Lycoming News

After nearly a month without playing at home, the University of Pennsylvania men's basketball team returns to The Palestra this weekend. The Quakers are set to face Ivy League leader Yale on Friday night and Brown on Saturday. These games are crucial as Penn aims for an Ivy League Tournament bid in the second half of the conference schedule.

Both games will be broadcast on ESPN+, with local coverage of the Penn-Yale game available on NBC Sports Philadelphia.

The matchup against Yale marks the 240th meeting between the two teams, with Penn leading the series 153-86. Recent encounters have seen each team winning at home, a trend that continued when Yale defeated Penn 74-58 in New Haven two weeks ago. Freshman Sam Brown led Penn with 20 points in that game.

Saturday's game against Brown is the 144th meeting between these teams, with Penn holding a significant lead in their series history at 114-29. Despite recent dominance by Penn, Brown secured a victory over them two weeks ago in Providence. In that game, junior Ed Holland III achieved his first collegiate double-double.

The weekend marks another traditional Ivy League weekend for Penn, hosting both Yale and Brown consecutively for the second year running and the 63rd time since Ivy League play began. Last year, Penn swept both games during this home weekend.

Penn has been tested by strong non-conference opponents this season, facing four ranked teams: Villanova, Kentucky, Houston, and Auburn. Additionally, they have played four overtime games this season but managed only one win among them.

Key players for Penn include junior Nick Spinoso with multiple double-doubles this season and freshman Tyler Perkins who has consistently scored in double figures. Another standout performer is freshman Niklas Polonowski who has been effective from beyond the arc recently.

Fans can listen to live audio broadcasts through the Quaker Audio Network with Matt Leon providing play-by-play commentary and Brad Fadem offering analysis.