SportsLine.com Report
March 17, 2000

Round 1: Quakers shot down by Illini freshman

With Illinois having more talented options than Penn, the Quakers had to choose who they would focus on and hope they could contain the rest. They took Cory Bradford out of the game, but freshman guard Frank Williams was hot, scoring 21 points to lead the Illini to a 68-58 victory in the East Regional at Winston-Salem, N.C., March 17.

Penn shot just 37 percent as its 16-game winning streak came to an end. The Ivy League champs got within one early in the second half, but their bid for their first NCAA Tournament victory since 1994 failed.

"We had opportunities, and it's disappointing," coach Fran Dunphy said.

Ugonna Onyekwe had 17 points and Matt Langel scored 11 for the Quakers.

"I'm sure in a week or two or whenever the time's appropriate, we'll be proud of what we did this year and the success we had," Langel said. "But right now we're pretty down because we wanted to beat Illinois and thought we could have."

The Ivy League MVP, Michael Jordan, was held to eight points. Foul trouble kept him out for most of the first half.

"I should have backed off, but I try to play defense really aggressive," Jordan said. "I don't mind playing physical. It's just that I was on the short end of the stick."

How They Got There

The Quakers won the Ivy League regular-season championship, winning all 14 games. With no league tournament held, March Madness arrived a little early on the Philadelphia campus. The clincher didn't come, however, until the next-to-last game against Yale. By beating Princeton two days later in its final regular-season game, Penn won the league by three games over the Tigers.

Starting Lineup

• PG Michael Jordan (6-0, 175, Sr.): Jordan is a talented veteran, who, like his namesake, is the go-to guy in crunch time. He leads the team with 16 points per game.
• SG Matt Langel (6-5, 200, Sr.): Langel is a terrific outside shooter who can carry the club when he's on.
• C Geoff Owens (6-11, 240, Sr.): Owens has good numbers, but has run hot and cold this season. Had 15 assists in a game late in the year.
• SF Frank Brown (6-6, 205, Sr.): Solid, steady and at his best inside. Not a scorer, but plays within the system.
• PF Ugonna Onyekwe (6-8, 225, Fr.): Onyekwe has been a huge addition. He plays with confidence and can sky. He can block shots and take it strong to the hole.

Key To Success

Four senior starters are all leaders, all experienced, all good at something the others aren't. Rare was the night one of them did not lead the team in scoring. Combined, they totaled 40 points, 18 rebounds and 11 assists per game.

The Quakers play intense, in-your-face defense and make it very difficult for teams to get good looks. It is the strength of their team. This is not a team that scores a lot in transition off steals or one that forces an unusual number of turnovers. They just make it extremely difficult to run an offense.

With a couple of freshmen playing key roles and being groomed by the vets, the team has a nice blend of old and young. And in coach Fran Dunphy, and they have a guy who has been to the postseason and won his share of games against top-caliber opposition.

The Coach

Nearing 200 career wins in his 11th season, Fran Dunphy goes into postseason at 194-104. His Ivy League record is 121-33 and he has been to the NCAA Tournament four previous times, beating Nebraska and losing to UMass, Florida (twice) and Alabama. His teams are disciplined, play tough defense, and this year he did one of his best coaching jobs amid a brutal non-league schedule.

The Bench

• SF Koko Archibong (6-7, 200, Fr.): Talented freshman who started nearly half of the games.
• G Dave Klatsky (5-11, 170, Fr.): Tosses his sweats to the floor and then goes out and hits the three.
• F Oggie Kapetanovic (6-10, 235, Jr.): Gives guys a rest and doesn't hurt the Quakers.

Offense

The Quakers shoot 45 percent while averaging 66 points per game and protecting the ball well. They get their share of offensive boards with some terrific height -- at least height as it is defined in the Ivy League. Their weakness is at the free throw line, where they hit just 65 percent. ... Penn averages 33 boards per game, 13 turnovers and shoot .350 from 3-point range.

Defense

Penn held Columbia to 37 points and Yale to 36, the first time the Quakers have held two opponents to such low production since the 1974-75 season. They play a pain-in-the-butt defense, a man-to-man that chases opponents right to the bus. Remember, four of these kids have been feeding off each other for four years now. ... Penn held half its opponents under 60 points this year, and limited seven teams to under 50 points.