Quakeaways from Penn men’s basketball’s loss at Providence

For about 30 minutes or so Tuesday night, Penn men’s basketball put forth a competitive showing at heavily favored Providence, hanging in there against its Big East opponent using a combination of excellent outside shooting and opportunistic turnovers.

But it was obvious that the Quakers’ defensive dam would eventually break, and break it did. The Friars wound up crossing the century mark in a 106-81 win at the arena now affectionately known as “The AMP” (Amica Mutual Pavilion).

The biggest individual swing came when junior forward TJ Power missed three free throws midway through the second half when he had a chance to cut the Penn (1-2) deficit to just 10 points. Providence (2-1) responded with a corner three after the string of misses, a six-point swing.

Penn’s offensive charge was led by senior wing Michael Zanoni, who dropped in a career-high 30 points. His performance was Penn’s biggest highlight in an evening that had moments of brilliance, frustration and everything in between.

The matchup with Providence — one of the better teams Penn will face all year — exposed the Quakers’ biggest weaknesses and showcased their strengths.

So where exactly does Penn stand after playing three games in five days?

This team should be able to score in bunches.

It’s only been three games, but Penn looks like it’s taken a step forward as a shooting team under new coach Fran McCaffery’s tutelage. The Quakers are shooting 42.9% collectively from distance against Division I opponents, per KenPom, which ranks 27th in the nation.

For context, Penn shot 32.6% as a team from three last year, 240th in Division I.

Zanoni has been the biggest individual driver of the Quakers’ leap in shooting efficiency. His quick release was on full display on Tuesday night, as the senior canned five triples on eight attempts.

As mentioned Sunday, Zanoni has done an excellent job positioning himself for catch-and-shoot opportunities, and he also generated several wide-open mid-range shots on Tuesday by curling off screens.

Power and senior wing Ethan Roberts combined to hit five threes themselves against the Friars, several of which came in transition. There were a couple of moments on Tuesday that Power probably would want back, such as a foul on a closeout which gave Providence a four-point play, but he’s coming along nicely.

Roberts, Zanoni and Power should be able to both stretch and stress Ivy defenses.

The rim is an issue at both ends of the floor.

The biggest single factor which contributed to Penn’s loss on Tuesday was that the Quakers simultaneously couldn’t defend inside or score in the lane. Penn shot 31% from two-point distance, while Providence shot 62.2% inside.

That’s a toxic combination.

Penn’s bigs really struggled to score inside all night, with both Augustus Gerhart and Dalton Scantlebury at times looking affected by the superior athleticism of Providence’s bigs. The duo combined to shoot 2-for-8 from the field. Scantlebury did post a KenPom offensive rating of 119 points per 100 possessions, though Gerhart put up a 64.

The only legitimate rim protection Penn has shown on the defensive end of the floor has come from transfer Lucas Lueth, who had a nice block from behind in the first half. Lueth has a bunch of excellent physical tools — including a ridiculous wingspan — but is still a work in progress as an offensive weapon.

Penn needs to develop some form of consistent interior scoring option to prevent opponents from totally selling out toward running its shooters off the three-point line.

There is a ray of hope on defense.

It’s tough to say too much positive about Penn’s defense after the Quakers gave up 1.34 points per possession on Tuesday, but there is one area in which the team has clearly improved year-over-year.

Penn has shown a knack for stepping into passing lanes, generating deflections and pressuring opponents into coughing up the ball. The Quakers actually won the turnover battle on Tuesday, generating 15 giveaways while surrendering the ball just 10 times on the offensive end.

The Quakers also logged seven steals to Providence’s four, though that number should come with a bit of an asterisk, as freshman Jay Jones logged three of those steals in mostly garbage time action.

Though Penn ranks 345th out of 365 Division I schools in overall defensive efficiency, per KenPom, the team is turning opponents over on 17.9% of possessions, 171st nationally. Keep that turnover number climbing and the other defensive metrics will follow in turn.