The University of Pennsylvania men’s basketball team is set to host the fourth annual Cathedral Classic at The Palestra in Philadelphia over Thanksgiving weekend. The tournament, which includes Hofstra, Merrimack, and La Salle, will feature doubleheaders on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Penn will play in the second game each day.
Friday’s games begin with La Salle facing Hofstra at 2 p.m., followed by Penn taking on Merrimack at 4:30 p.m. On Saturday, Hofstra meets Merrimack at 2 p.m., and Penn plays La Salle at 4:30 p.m. Sunday’s schedule starts with La Salle against Merrimack at noon and concludes with Penn versus Hofstra at 2:30 p.m.
All six games will be broadcast on ESPN+, a subscription-based streaming service that offers both monthly and yearly packages. “A reminder that the Ivy League is paired with ESPN and you will be able to find all six games this weekend on ESPN+ with the same high broadcast quality you’ve come to expect. ESPN+ is a subscription-based service that offers monthly and yearly packages. Click here to subscribe to ESPN+!” according to event organizers.
Fans can also listen to live audio coverage of Penn’s games through the Quaker Audio Network (QAN), which provides free internet-based streaming throughout the season. “Penn fans can listen to all of the 2025-26 Penn’s men’s basketball season through the Quaker Audio Network, a free Internet-based audio streaming service. Matt Leon will be on the play-by-play call throughout the weekend, with Stan Pawlak providing analysis,” according to university sources.
Penn has participated in every Cathedral Classic since its inception in 2022. In previous tournaments, they went undefeated in their first year before finishing 2-1 in 2023 and recording one win last year.
Friday marks Penn’s first meeting with Merrimack, who joined NCAA Division I seven seasons ago as part of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC). On Saturday, Penn faces La Salle for the 77th time; La Salle won their last matchup with a half-court shot at the overtime buzzer during the inaugural Big 5 Classic. Sunday’s contest against Hofstra will be only their third encounter; each team has one win from previous meetings dating back more than two decades.
Several individual performances have stood out for Penn this season. Michael Zanoni has made all his free throw attempts so far (13-for-13), while senior Cam Thrower has hit nearly as many (14-for-15). Sophomore AJ Levine recorded seven assists without any turnovers last Friday against Drexel—a career high for him against Division I competition.
Junior Augustus Gerhart posted a career-high eleven rebounds earlier this month against American University and is currently second on his team for average rebounds per game (8.0). Junior TJ Power grabbed fifteen rebounds against Saint Joseph’s—the most by a Penn player since November 2022.
Senior Ethan Roberts enters Thanksgiving week averaging 24.6 points per game—ranking third nationally among scorers just behind Kansas State’s PJ Haggerty and Utah’s Terrence Brown.
Through four Division I games this season, Penn holds a +29 margin in free throw attempts over its opponents (107 taken versus opponents’ combined total of 78) and is shooting over forty-one percent from three-point range.
For more information about upcoming games or broadcasts, fans are encouraged to follow @PennMBB on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, or visit www.PennAthletics.com.
