Villanova / Penn Rivalry History - Updated For 2010 - Wildcats @ Quakers

To the Villanova Wildcat faithful-

Tonight, Wednesday, December 8, 2010, at the storied Palestra on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania, the Pennsylvania Quakers will clash with the Wildcats, for the 58th time. 

When Jay Wright first arrived on the Main Line as head coach, for the 2001-02 season, the Wildcats lost to Penn, during both of his first two seasons at the helm.  But things sure have changed since December 2002.  Tonight, Wright and the Wildcats will try to achieve their eighth straight victory, over their City Series rivals.

The All-Time Series Since 1922

The 2000s  

November 16, 2009 - Pavilion - #5 Villanova 103, Penn 65

The Villanova / Penn series is played in November, for the first time.  The #5 Wildcats demolish the Quakers - and notably, Wright calls no timeouts, during the entire game.  Afterwards, he remarks that he can recall no previous game as a head coach, whether at Villanova or at Hofstra, in which he did not call a single timeout.

Also noteworthy is the fact that the Wildcats' 103 points mark a record for either team in series history; neither team had ever reached the century mark against the other.


December 1, 2008 - Palestra - #17 Villanova 69, Penn 47 

December 1, 2007 - Pavilion - Villanova 87, Penn 61

December 2, 2006 - Palestra - Villanova 99, Penn 89 (double overtime)

December 13, 2005 - Palestra -  Villanova 62, Penn 55

December 31, 2004 - Pavilion - Villanova 74, Penn 64

December 9, 2003 - Palestra (Big Five Classic) - Villanova 73, Penn 63

December 10, 2002 - Wachovia Center - Penn 72, Villanova 58

December 5, 2001 - Palestra - Penn 75, Villanova 74 (overtime)

February 6, 2001 - Wachovia Center - Villanova 80, Penn 51

January 9, 2000 - Palestra - Villanova 67, Penn 65

The 1990s

February 23, 1999 - Pavilion- Villanova 74, Penn 63

1997-98 - No game, as Villanova was playing its four City Series opponents only every other year, two each season

December 10, 1996 -  Palestra - Villanova 89, Penn 62 

1995-96 - No game, see above 

February 22, 1995 - Pavilion - Villanova 78, Penn 74 

1993-94 - No game, see above 

December 15, 1992 - Old Spectrum - Penn 71, Villanova 59

1991-92 - No game, see above.  This marked the first season since 1955-56, that the teams hadn't clashed - a 36-year tradition broken.

December 3, 1990 - Palestra - Villanova 82, Penn 62

The 1980s

December 4, 1989 - Pavilion - Villanova 75, Penn 46

December 6, 1988  - Palestra - Penn 71, Villanova 70

December 2, 1987 - Pavilion - Villanova 84, Penn 55

January 27, 1986 - Palestra - Villanova 68, Penn 64

December 15, 1984 - Palestra - Villanova 80, Penn 67 

February 21, 1984  - Palestra - Villanova 65, Penn 51 

December 11, 1982 - Palestra - Penn 84, Villanova 80 

December 12, 1981 - Palestra - Villanova 75, Penn 61

January 17, 1981 - Palestra - Villanova 68, Penn 55 

January 19, 1980 - Palestra - Villanova 65, Penn 51

The 1970s

February 13, 1979 - Palestra - Villanova 89, Penn 80

December 10, 1977 - Palestra - Villanova 69, Penn 68

December 18, 1976 - Palestra - Villanova 83, Penn 66 

January 24, 1975 - Palestra - Villanova 69, Penn 67 

December 14, 1974 - Palestra - Penn 90, Villanova 80 

January 23, 1974 - Palestra - Penn 83, Villanova 61 

January 17, 1973-  Palestra -  Penn 77, Villanova 69

March 16, 1972 - NCAA Tournament - Penn 78, Villanova 67 

January 19, 1972 - Palestra - Penn 74, Villanova 64 

March 20, 1971 - NCAA Tournament, Raleigh, North Carolina, Elite Eight - Villanova 90, Penn 47 

January 23, 1971 - Palestra - Penn 78, Villanova 70

The 1960s

December 20, 1969 - Palestra -  Penn 59, Villanova 55

January 15, 1969 - Palestra -  Penn 32, Villanova 30

January 17, 1968 - Palestra -  Villanova 75, Penn 45

December 30, 1967 - Palestra  - Villanova 45, Penn 44

January 25, 1967 - Palestra - Villanova 71, Penn 54

December 22, 1965 - Palestra - Penn 73, Villanova 60

January 27, 1965 - Palestra - Villanova 75 , Penn 46

December 26, 1964 - Palestra -  Villanova 52, Penn 47 (overtime)

January 25, 1963 - Palestra - Villanova 72, Penn 48

March 11, 1961 -  Palestra - Penn 82, Villanova 80

January 18, 1961 - Palestra - Penn 63, Villanova 62

January 23, 1960 - Palestra - Villanova 71, Penn 58

The 1950s

January 3, 1959 - Palestra - Villanova 93, Penn 63

February 19, 1958 - Palestra - Villanova 73, Penn 61 

January 16, 1957 - Palestra - Villanova 63, Penn 47 

February 8, 1956 - Palestra - Villanova 89, Penn 74

Prior to the formation of the Big Five, in time for the 1955-56 season, Villanova and Pennsylvania had played just once, surprisingly (?!?).

On January 7, 1922 - in just Villanova's second season of organized, intercollegiate play, in fact - the host Quakers (this was pre-Palestra, in fact - stopped Villanova, 27-23.  The teams then didn't play for another 34 years, despite the close proximity...

Go Wildcats!

E-mail - villanova.viewpoint@yahoo.com

2009 Villanova / Penn Rivalry History - The Wildcats and Quakers Meet for the 57th Time This Evening - But At the Pavilion, not the Palestra

To the Villanova Wildcat faithful-

The Pennsylvania Quakers will clash with the Wildcats, for the 57th time this evening.  When Jay Wright first arrived on the Main Line as head coach, for the 2001-02 season, the Wildcats lost to Penn, during both of his first two seasons at the helm.  But things sure have changed since December 2002- Wright and the Wildcats will try to make tonight their seventh straight victory over their City Series rivals.

Penn is also winless at the Pavilion, the site of tonight's game, with a 7 PM tip-off.  Their first Pavilion visit was on December 2, 1987 - an 84-55 blowout - and in five subsequent visits, the Quakers have never pulled off an upset.

The All-Time Series Since 1922

The 2000s  

December 1, 2008 - Palestra - #17 Villanova 69, Penn 47 

December 1, 2007 - Pavilion - Villanova 87, Penn 61

December 2, 2006 - Palestra - Villanova 99, Penn 89 (double overtime)

December 13, 2005 - Palestra -  Villanova 62, Penn 55

December 31, 2004 - Pavilion - Villanova 74, Penn 64

December 9, 2003 - Palestra (Big Five Classic) - Villanova 73, Penn 63

December 10, 2002 - Wachovia Center - Penn 72, Villanova 58

December 5, 2001 - Palestra - Penn 75, Villanova 74 (overtime)

February 6, 2001 - Wachovia Center - Villanova 80, Penn 51

January 9, 2000 - Palestra - Villanova 67, Penn 65

The 1990s

February 23, 1999 - Pavilion- Villanova 74, Penn 63

1997-98 - No game, as Villanova was playing its four City Series opponents only every other year, two each season

December 10, 1996 -  Palestra - Villanova 89, Penn 62 

1995-96 - No game, see above 

February 22, 1995 - Pavilion - Villanova 78, Penn 74 

1993-94 - No game, see above 

December 15, 1992 - Old Spectrum - Penn 71, Villanova 59

1991-92 - No game, see above.  This marked the first season since 1955-56, that the teams hadn't clashed - a 36-year tradition broken.

December 3, 1990 - Palestra - Villanova 82, Penn 62

The 1980s

December 4, 1989 - Pavilion - Villanova 75, Penn 46

December 6, 1988  - Palestra - Penn 71, Villanova 70

December 2, 1987 - Pavilion - Villanova 84, Penn 55

January 27, 1986 - Palestra - Villanova 68, Penn 64

December 15, 1984 - Palestra - Villanova 80, Penn 67 

February 21, 1984  - Palestra - Villanova 65, Penn 51 

December 11, 1982 - Palestra - Penn 84, Villanova 80 

December 12, 1981 - Palestra - Villanova 75, Penn 61

January 17, 1981 - Palestra - Villanova 68, Penn 55 

January 19, 1980 - Palestra - Villanova 65, Penn 51

The 1970s

February 13, 1979 - Palestra - Villanova 89, Penn 80

December 10, 1977 - Palestra - Villanova 69, Penn 68

December 18, 1976 - Palestra - Villanova 83, Penn 66 

January 24, 1975 - Palestra - Villanova 69, Penn 67 

December 14, 1974 - Palestra - Penn 90, Villanova 80 

January 23, 1974 - Palestra - Penn 83, Villanova 61 

January 17, 1973-  Palestra -  Penn 77, Villanova 69

March 16, 1972 - NCAA Tournament - Penn 78, Villanova 67 

January 19, 1972 - Palestra - Penn 74, Villanova 64 

March 20, 1971 - NCAA Tournament, Raleigh, North Carolina, Elite Eight - Villanova 90, Penn 47 

January 23, 1971 - Palestra - Penn 78, Villanova 70

The 1960s

December 20, 1969 - Palestra -  Penn 59, Villanova 55

January 15, 1969 - Palestra -  Penn 32, Villanova 30

January 17, 1968 - Palestra -  Villanova 75, Penn 45

December 30, 1967 - Palestra  - Villanova 45, Penn 44

January 25, 1967 - Palestra - Villanova 71, Penn 54

December 22, 1965 - Palestra - Penn 73, Villanova 60

January 27, 1965 - Palestra - Villanova 75 , Penn 46

December 26, 1964 - Palestra -  Villanova 52, Penn 47 (overtime)

January 25, 1963 - Palestra - Villanova 72, Penn 48

March 11, 1961 -  Palestra - Penn 82, Villanova 80

January 18, 1961 - Palestra - Penn 63, Villanova 62

January 23, 1960 - Palestra - Villanova 71, Penn 58

The 1950s

January 3, 1959 - Palestra - Villanova 93, Penn 63

February 19, 1958 - Palestra - Villanova 73, Penn 61 

January 16, 1957 - Palestra - Villanova 63, Penn 47 

February 8, 1956 - Palestra - Villanova 89, Penn 74

Prior to the formation of the Big Five, in time for the 1955-56 season, Villanova and Pennsylvania had played just once, surprisingly (?!?).

On January 7, 1922 - in just Villanova's second season of organized, intercollegiate play, in fact - the host Quakers (this was pre-Palestra, in fact - stopped Villanova, 27-23.  The teams then didn't play for another 34 years, despite the close proximity...

Go Wildcats!

E-mail - villanova.viewpoint@yahoo.com

Lowry Debuts as 2004 Ends, Wildcats Quell Quakers At Pavilion on New Year's Eve

Call it Jay Wright's New Year's Rockin' Eve. While Regis Philbin didn't grace the Pavilion with his presence, it was still a memorable end to the year. And on the day when the seemingly ageless Dick Clark remained on the DL, Kyle Lowry emerged from it. Lowry, who had been sidelined all year with a knee injury, came off the bench to score five points in 17 minutes - including an incredible layup while being fouled - helping Villanova roll to a 74-64 victory over the Penn Quakers at the Pavilion, where the Quakers have never gone home triumphant. Ironically, as 2004 came to an end, Lowry's Villanova career began - in a highly auspicious way.

It was a matinee game for the New Year's Eve crowd, with a 4 PM tipoff. Villanova also went this route two years ago, taking on Temple on New Year's Eve 2002 - and it worked, coming away with a 70-62 victory. It was Villanova's fifth-ever New Year's Eve game, and the Wildcats are now 4-1 on December 31 all-time.

Curtis Sumpter continued his powerful play. The junior forward rocked the house for 16 points and 13 boards, despite scuffling to a disastrous 3-11 shooting afternoon; his outstanding 9-10 performance from the foul line converted what could have been a disastrous day into just another full stat sheet for Sumpter. Randy Foye also struggled from the floor, going just 5-15, but still managed to score 15 points. Allan Ray also reached double figures with 14 points. Jason Fraser continued to contribute significantly, just missing a double-double by recording nine points and nine rebounds in just 18 minutes before fouling out. For Penn, Ibrahim Jaaber scored a game-high 22 points, with three other Quakers reaching double figures.

Success at the foul line was the key to the Wildcats' victory. Villanova went to the line a lot (38 attempts) and was very accurate (converting 28 of them, a formidable 74%). They also pummeled Penn on the glass, outrebounding the smaller Quakers by a 41-26 margin.

Villanova improved its record to 7-1 overall, and 2-1 in City Series competition. Unless Temple sweeps the Big Five (the Owls are currently 2-0 with games remaining against St. Joseph's and La Salle), Villanova can clinch at least a share of the Big Five title, by defeating St. Joseph's at the Palestra in January. It was sizzling 'Nova's sixth straight victory; the Wildcats have not lost since the Big Five Classic at the Palestra, when they fell to Temple on December 4. The Quakers dropped to 4-4 overall, 1-2 City Series. Rust may have played a role; the Quakers hadn't played since December 8, a very lengthy layoff.

Granted, it wasn't a typical Big Five game, and not just because it wasn't at the Palestra. These games, the really memorable ones, are the nailbiters that leave you marveling even years later about a last second shot that went in or not, and who shot it. This wasn't one of those games. Villanova never trailed in the contest, and while Penn made a spirited charge down the homestretch, there was a sense that the bigger and more talented Wildcats were not going to let this one slip away from them. After trading baskets in the early going, Villanova built a substantial, 36-25 lead by intermission, their largest lead of the half- and they were able to make it stand up. Villanova had 17 bench points and 7 second-chance points in the first half alone. And the Quakers, despite improved play, won the second half by just one point.

Villanova's lead peaked at 13 points, when Sumpter singlehandedly took over the game, scoring five straight points (a pair of free throws followed by a three-pointer) to increase 'Nova's lead to 52-39 with 11:05 remaining. The Quakers responded with a 12-4 run, making it interesting for a little while. Penn pulled to within 56-51 with 7:15 to go, after Jaaber stole the ball from Foye and laid it in.

Fortunately, Villanova counterattacked with a 7-0 run of its own, including five free throws. Just as quickly, the Quakers were back down 63-51 with just 5:38 to play and the Wildcats were firmly back in charge. Penn never drew closer than seven points away for the balance of the contest.

Villanova now leads the long series with its ancient rival by a margin of more than two to one, holding a commanding 35-17 advantage. The first game took place on January 7, 1922, in Villanova's second year of intercollegiate competition, with the Quakers winning 27-23. Surprisingly, the series then lay dormant for 34 years, until the Big Five was organized in the mid-1950s. The vast majority of these games, regardless of whom was formally the home team, have been at the Palestra; only in recent times has the game shifted elsewhere. This was only Penn's fifth visit to the Pavilion, and its first in the new millennium; the last game there was February 23, 1999, when a Howard Brown/John Celestand team kept its NCAA hopes (ultimately realized) alive with a hard-fought 73-63 victory.

Although Penn had won two of the last three games prior to this one, Villanova had dominated the series over the past generation. Since 1975, including today, Villanova has gone 21-5 against the Quakers and has also won seven of the last nine contests.

The Wildcats will open Big East play against West Virginia on January 5, on what is being billed as "Turn Back the Clock to the '70s Night". ESPN plans to broadcast the game with the graphics and overall tone of a 1979 broadcast, and former VU coach Rollie Massimino will call the game. It will complete a five-game Pavilion homestand for Villanova.

Villanova Leads Big Five With Win over Penn at Palestra, 75-65

To the Villanova Wildcats faithful-

Villanova continued a remarkable run in City Series play, soaring to a 3-0 start in the Big Five after downing a scrappy but overmatched Penn team, 73-63, on Tuesday night at the Palestra. Coach Jay Wright has now beaten all City Series opponents, notching his first victory over the Quakers in three attempts. Mike Nardi led all scorers with 20 points, while three other Wildcats reached 13 or more points in an extraordinarily balanced attack. Curtis Sumpter had 18 points, while Randy Foye had 16 and Allan Ray 13.

For Penn, Adam Chubb led with 17 points prior to fouling out just before regulation ended (he played just 28 minutes), and Jeff Schiffner also had 13 points. Villanova improved to 5-2 overall, 3-0 City Series; Penn fell to 2-4 overall, 0-2 City Series. Villanova now leads Penn in the overall series, 34-17, and defeated the Quakers for the sixth time in eight tries. Penn won in 2002 and 2003; had the Quakers rallied and won tonight, it would have marked the first three-game Penn winning streak against 'Nova since defeating the Wildcats five straight times in the early 1970s (when Penn was a national powerhouse).

Only St. Joseph's now stands between 'Nova sweeping the City Series for the first time since the 2000-01 season. (I wrote before the season started that it "was plausible that Villanova could lose ALL of the City Series games." I did not - in marked contrast - believe that it was plausible for 'Nova to WIN all of the City Series games - although I'm very pleased to be wrong). Although that final game - that's going to be a huge boulder. The Hawks made short work of nefarious Boston College earlier that day at the Palestra.

Having just watched Penn live three days earlier, on the same floor, my initial thoughts were confirmed:

1) They are REALLY young.
2) They will get better.

On paper, like many Villanova/Penn matchups through the years, it was a game the Wildcats should have won, playing at full strength. But equally like many Villanova/Penn matchups through the years, it was a game that Penn came surprisingly close to winning, especially on its home floor. Two years ago, it actually pulled it off, taking 'Nova in overtime at the Palestra. And an exception: Penn walloped 'Nova at the First Union Center last year, in one of the least entertaining Big Five games ever played. The Quakers were the better team.

Unfortunately for the 2003-04 Quaker faithful, Penn lost most of its nucleus after last season and will need some time to retool for life after (the departed) Andy Toole. This team won't cut through the Ivies like a hot knife through butter, the way some of its recent predecessors have. But they'll be competitive. They might even take the automatic NCAA bid from the Ivy.

Fortunately, Villanova did not really encounter a major scare, throughout the course of the game. The Quakers bolted out to a quick 7-2 lead in the early going, but Villanova recovered nicely. The Wildcats embarked on a 19-5 run, taking a 21-12 lead and holding Penn scoreless for roughly six minutes. The Quakers never really seemed to have the moxie to take control of the game, although they hung around the whole game and made a late charge at the end. Penn really struggled with its outside shooting, which it had used to stay in the game against SJU on Saturday. Against the Hawks, Penn made 13 triples; against 'Nova, the Quakers made five, and converted only 25% of its attempts.

At the 15:36 mark, Foye scored on a layup, fed by Nardi, which made the score 38-29. There was some rippling cheering going through the large (especially for exam week) number of Villanova students who had made the trip down to the Palestra. On the next possession, Bloch drew a charge, and it looked as if the 'Cats would cruise to victory.

Six minutes later, 'Nova still led, 50-37, when Penn's Ibrahim Jaaber got an "and-one" opportunity. Penn's crowd (which was naturally, the majority) started to get into the game as Jaaber went to the line; it's rare that a missed free throw can really take the life out of a crowd, but in this case it did. 'Nova maintained its steady lead, and when Nardi hit two free throws to make it 60-47 with 4:19 to go. Villanova had all of the momentum, and the crowd began to orderly file out. But Penn got up off the floor and launched a 13-5 run, pulling dangerously close and giving some hope to their fans. The big play in this span was at the 1:53 mark: a massive rejection by a new Quaker, Eric Heil (a transfer from Lehigh) on a Villanova shot (I believe by Sumpter although I didn't have a good angle to see exactly who was the recipient). The Penn crowd was thrilled by the rejection, and although it didn't put any points on the scoreboard directly, it seemed to inspire them to keep fighting. An extremely drawn out endgame began during this process, with frequent fouls and timeouts. The high-water mark for the Quakers was when Charlie Copp converted a layup, rendering the lead just 65-60 with 1:14 to play.

Villanova didn't fully secure the game until a few seconds later, at the 57.4 seconds mark, when Charles adeptly took a charge from Chubb, who fouled out. The score was 67-60; had the call gone the other way, Chubb stays in, they get two points and possibly three. Now, they had nothing. It took the wind out of their sails. They never drew any closer than six points for the remainder of the game. Villanova padded its lead at the foul line, down the stretch - the 'Cats wound up making eight straight at one point and finished the game at a very strong 20-28 (71%) from the line. It helped make the difference. Penn's crowd was starting to feel its numerical strength, and had 'Nova missed a couple of free throws here and there, they could have crawled to within one possession VERY easily. Instead, every swish from the line was a rally killer.

Nardi's strong offensive performance made his turnover lapses pale in comparison; I was surprised that he had "only" five turnovers, as it seemed as if he was committing a lot more. At one point, Coach Wright took a couple of steps onto the floor and indicated how upset he was with Nardi - this took place with about 6:05 to play, after Nardi missed Chris Charles with a pass, turning the ball over. But Nardi atoned for it, after Penn failed to score on the ensuing possession, by scoring. Earlier in the second half, Nardi had thrown a pass to someone (I think it was Foye) who wasn't expecting it AT ALL (his back was turned), leading to an easy steal for Penn. Late in the game, at crunch time, Nardi failed to remain stationary while inbounding the ball after Penn had turned it over (the rule is that you can run up and down the baseline after a made basket or free throw, but not after ordinary whistles). This mistake led to another turnover which helped fuel Penn's comeback.

Unfortunately, the heroics of Andreas Bloch did not carry over from Saturday's virtuoso performance against La Salle, in which he banked a dozen points. I had been hoping it was due to some kind of Palestra magic. However, Bloch did contribute significantly to the victory. Although he didn't have his shooting touch from Saturday, Bloch had a pair of points, assists and rebounds, and he played 22 minutes (an unusual number of 2s in his box score line). He was annoying the Penn fans; I overheard one say, pointing at Bloch: "That guy must be, like, 40 years old. He must have held a position with the EAST German government." (For the record, at least officially, Bloch doesn't turn 22 till 2004.) Never did I dream the day would come when opponents would protest (or ever have a need to) the mere PRESENCE of Bloch on the Wildcat squad). He also had a new accomplishment: he fouled out for the first time EVER in his career, with 2:00 to go, trying to take a charge. (Bloch had never had more than three fouls in a single game.) The odds of Bloch ever fouling out of a game were pretty low, given that he was never likely to accumulate enough playing time to have a CHANCE of fouling out. So he's back in Coach Wright's good graces, clearly.

Rollouts and other signs were abundant at the Palestra. Most Penn signs focused on the phone-access-code scandal. "AT&T: the Unofficial Sponsor of Villanova Scandals." Someone on the 'Nova side brought something referring to Bishop Loughlin High, the alma mater of one Curtis Sumpter, but I was sitting too far away (and the sign's authors didn't contrast the colors effectively!) so I couldn't read the text.

Another Villanova fan, not willing to take a chance as to what network had the game, brought a sign which read on one side: Every viSit to PenN = A Win" for ESPN, and something for CSN on the back.

The game had a decent, respectable crowd, but was not sold out, despite a game involving Penn on its own campus. Exams for both schools probably had something to do with it, as did possibly the Big Five tripleheader (which had overshadowed this game, which now felt anticlimactic).

The 'Cats return to the Main Line for the first time this season, after such a long and bizarre odyssey. The home opener will come after three Big Five games and eight games overall. They will take on Northeastern at the Pavilion on Friday night in what hopefully should be an easy victory.