Villanova Wildcats (6-1) vs Penn Quakers (5-3)
Where: Xfinity Mobile Arena (Philadelphia, PA)
When: Saturday, Dec. 6 at 7:30 PM
Betting Line: TBD
How to Watch: NBC Sports Philadelphia
How to Listen: Villanova
Sports Radio Network
Net Rankings: Villanova 43, Penn 214
KenPom: Villanova 39, Penn 225
Torvik: Villanova 41, Penn 247
About Penn: The Quakers, like most of the Big 5, have a new leader this season in former Iowa head coach Fran McCaffrey. The Philadelphia native has returned home to coach his Alma mater after being let go by the Hawkeyes. Penn was selected to finish 7th out of 8 in the Ivy League Preseason Poll and is led by guard Ethan Roberts. The 6’5” senior is averaging 20.3 points per game on 44.7% from three (on 4.8 attempts). Roberts forms a formidable 1-2 punch with former Duke and Virginia forward TJ Power. The 6’9” junior averages 15.6 points and 7.9 rebounds per game on 40% from deep (2 makes on 5 attempts per game). The third and final double-digit scorer is guard Michael Zanoni, who averages 10.6 points per contest. The former Mercer guard shoots a respectable 35.8% from three while making 1.4 per game. Penn has wins against La Salle, Drexel and Saint Joseph’s on the year, with a 25 point loss at Providence. The Quakers are coming off of a 17-point home loss to Hofstra.
Notes of Nova: Looking for their first Big 5 championship since 2022, the Wildcats enter on a six-game winning streak and healthy for the first time all season. Duke Brennan returned from his one-game absence due to an ankle injury, scoring 14 points and grabbing 8 rebounds against Temple. A concern for Villanova thus far has been the three-point defense, and against Penn that will be critical. At this time of writing, the Quakers are 20th in the country in three-point percentage at 39.8%. Roberts and Zanoni combine to make 4 threes per game on 9.4 attempts (42.55%). Elsewhere, look for Matt Hodge to bounce back from his 1/11 performance against the Owls. The Wildcats will need him, as he will likely match up with Power for most of the night. Power’s inside-out game is near the top of the scouting report for Villanova.
