The sign on the concourse at the Palestra showed Princeton with a one-game lead in the longtime series that began in 1903 before Penn's 61-60 win on Saturday. The sign will be updated to show the series is now even. (Photo: Aaron Bracy)
By AARON BRACY
February 7, 2026
Big5Hoops.com
PHILADELPHIA – On Friday night, TJ Power, AJ Levine, and the current Penn players joined many former Quakers in a celebration of former coach Fran Dunphy.
The evening was organized by Michael Fink, a Penn alum and special advisor to head coach Fran McCaffery. There, the former players did more than just celebrate the great success Dunphy had in Red and Blue. They also regaled Power, Levine, and Company with stories about the Penn-Princeton rivalry and what it means.
Power said that many of those stories were too personal to share publicly, though he mentioned how former Quakers assistant Digger Phelps gathered his new class of freshmen and explained that they were brought on board for one reason and that was to beat Princeton. That was just one story on a night where many were told about the proud program and past success against the No. 1 rival.
“That’s when I really got a sense for this rivalry and what it means,” Power said. “I think it motivated a lot of our guys.”
The Quakers certainly played with a motivational edge a day later, eking out a 61-60 win over rival Princeton in yet another Palestra thriller. The victory ended a 14-game losing skid to the Tigers, marking Penn’s first win in the matchup since February 6, 2018.
The series, which began in 1903, is now even at 127. Penn can proudly update the sign tallying the wins and losses in the storied rivalry that showed the Tigers ahead for the first time ever before Saturday afternoon’s result.
Importantly, the win moved Penn into a four-way tie for third place in the Ivy League and just two games back of first-place Harvard and Yale. The top four teams in the regular-season standings make Ivy Madness, with the winner of the single-elimination tournament earning the Ancient Eight’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
So, Saturday was doubly important for Penn.
–Winning ugly: McCaffery has brought his up-tempo offense to Penn in his first year back at his alma mater, but it wasn’t on display against the Tigers. The Quakers shot poorly, missing 13 of 18 three-point tries, and didn’t have a single fastbreak point.
Leading scorer Ethan Roberts, battling foul trouble, went scoreless and third-leading scorer Michael Zanoni had just five points.
This was not a game won with style, which is just fine by the way since no style points are given in the win column. No, this was a game won with grit, physicality, defense–and, frankly, a little luck at the end.
“It was spectacular,” McCaffery said of the defense.
–Final possession: The Quakers’ defense was epitomized on the final possession when Levine hounded Princeton’s Dalen Davis, first knocking the ball out of Davis’s hands and then contesting Davis’s mid-range jumper that rimmed off at the buzzer.
“After he shot it, all I thought was I did everything I could in that moment,” he said. “I can’t really focus on the results. Once it missed, it was the biggest relief ever.”
–Box score: Levine took advantage of the Tigers’ focus on Roberts, Zanoni, and Power by finishing with 13 points. Power led Penn with 18 points and seven rebounds. The Quakers also got big lifts from the likes of Jay Jones (6 points, 8 rebounds in 22 minutes) and Augustus Gerhart (8 points).
Power also drained a key 3 from the corner right in front of the Quakers’ bench with 1:19 left that made it 61-57. It was just enough, as Penn wouldn’t score again.
Up next for Penn: Finish off a three-game homestand by hosting Columbia on Friday at 7 o’clock and Cornell on Saturday at 6 p.m.
–
AROUND THE BIG 5
–Villanova remains on a roll: The Wildcats finished off a 2-0 week by sweeping the season series against Georgetown, topping the Hoyas 80-73 on Saturday in Washington, D.C. Freshman Acaden Lewis had 26 points and six assists for the Wildcats, who improved to 18-5 overall and 9-3 in the Big East. Duke Brennan added 13 points and 13 rebounds.
Saturday’s win followed Wednesday’s convincing 72-60 victory over Seton Hall, completing a season sweep of the Pirates.
The Wildcats are doing so many things well and have been all season, particularly on offense. Two concerns came out of the Georgetown game: 1) Bryce Lindsday and 2) free throw shooting. Lindsay went scoreless and missed all eight of his field goal tries, including six from three-point range. He is now hitting 21 percent from beyond the arc in the last nine games to drop his season average to 36.3 percent. Foul shooting has been an issue that Villanova has overcome all season as they did against the Hoyas when they were just 14 of 28 from the line.
Up next for Villanova: Host Marquette at 7:30 on Tuesday night; At Creighton at 2:30 on Saturday.
–St. Joe’s stalls in Va.: The Hawks’ four-game winning streak ended on Saturday at George Mason with a 60-52 defeat. I listened to the second half of this game on the way home from Penn. St. Joe’s (15-9, 7-4 Atlantic 10) played tough but couldn’t hit enough shots, finishing 31 percent from the field and 27 percent from the arc.
Jaiden Glover-Toscano had a team-best 14 points but needed 16 shots to get there. Derek Simpson added 13 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists.
The Hawks were coming off of Wednesday’s solid 76-73 home win over George Washington. The 1-1 week did not change St. Joe’s surprising position in fourth place in the A-10, and a double-bye in the conference tournament would be theirs if it started today. The improvement has largely been because of coach Steve Donahue’s “A to B” mentality instilled in the players.
Up next for St. Joe’s: Host Fordham on Tuesday; At St. Bonaventure on Feb. 18.
–Temple moves into second in American: Aiden Tobiason had 27 points and 6 rebounds, Jordan Mason added 15 points and 7 assists, and Temple rolled to an 81-73 win at ECU on Saturday, moving the Owls into a three-way tie for second place in the American and just a game back of first-place Tulsa.
The game was the first in a week for the Owls (15-8, 7-3), who beat South Florida 79-78 at home last Saturday.
Up next for Temple: At Tulane at 7:30 on Wednesday.
–Drexel into third in CAA: Garfield Turner had 14 points and 12 rebounds to pace the Dragons in their 82-77 win at Elon on Saturday, moving them into a three-way tie for third in the league.
The Dragons (13-12, 7-5) were picked to finish 10th in the CAA in the preseason.
Up next for Drexel: Host Monmouth at 7 o’clock on Thursday night.
–Short-handed La Salle loses fourth straight: Rob Dockery had 19 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists in the Explorers’ 82-58 loss at No. 19 Saint Louis on Saturday. It was the fourth straight loss for the Explorers (7-17, 3-8 A-10), who played without Jerome Brewer Jr. for the second straight game.
Injuries have piled up so much for the Explorers that they were forced to use walk-ons in Tuesday’s 71-61 loss at Loyola Chicago.
Up next for La Salle: Host VCU at 6:30 on Wednesday.
–
Aaron Bracy has covered sports in Philadelphia for nearly three decades for various publications and as a freelancer for the Associated Press. His first book, A Soaring Season: The Incredible, Inspiring Story of the 2003–04 Saint Joseph’s Hawks (Brookline), can be ordered HERE. He is working on his second book, which will chronicle the memorable 2000–01 season of Allen Iverson and the Philadelphia 76ers. It will be published in April 2027. Follow Bracy on social media HERE. Contact him at bracymedia@gmail.com.