Three Quakeaways from Penn men’s critical 83-68 win over Harvard

Junior guard Jordan Dingle notched his third straight KenPom Game MVP award with a 27-point performance that included a 4-for-8 showing from three-point range in Penn’s win over Harvard at the Palestra Saturday. (Photo by Erica Denhoff)

PHILADELPHIA — Penn men’s basketball picked up a potentially season-saving win in style on Saturday at the Palestra, dominating Harvard, 83-68.

The Quakers (11-11, 3-4 Ivy) never trailed en route to their third straight win over the Crimson (12-9, 3-4). They scored 1.19 points per possession, according to KenPom. That marked Penn’s most efficient offensive performance so far in Ivy play.

Junior Jordan Dingle once again dominated Harvard. With Crimson star Noah Kirkwood no longer around to defend Dingle, the guard established his shot early on with a quick eight points in the game’s first five minutes. Dingle finished with 27 points on the afternoon on 18 shots and earned his third straight ‘game MVP’ designation from KenPom.

Dingle’s excellence set the Quakers up to run perhaps their most aesthetically pleasing offensive game plan of the season, one of many happy Quakeaways on the day.

1. Penn’s offense looks more diverse than ever.

Last season, it seemed like the Quakers had no shot of getting anything going offensively if Dingle was unable to generate looks off the bounce or was struggling from outside. Earlier this season, Penn at times would rely on Dingle and fellow junior guard Clark Slajchert to alternate carrying the offensive load.

Though Slajchert’s struggles continued on Saturday (he posted his seventh straight game with a KenPom offensive rating below the breakeven mark of 100 points per 100 possessions), it did not matter. By the eye test, Penn generated higher quality looks for its secondary and tertiary scorers on Saturday than it had been able to all season.

Penn did a good job of playing inside-out on offense and frequently found opportunities for wide-open catch-and-shoot three-point attempts. George Smith — whose hot streak was recently highlighted on this website — hit three triples, good for a KenPom offensive rating of 151 points per 100 possessions.

If the Quakers can keep finding easy looks for Smith, junior forward Max Martz and the like, they will be very, very hard to guard.

2. Max Lorca-Lloyd quietly impressed.

Lorca-Lloyd’s best on-court attribute is his shot-blocking ability, but on Saturday, the center put up his most efficient performance against a Division I opponent this season.

The senior finished with a KenPom offensive rating of 168 points per 100 possessions and hit both his shots from the field, including an emphatic two-handed dunk.

Lorca-Lloyd was also asked to guard forward Chris Ledlum — Harvard’s best player — for stretches and held up well.

Though Lorca-Lloyd can’t consistently distribute and fill the point forward role frequently played by sophomore Nick Spinoso, he has posted four straight games above the KenPom breakeven mark of 100 points per 100 possessions. He can be an asset to Penn down the stretch if he can attack the basket whenever he gets touches.

3. Penn is set up for a successful homestand.

Had the Quakers lost to Harvard, they would have effectively been buried with half the Ivy season to play. Instead, the Red and Blue sit just outside of Ivy Madness and still have home games left against three of the four teams ahead of them in the standings (Yale, Cornell and Dartmouth).

Penn has a ‘must-not-lose’ game on Friday against Columbia, which will likely have a Vegas spread in the Quakers’ favor of at least 16 points. Take care of business, and the Red and Blue will be back at .500 in Ivy play heading into a Saturday showdown against Cornell.

If there’s ever a “good time” to get Cornell, it will be Saturday. The Big Red will be on the second leg of a back-to-back on the road, coming off a game at Ivy League co-leader Princeton.

Finish the weekend over .500 in Ivy play, and the Quakers can be fairly confident about their postseason chances.