Penn, Fran McCaffery Take On Familiar Face in NCAA Tournament

The University of Pennsylvania Men’s Basketball team made it back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2018 on Sunday, March 15, winning their second overtime game in as many days to claim the Ivy League championship.

Penn earned a No. 14 seed in the tournament’s South region, setting them up to play No. 3 seed Illinois on Thursday, March 19.

Brad Underwood began coaching the Fighting Illini in 2017; during that time, Penn head coach Fran McCaffery coached the Iowa Hawkeyes, pitting them against one another in Big Ten play and making for a familiar matchup. The Quakers are one of two Philadelphia Big Five teams to make the Big Dance, joining the Villanova Wildcats; Villanova’s women’s team should also make their NCAA Tournament.

While the Quakers hold the No. 148 spot in the NET rankings, far below Illinois’ No. 8, they benefit from the play of former five-star recruit TJ Power, who erupted for 44 points in their Ivy League Championship win over Yale. Lead scorer Ethan Roberts missed the conference tournament with a concussion, but could make it back into the lineup with another week to heal.