Penn Men’s Basketball Team Going Dancing After Outstanding Ivy League Tournament Championship

by Marc Narducci | Mar 18, 2026

One of the great stories in a college basketball season that hasn’t lacked drama was Penn’s inclusion into the NCAA men’s basketball tournament. The Quakers were the No. 3 seed in the four-team Ivy League tournament. They had to beat the top two seeds in successive days to punch their NCAA ticket.

What made things even more difficult is that Penn (18-11) played without leading scorer Ethan Roberts, a 6-5 senior who averages 16.9 points per game. Roberts, a second-team All-Ivy League selection, was sidelined in both Ivy League tournament games with a concussion.

The Quakers beat No. 2 seeded Harvard, 62-60 in overtime during the semifinal played at Cornell University in Ithica, New York. TJ Power, a 6-9 junior and first-team all-Ivy League selection, had 16 points and 12 rebounds to lead the Quakers in both categories.

With the score tied at 60-60, Penn 6-0 sophomore AJ Levine scored the game-winner on a driving layup with 6.1 seconds left. The win was secured when Harvard missed a three-pointer at the buzzer.

Penn 6-5 senior Michael Zanoni added 11 points and four rebounds. Teammate Cam Thrower, a 6-5 senior who entered the game averaging 5.2 points, scored 11, while Levine chipped in with nine points.

Penn faced a greater challenge in the championship, having to take on top-seeded Yale, which has set the recent standard in Ivy League basketball.

The Bulldogs were the two-time defending Ivy League tournament champion and had won four of the previous five titles.

Yale had defeated Penn in both regular season games, the first a 77-60 victory over the Quakers in Philadelphia. In the second meeting, Penn was highly competitive, losing just 74-70 at Yale on Feb. 21.

Penn has not lost since, taking a five-game winning steak into the NCAA Tournament.

The Quakers punched their ticket with an 88-84 overtime win over Yale in the championship game.

Power had a game for the ages with 44 points and 14 rebounds.

The Penn junior hit 14-of-26 from the field, including 7-of-14 three-pointers and he made all nine of his free throw attempts.

In one of the easiest decisions, he was named Most Outstanding Player of the Ivy League tournament.

Another key was thrower coming up big offensively for the second game in a row, scoring 19 points, hitting 6-of-10 from the field, including 4-of-6 from beyond the arc. Levine scored nine points and dealt six assists, while Zanoni scored eight points.

The difference was in three-point shooting as Penn was 14-of-28 (.500) while Yale was 9-of-24 (.375).

Penn was a 9.5 point underdog against Yale.

That’s kid’s stuff compared to Penn’s predicted fate in its first-round NCAA tournament game.

Seeded No. 14, Penn is an early 24.5-point underdog against third-seeded Illinois.

Of course, Penn is playing with house money at this point.

And kudos to first-year Penn head coach Fran McCaffery, who has done an amazing job guiding his alma mater. McCaffery has now taken five teams into the NCAA tournament. The others were Lehigh, UNC Greensboro, Siena and Iowa, where he was coaching last year.

This is the first time Penn has qualified for the tournament since 2018 and regardless of what happens against Illinois, McCaffery has brought back the pride to a program that over the years has enjoyed great tradition. However, since that last appearance in 2018, the Quakers had taken a step back.

The disappointment of recent years has ended as Penn is one of the best stories entering March Madness.

Ivy League Men’s Basketball / Courtesy of Ivy League Men’s Basketball Twitter/X

Article continues below

- Seizing the Moment

After the spring season was canceled last year due to the pandemic, these standout student-athletes from South Jersey are hoping to make the most of their opportunities in 2021.

Author: Marc Narducci

Penn Men’s Basketball Team Going Dancing After Outstanding Ivy League Tournament Championship

Related Articles

Archives