The Quakers have made 23 appearances in the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament. The first was in 1953, prior to the start of the Ivy League’s automatic bid. The Quakers went to the tournament six-straight years from 1970-75 and made their 23rd appearance in 2007 after winning the Ivy League with a 13-1 record.
1953
In his first NCAA appearance, senior Ernie Beck led the Quakers to their first-ever invitation to the NCAA Basketball Tournament in 1953. The Quakers fell to Notre Dame, 69-57, but Beck scored 25 points to lead the charge. The following day, Beck helped Penn record its first postseason victory with 22 points as the Quakers defeated DePaul, 90-70, in the East consolation game.
1970
It had been a long time since Penn fans saw their team in the NCAA Tournament, but it was going to be all worth it as the 1970 season began a string of six consecutive NCAA appearances by the Red and Blue. However, despite junior Steve Bilsky leading the Quakers with 22 points and Corky Calhoun adding 13 rebounds, Penn fell, 79-69, to Niagara.
1971
They were back, and they were undefeated. The senior backcourt of Bilsky and Dave Wohl was primed to make a legitimate run at the NCAA basketball title, heading into the tournament with an perfect mark of 26-0. Penn defeated Duquesne (70-65) and South Carolina (79-64) to set up an all-Philadelphia matchup in the East Regional Final with Villanova in Raleigh, N.C. The Wildcats avenged a regular-season loss to the Quakers, defeating them 90-47 for a trip to the NCAA Final Four.
1972
Penn continued to be well-stocked, and headed to the NCAA Tournament for the third consecutive season and another East Regional Final. Behind seniors Corky Calhoun and Bob Morse, the Quakers defeated Providence (76-60) and took revenge on Villanova (78-67), before falling to North Carolina (73-59).
1973
Where Morse and Calhoun left off, Ron Haigler and Phil Hankinson picked up. The Quakers played in three rounds of the NCAA Tournament again, but this time finished the season in the East Consolation game. Penn defeated St. John’s by one point (62-61) to advance to the second round, but fell to Providence, 87-65, despite Hankinson’s 19 points and Haigler’s 12 rebounds. The Quakers put up another good fight against Syracuse in the consolation game, but fell, 69-68.
1974
John Engles led the Quakers with 27 points and 10 rebounds, but it wasn’t enough to keep Penn’s opening-round win streak alive as the Quakers fell to Providence, 84-69, in the East First Round in Jamaica, N.Y.
1975
In Penn’s first NCAA Tournament game at The Palestra, the Quakers fell to Kansas State, 69-62. Ron Haigler had 17 points and Henry Johnson had 17 rebounds as the Quakers finished their six-consecutive years of NCAA competition.
1978
Although they didn’t know it at the time, the Quakers went back to the NCAA Tournament to prepare for the following year’s NCAA Tournament title run. In 1978, Penn hosted St. Bonaventure in the preliminary round, and defeated the Bonnies, 92-83, behind Keven McDonald’s 37 points. Unfortunately, Penn’s next opponent, Duke, held McDonald to only 10 points, and the Quakers fell to the Blue Devils 84-80 in the first round of the East Regional.
1979
The Quakers became the first team in the nation to qualify for the NCAA Tournament in 1979, and then seniors Tony Price and Bobby Willis led the Quakers to a 73-69 win over Iona in the preliminary round of the NCAAs to start what was to be a magical ride. Penn traveled to Raleigh, N.C. for a first-round meeting with UNC and defeated the Tar Heels, 72-71, to move on in the draw. Syracuse was next, and Penn won that game, 84-76, to move on to the Eastern Regional Final against St. John’s in Greensboro, N.C. Another nailbiter ensued, but the Quakers came out victorious, 64-62, and Penn fans made their travel plans for the Quakers’ first-ever trip to the Final Four. Price, who had led the Quakers in scoring all season averaging 19.8 points per game, combined with Tim Smith for 27 of Penn’s 35 second-half points, and was named MVP of the Eastern Regional. In the national semifinal, Penn found itself overmatched by a Magic Johnson-led Michigan State squad and fell, 101-67. The Quakers then lost again in the consolation game, 96-93, in overtime to DePaul to finish their storybook season at 25-7.
1980
Continuing its string of NCAA appearances, Penn went back to the Tournament in 1980 and won its first-round game against Washington State, 62-55, in the Midwest bracket. Unfortuately, Duke had the Quakers’ number once again, and stopped the Red and Blue from moving on with a 52-42 defeat in West Lafayette, Ind.
1981 (NIT)
In Penn’s first-ever National Invitational Tournament (NIT) appearance, Paul Little helped the Ivy League co-champion Quakers with 16 points and seven rebounds, but it was not enough as the Red and Blue fell to West Virginia, 67-64, in Morgantown, W.Va.
1982
Michael Brown led the way for Penn in the 1982 NCAA Tournament with 17 points and nine rebounds, but it was not enough to combat St. John’s as the Quakers fell, 66-56, in the East first round in Uniondale, N.Y.
1985
Making their 12th trip to the NCAA Tournament, Penn headed to Houston, Texas to meet Memphis State in the first round of the 1985 basketball championships. Perry Bromwell had 16 points and Bruce Lefkowitz had eight rebounds, but the Quakers fell to the Tigers, 67-55.
1987
A tough regular season led to a tough first-round matchup with No. 1 seed North Carolina in the East Regional of the NCAA Tournament. Penn senior Bruce Lefkowitz had 20 points and eight rebounds in his final collegiate game, but the Quakers fell to the Tar Heels, 113-82, in Charlotte, N.C.
1993
The Quakers returned to the “Big Dance” after a six-year absence but did not stay very long -- 14th-seeded Penn met the No. 3 seed, University of Massachusetts, in Syracuse, N.Y. in the first round of the East bracket and fell, 54-50. Barry Pierce had 15 points for the Red and Blue, while sophomores Jerome Allen and Matt Maloney each had six rebounds.
1994
One and done had become the name of the game for the Penn basketball program, as the last four NCAA appearances had yielded no victories. But that changed in 1994, as a veteran group took to the floor as the 11th seed against No. 6 seed Nebraska in the East Regional First Round in Uniondale, N.Y. It had been 14 years since the Quakers moved past the first round, but the Quakers defeated the Cornhuskers, 90-80, behind Barry Pierce’s 25 points and eight rebounds. Penn moved on to the second round for a matchup with No. 3 seed Florida, and despite Jerome Allen’s 23 points, fell to the Gators, 70-58.
1995
Looking to make another dent in the NCAA Basketball Tournament, the 12th-seeded Quakers faced No. 5 seed Alabama in the first round of the East Regional in Baltimore, Md. Penn led at halftime by one point, 38-37, but found itself tied at 67 at the end of regulation. Playing in the last collegiate game of their careers, Matt Maloney and Jerome Allen combined for 53 points, but it was not enough to contain Alabama’s Antonio McDyess and his 39 points as Penn fell to the Tide, 91-85, in overtime.
1999
Undefeated Ivy League champion Penn returned to the NCAA Tournament after a four-year absence, earning an 11 seed in the West Regional. Though the Quakers had Florida down by 11 points at halftime, the Gators managed to rally in the second stanza and take the first-round game, 75-61, in Seattle, Wash.
2000
Playing in their final collegiate game, seniors Michael Jordan and Matt Langel gave it all they had, but the 13th-seeded Quakers could not overcome No. 4 seed Illinois and fell, 68-58, in the first round of the East Regional in Winston-Salem, N.C. Freshman Ugonna Onyekwe made a national name for himself in his first postseason appearance, leading the Quakers with 17 points and six rebounds.
2002
The Quakers headed into their 19th NCAA Tournament appearance riding the wave of a 10-game win streak and emerging from the first-ever three-way tie for the Ivy League championship. Penn was sent to Pittsburgh for the first round of the South Regional as the 11th seed and faced No. 6 seed California. Unfortunately, Penn could not pull out of a second-half funk and fell to the Bears, 82-75. Juniors Ugonna Onyekwe and Koko Archibong each had 16 points; Archibong completed a double-double with 10 rebounds.
2003
With 80 wins in four seasons, the Class of 2003 was primed and ready to lead 11th-seeded Penn to a win over No. 6 seed Oklahoma State in Boston. The Quakers played a tight game, but when sophomore Tim Begley went down with an injury toward the end of the second half, it seemed as if the team did too. Despite senior Ugonna Onyekwe’s career-high 30 points, Penn could not overcome the Cowboys’ offensive surge in the final four minutes of the game and fell, 77-63. Penn shot 94 percent from the free throw line but committed 19 turnovers.
2005
The Quakers brought a young squad to the NCAA Tournament in 2005, earning the 13 seed in the Chicago Regional, and were paired with a big, physical Boston College squad in Cleveland, Ohio. The Eagles were able to jump out to a 20-point lead by halftime, and although the Quakers drew back within nine in the second stanza they could not come all the way back -- BC was able to pull away once again down the stretch to gain an 85-65 victory. Tim Begley led Penn with 19 points, while Mark Zoller had 16 points and nine rebounds and Ibrahim Jaaber contributed 15 points, five rebounds, five assists and two steals.
2006
Despite yet another 20-win season overall, Penn was stuck with a daunting task in the NCAA Tournament first round -- No. 2 seed Texas in Dallas. The No. 15 seed Quakers hung tough with the Longhorns, taking a 23-22 lead into the break and never allowing them to pull away, but ultimately Texas got double-doubles from LaMarcus Aldridge and P.J. Tucker to gain the 60-52 victory. For Penn, Ibrahim Jaaber had15 points, Mark Zoller added 13 and senior Eric Osmundson finished his collegiate career with a 10-point performance.
2007
With 13 minutes left in the second half of Penn’s NCAA first-round game with Texas A&M in Lexington, Ky., senior guard Ibrahim Jaaber capped a 19-3 Quaker run with a jump shot that put them up, 39-37. Rupp Arena was practically shaking, as a capacity crowd erupted at the idea the 14th-seeded team in the South region could knock off the third seed. At that point, the law took over -- more specifically, Acie Law took over. Texas A&M’s All-America point guard calmly drove the lane on a pair of occasions a few minutes after Penn took its first and only lead of the game. Both times, he missed. But both times, he drew enough attention from the Quaker defenders that the Aggies’ Joseph Jones slammed home the rebound. After that, Law figured in seven of A&M’s next nine points as they got out to a 50-43 lead. Unfortunately for the Quakers, a layup by Mark Zoller that made the score 50-45 ended up being as close as they would get. When the final horn sounded, the Aggies had survived with a 68-52 victory.
PENN RECORDS IN NCAA TOURNAMENT COMPETITION
INDIVIDUAL, GAME
Points
Penn
37, Keven McDonald vs. St. Bonaventure, 3/12/78
Opponent
35, Howard Porter (Villanova), 3/20/71
Field Goals
Penn
16, Keven McDonald vs. St. Bonaventure, 3/12/78
Opponent
16, Howard Porter (Villanova), 3/20/71
16, Antonio McDyess (Alabama), 3/16/95
Field Goals Attempted
Penn
29, Phil Hankinson vs. Providence, 3/15/73
Opponent
24, Howard Porter (Villanova), 3/20/71
24, Sanders (St. Bonaventure), 3/12/78
24, Antonio McDyess (Alabama), 3/16/95
Field Goal Percentage (min. 5 attempts)
Penn
.889 (8-9), Corky Calhoun vs. Providence, 3/11/72
Opponent
1.000 (10-10), Marvin Barnes (Providence), 3/15/73
Free Throws
Penn
11, Ken Hall vs. Syracuse, 3/16/79
Opponent
14, Mark Aguirre (DePaul), 3/26/79
Free Throws Attempted
Penn
12, Bruce Lefkowitz vs. North Carolina, 3/12/87
Opponent
15, Mark Aguirre (DePaul), 3/26/79
Free Throw Percentage
Penn
1.000 (9-9), Ugonna Onyekwe vs. Oklahoma State, 3/21/03
Opponent
1.000 (10-10), Cross (Florida), 3/19/94
Rebounds
Penn
19, Bob Morse vs. Duquesne, 3/13/79
Opponent
19, Antonio McDyess (Alabama), 3/16/95
TEAM, GAME
Points
Penn
93, Penn vs. DePaul, 3/26/79
Opponent
113, North Carolina, 3/12/87
Most Aggragate Points
195
Penn vs. North Carolina (113-82), 3/12/87
Field Goals
Penn
41, Penn vs. DePaul, 3/26/79
Opponent
40, Providence, 3/15/73
Field Goal Percentage
Penn
.673 (33-49), Penn vs. Providence, 3/11/72
Opponent
.656 (40-61), Providence, 3/15/73
Free Throws
Penn
31, Penn vs. South Carolina, 3/18/71
Opponent
34, DePaul, 3/26/79
Free Throw Percentage
Penn
.938 (15-16), Penn vs. Oklahoma State, 3/21/03
Opponent
.879 (29-33), Notre Dame, 3/13/53
Rebounds
Penn
42, Penn vs. Michigan State, 3/24/79
Opponent
57, Alabama, 3/16/95
