PHILADELPHIA — Clark Slajchert took a quick dribble as Kentucky’s Reed Sheppard flew by, freeing the senior up for a wide open three from the wing he routinely hits.
If it went down, it would have pushed Penn to a 49-47 lead over the Associated Press No. 16 Wildcats with 15 minutes to play, completing a comeback from 16 points down.
The shot looked good but came up a little short. It was a microcosm of the afternoon for the Quakers, who gave Kentucky fits for the better part of 30 minutes in what wound up being an 81-66 loss.
Despite having the ball with a chance to tie or go ahead three times in the second half, Penn (6-5) never could quite get over the hump against the Wildcats. A 9-0 Kentucky run around the under-eight media timeout, capped by an open Antonio Reeves three, pushed the Wildcats’ lead from four points to 13 and put the game out of reach.
What could Penn fans take away from a solid showing against one of the most decorated programs in college basketball?
So, about that path to victory….
The Quakers executed on some of the key points outlined here that would have put them in position to pull the upset over Kentucky.
After a rough stretch in the first half, Penn shot very well from distance in the second half and wound up hitting nine threes over the course of the afternoon. Four different Quakers — Slajchert, Sam Brown, George Smith and Tyler Perkins — hit triples during the early-second half flurry that got Penn within a bucket of the Wildcats on multiple occasions.
Kentucky wound up hitting eight threes on 20 attempts. The Wildcats’ starters combined to shoot 3-for-10 from deep.
What wound up hurting Penn badly was a rough showing on the glass and some live ball turnovers that gave Kentucky runouts. The Quakers surrendered 13 offensive rebounds, including two brutal boards off missed free throws that brought back bad memories of the St. Joseph’s loss.
Penn got the full range of outcomes from its freshmen.
Sam Brown and Tyler Perkins have both seized starting jobs in Penn’s backcourt, and will hopefully keep those positions locked down for years to come.
Brown and Perkins helped shoot Penn back into the game, combining to hit seven three-pointers on 18 attempts. Perkins also added two steals and a pair of offensive boards.
Both players also had some moments that reminded fans that they have room to grow and learn. Perkins wound up with a KenPom offensive rating of 87 points per 100 possessions while on the floor. His performance was reminiscent of his showing in the Maryland Eastern Shore loss, where Perkins appeared to be pressing at times.
Brown had one turnover he’ll really like to have back. The Red and Blue had the ball down two, 45-43, when Brown tried to swing a cross-court pass to Smith that Sheppard easily intercepted. Sheppard wound up getting a layup on the ensuing runout.
Overall, both young men played well against a team stacked with future NBA players. They’ll be better for it when Ivy play rolls around.
Elite big men remain a problem.
Aaron Bradshaw was Kentucky’s MVP on Saturday. The 7-foot-1 freshman didn’t make his collegiate debut until last week due to a foot injury. He played just 13 minutes off the bench in a shocking loss to UNC-Wilmington at Rupp Arena.
Consider Saturday Bradshaw’s official coming-out party. Bradshaw finished with 17 points and 11 rebounds, looking like the best player on the floor. His length seriously disrupted Penn; Bradshaw finished with three blocks.
Nick Spinoso got the better of Bradshaw a few times — including one particularly violent block on a Bradshaw dunk attempt late in the first half — but on the whole, Bradshaw was dominant.
The good news for Penn is that there aren’t too many players in the Ivy League that compare physically to Bradshaw.