Penn Upsets Yale To Make Tournament For 1st Time In 8 Years
Usually, when a new coach is hired, it is thought that they need a couple of years before you see real progress. Fran McCaffrey didn’t need that type of time….
Usually, when a new coach is hired, it is thought that they need a couple of years before you see real progress. Fran McCaffrey didn't need that type of time. In his first year as the head coach at Penn University, he already has them dancing in March.
On Sunday, Penn pulled off an upset of the number 1 seed Yale Bulldogs in the Ivy League Tournament. A legendary 44-point performance was the big difference. Not only was it his 3-pointer that sent the game to OT, but it was his FTs that gave Penn a lead in OT that they carried to a victory. His 44 points are the most by any Penn player since 1952.
Penn is now set for a matchup vs the 3 seed Illinois in the round of 64. Only 2 14 seeds have won their first-round matchups over the past 8 tournaments, with the 3 seed having a record of 30-2. Illinois is currently 24.5 point favorites. Penn's odds to win outright are +3000.
Penn is now the 5th team Fran McCaffery has coached to the Tournament. He becomes only the 5th coach to do that.
The last time Penn made the Tournament was the 2017-2018 season. In that year, they were the 16 seed and lost to Kansas by 16 points.
