'
Team: Pennsylvania Quakers
Sport: NCAA Division I Men's Basketball
Conference: Ivy League
Last NCAA Tournament Appearance: 2018
Arena: The Palestra
NCAA Tournament Appearances: 23
'
'
The Pennsylvania Quakers have long had the preeminent Ivy League basketball program. Even in a down year, fans always know that the Quakers will soon return to the top of the standings. The Quakers combine a rich program history with the rivalries of both the Philadelphia college basketball scene (informally known as the Big 5) and the Ivy League. This has resulted in 26 Ivy League regular-season titles and numerous Big 5 titles. This includes the Quakers' recent perfect record in the Big 5 in 2018-19. Penn squares off yearly with such basketball powers as
Temple
and
Villanova
, and the Quakers usually hold their own against leading teams around the country. While Penn may be the underdog against power conference programs, it is almost never overmatched. The Quakers' prowess in outside shooting means that they are able to win any game when they get hot. You can experience this when you pick up your Pennsylvania Quakers' basketball tickets at StubHub.
''The Quakers play their home games at The Palestra, which is known as the Cathedral of College Basketball. The Palestra is nearly a century old and has all of its roughly 8,800 seats in proximity to the court. The venerable arena has hosted Big 5 doubleheaders, and all of the greats in Philly college basketball history have played here. The building is a historic landmark in Philadelphia.'
'
While the Ivy League has always been known for its healthy rivalries, there is an extra special element to the heated rivalry between Penn and the
Princeton Tigers
. There are several different elements at play. The first piece of the rivalry is the geographic proximity between the two schools. The second element of the rivalry is that Penn and Princeton have historically vied for supremacy at the top of the Ivy League. The teams have played each other over 200 times in their history and have two games annually.
''In the '90s, the Quakers were led by two players who went on to play in the NBA. Jerome Allen and Matt Maloney were a one-two punch who led the Quakers to three straight NCAA Tournament berths in the program's glory days. Other standout players who come from the Quakers' program include Corky Calhoun and Bob Bigelow, both of whom were first-round picks in the NBA Draft. Currently, AJ Brodeur has established himself as one of the best players in school history with his scoring and rebounding prowess.'
'The Pennsylvania Quakers had a miracle run in 1979 as one of the original Cinderella teams in the Big Dance. That year, the Quakers reached the Final Four before falling to the Magic Johnson-led Michigan State Spartans. The Quakers also pulled a first-round upset against Nebraska in 1994, reaching the second round of the tournament before falling to Florida. Recently, Penn gave a first-round scare to Kansas in 2018 before succumbing late in the game.'
'Steve Donoghue leads the Quakers. Donoghue was a former Penn assistant coach who previously had stints as the head coach for Cornell and Boston College. The Quakers have had numerous legends coach at the school. Chuck Daly guided the Quakers in the 1970s before he achieved fame as the coach of the Detroit Pistons. Fran Dunphy was a longtime bench boss of the Quakers who led them through their period of Ivy League dominance.'