 11-for-16 shooting against Temple. But that wasn't nearly enough to beat the Owls, who had a 40-25 advantage in rebounds and got double figures in scoring from all five starters in a 74-65 win.
Jonathan Tannenwald, Philly.com
Those of you who've read this blog for a long time know that I occasionally cover Quakers road football and basketball games for the the paper. Last night's game marked the beginning of another season of travel to campuses and basketball arenas across the Ivy League, and I hope to bring you along with me via the blog throughout the next few months.
Because last night's game was Penn's conference opener, I figure it merits a bit more attention than the constraints of print could afford it this morning.
Name |
Min |
FG |
FT |
3pt |
OR |
DR |
TR |
A |
S |
TO |
Blk |
PF |
Eff |
Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Z. Rosen |
39 |
4-9 |
5-7 |
2-7 |
0 |
2 |
2 |
9 |
1 |
4 |
0 |
3 |
16 |
15 |
Jonathan Tannenwald, Philly.com
We've known for a while now that although Villanova didn't have any real blemishes on its record coming into tonight's game at the Spectrum, it didn't have a really big win either.
And deep down, that 0-4 record against teams ranked in the Top 25 was troubling. Not troubling enough to think they wouldn't get into the NCAA Tournament somehow or other, but not insignificant enough to ignore, either.
Pittsburgh |
Villanova |
|||||
OR |
DR |
TR |
OR |
DR |
TR |
|
| 1st half | 6 |
13 |
19 |
3 |
8 |
11 |
| 2nd half | 3 |
10 |
13 |
4 |
13 |
17 |
| Game | 9 |
23 |
32 |
7 |
21 |
28 |
Name |
Min |
FG |
FT |
3pt |
OR |
DR |
TR |
A |
S |
TO |
Blk |
PF |
Eff |
Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
R. Redding |
34 |
4-6 |
10-10 |
0-0 |
1 |
6 |
7 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
1 |
3 |
24 |
18 |
Jonathan Tannenwald, Philly.com
I'd been wondering for a while when this year's Big 5 Hall of Fame class would be announced, and now we have the answer.This year's inductees are former Penn star Jerome Allen, Curt Fromal of La Salle and Susan Moran of St. Joe's.
Most of you have probably heard of Allen, who is widely regarded to have been the best player Fran Dunphy had in his 17 years at Penn. Fromal played on the 1964-65 Explorers team that made the NIT (which mattered a lot more back then than it does now) and was drafted by the 76ers. Moran the only player in Hawks history to have led the women's team in both scoring and rebounding in four consecutive seasons.
Jonathan Tannenwald, Philly.com
First up, Mark Kram gets the back cover of the Daily News with a piece on the support network around stud Villanova recruit Dominic Cheek. It includes famed St. Anthony's coach Bobby Hurley, Sr., for whom Cheek plays his high school ball.
Also in the Daily News, Bernard Fernandez reports on the Philadelphia Sports Writers Association awards dinner, where Drexel's Nicole Hester was named Most Courageous Athlete. Other notable winners include West Chester wide receiver Mike Washington, named Outstanding Amateur Athlete; former Penn State star Adam Taliaferro, who won the Humanitarian award; and LSU sprinter LaTavia Thomas, who won the Penn Relays award.
Team |
Record |
Conf. |
Big 5 |
Pomeroy |
RPI |
Sagarin |
BB State |
SOS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Drexel |
10-8 |
6-3 |
2-0 |
138 |
94 |
135 |
125 |
94 |
La Salle |
11-7 |
1-1 |
1-2 |
115 |
107 |
107 |
103 |
137 |
Penn |
4-10 |
0-0 |
0-4 |
232 |
229 |
243 |
223 |
147 |
St. Joseph's |
11-7 |
4-0 |
1-1 |
98 |
66 |
92 |
80 |
95 |
Temple |
11-7 |
3-1 |
1-1 |
42 |
49 |
55 |
48 |
15 |
Villanova |
15-4 |
3-3 |
4-0 |
26 |
26 |
28 |
29 |
86 |
Jonathan Tannenwald, Philly.com
- Remember to vote in the poll asking which City Six school has the best fans.
- Awful Announcing provides this week's schedule of televised college basketball games, highlighted by Dick Vitale's trip to Duke-Wake Forest on Wednesday. Start preparing yourselves now, because we all know how much time he'll spend rhapsodizing about Jeff Teague and Dino Gaudio.
- The Mountain West Conference has started an official campaign to get an automatic bid into the BCS, according to USA Today. MWC commissioner Craig Thompson is trying to arrange a meeting with ACC commissioner and BCS coordinator John Swofford, though from the quotes in the story Thompson doesn't sound too optimistic.
You can't deny the success MWC teams have had in BCS bowls in recent years. But we also know that while the first goal of the BCS is to hold a national championship game, the second is to make as much money as possible, and the big six conferences' teams have larger fan bases and draw bigger TV ratings than the MWC schools have over the years.
My own view is that the Mountain West will continue to be shut out of an automatic BCS bid for that very reason, but will also continue to win BCS bowl games and expose the system for what it really is. What do you think?
Jonathan Tannenwald, Philly.com
NOTE: I got the name of the writer who asked Phil Martelli about Villanova fans wrong. See below for the correction.
If you listened to the post-game press conferences from last night, it probably didn't take you too long to figure out that I might have a bit more to say about Phil Martelli's remarks about the atmosphere at the Palestra.
He went there right from the start:
First I want to acknowledge the crowd on both sides. It gives you chills, really, a Saturday night at the Palestra. That's Philadelphia basketball - forget the game, forget the records. The fans on both sides, both teams deserve a tremendous amount of credit for how they supported their teams.
- Poll: Which school has the best fans? (1079 votes)
Jonathan Tannenwald, Philly.com
You never know for sure, do you?
You think you do. You look at the teams and you figure St. Joe's has the talent and the athleticism and Penn has been struggling, and in particular when it comes to the front court just can't match up.
And you figure, after watching the Quakers play Villanova and Temple in front of a half-empty Palestra, that the buzz just won't be there even if all the tickets have been sold.
Name |
Min |
FG |
FT |
3pt |
OR |
DR |
TR |
A |
S |
TO |
Blk |
PF |
Eff |
Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
A. Nivins |
39 |
9-13 |
2-3 |
0-0 |
4 |
13 |
17 |
2 |
0 |
2 |
3 |
3 |
31 |
20 |
Jonathan Tannenwald, Philly.com
My post last night generated a great debate in the comments about who the best player in the Big 5 is this season.So with Temple's game against Saint Louis literally the only sporting contest in town tonight, I figured I'd keep the debate going by asking all of you to cast your vote.
Naturally, the Owls' leading candidate, Dionte Christmas, scored only eight points in 25 minutes against the Bilikens before leaving the game with a nasty cut over his eye.
Name |
Min |
FG |
FT |
3pt |
OR |
DR |
TR |
A |
S |
TO |
Blk |
PF |
Eff |
Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
L. Allen |
25 |
8-10 |
0-0 |
0-0 |
2 |
5 |
7 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
22 |
16 |
Jonathan Tannenwald, Philly.com
I have to admit that I've thought for much of the season that Connecticut is overrated. I'm certainly not sure the Huskies are the third-best team in the entire country.But my goodness, were those some spectacular blocks by Hasheem Thabeet in the final minute of Villanova's 89-83 loss in Hartford tonight.
Having said that, Villanova certainly could have won the game, both early and late. And if you're a Wildcats fan, you certainly aren't happy that A.J. Price (29 points) scored as many as 'Nova's top two scorers - Dwayne Anderson (15) and Scottie Reynolds (14) combined.
Name |
Min |
FG |
FT |
3pt |
OR |
DR |
TR |
A |
S |
TO |
Blk |
PF |
Eff |
Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
A.J. Price |
34 |
10-13 |
5-6 |
4-6 |
2 |
3 |
5 |
5 |
0 |
6 |
0 |
2 |
28 |
29 |
Name |
Min |
FG |
FT |
3pt |
OR |
DR |
TR |
A |
S |
TO |
Blk |
PF |
Eff |
Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
A. Nivins |
44 |
10-12 |
14-15 |
0-0 |
6 |
10 |
16 |
0 |
1 |
5 |
2 |
4 |
41 |
34 |
Name |
Min |
FG |
FT |
3pt |
OR |
DR |
TR |
A |
S |
TO |
Blk |
PF |
Eff |
Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
R. Green |
29 |
6-12 |
13-14 |
1-4 |
0 |
5 |
5 |
1 |
3 |
3 |
0 |
4 |
24 |
26 |
Thoughts?
Reach Jonathan at jtannenwald@phillynews.com or 215-854-2330.
