Saint Joseph’s Takes On Penn At The Palestra

The Saint Joseph’s Hawks take on the Penn Quakers at the Palestra in a Big Five showdown.
The Palestra is sacred place for Philadelphia basketball. When two Philly teams take on each other, the atmosphere seems to kick up some notches. The same will go for when Saint Joseph’s takes on Penn tonight at 7pm ET.
Outside of Villanova and La Salle, the Big Five has been relatively weak this season. Temple is at 10-10, while Saint Joseph’s and Penn are both sub .500. But that all goes away whenever two of the Big Five go head to head
Saint Joseph’s will go in missing lead scorer Shavar Newkirk, who suffered a season ending ACL injury. Freshmen Charlie Brown and Nick Robinson will attempt to subdue the loss with some outside shooting, while sophomore Lamarr Kimble will take the load on offense.
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Phil Martelli‘s team has been a wave of inconsistency, often relying on outside shooting. Penn, on the other hand, have a heavy reliance on freshman A.J. Brodeur’s ability to work inside. He leads the Quakers in scoring, averaging 14.4 points per game.
Penn has struggled against Philly teams thus far, falling to Villanova and Temple. They have a tough stretch coming up that includes taking on Saint Joseph’s and La Salle in a four-day span. Penn has often been looked at as “the other Philly team” when it comes to the Big Five. If they can’t pull out at least one win, then they’ll solidify their status as bottom feeders.
To beat the Hawks, Penn must attack the young front court, as well as drop an arsenal of three-pointers. Saint Joseph’s inconsistency from the outside will put the game into question tonight, and it’s very hard to come back from a deficit in the Palestra. Penn must start hot to damper any opposing offensive attack.
Saint Joseph’s shot selection must be better than recently. Finding good looks inside is dependent on fluid ball movement. Kimble must lead the way, setting up his freshmen scoring companions with open looks. Kimble leads the team in assists per game, but it is a mere 4.2 per game.
The dependency on “selfish” scoring is what hinders Saint Joseph’s from being a more formidable team in a weak conference.
Next: A Look Ahead For Temple Basketball
Prediction for the game: Saint Joseph’s nabs a big win. Kimble will start hot, putting the Hawks up 12 at the half. Penn will fight back in the second half, but Saint Joseph’s pulls away late.
St. Joe’s defeats Penn: 73-65