The University of Pennsylvania men’s basketball team is preparing for an important weekend in Ivy League play, traveling to face Columbia and Cornell on Friday and Saturday. All three teams currently hold 2-3 records in the conference, one game behind a group of teams tied for second place at 3-2 as the league season reaches its midpoint.
Penn will meet Columbia on Friday at Levien Gym in New York City, followed by a matchup against Cornell on Saturday at Newman Arena in Ithaca. Both games are available to watch on ESPN+ or listen to via the Quaker Audio Network.
This marks the 65th time Penn has made the road trip to face both Columbia and Cornell in a single weekend since Ivy League play began. The Quakers have swept this trip 25 times, most recently in 2021-22, split it 29 times, and been swept ten times.
Against Columbia, Penn leads the all-time series 151-94. “Penn has won three in a row, six of the last seven, eight of the last 10, and 11 of the last 14 matchups. In addition, the Red and Blue are 6-1 in their last seven trips to Levien Gym, the lone loss coming two years ago (84-81 on January 27, 2024).” Last season saw Penn win both games against Columbia with scores of 93-78 and 92-87.
In its history with Cornell, Penn leads the series with a record of 162-80. However, “Cornell has won the last four meetings and five of the last six. Penn’s last win was a 92-86 decision at The Palestra on February 4, 2023.” The Quakers’ most recent victory in Ithaca came on February 5, 2022.
The team has used three different starting lineups so far this season due to injuries and illness but returned to its original lineup for Ivy League games. Junior TJ Power has recorded four double-doubles this year—one behind Dartmouth’s Brandon Mitchell-Day for most among Ivy players—and sophomore AJ Levine is averaging second-most assists per game among Ivy League players.
Five Penn players have earned weekly honors from either the Ivy League or Philadelphia Big 5 this season: Power—who received his second Big 5 Player of the Week award on January 19—Levine, Ethan Roberts, Michael Zanoni, and Dalton Scantlebury.
Other notable statistics include Power’s average of seven rebounds per game (third among Ivy players), Augustus Gerhart’s league-leading offensive rebound total (50), and Roberts’ scoring average that ranks second overall among Ivy players (19.5 points per game). In addition, Penn is averaging over twenty-three free throw attempts per game—the highest mark among Ivy teams.
Fans can follow updates through @PennMBB on social media platforms X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram or visit PennAthletics.com for more information about men’s basketball activities throughout the season.
