First Scouting Report: In Philly, Penn will try to spoil homecoming for Justin Edwards

Mark Story
·3 min read
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A look ahead to the Kentucky Wildcats’ next men’s basketball game:

The opponent

No. 12 Kentucky (6-2) will face Pennsylvania (5-3) on Saturday, Dec. 9, at the Wells Fargo Center (basketball capacity 20,318) in Philadelphia.

The game will tip off at noon and be telecast by ESPN2.

Coach Steve Donahue’s Quakers faced intracity rival La Salle on Saturday at 4:45 p.m.

Before facing UK, Penn will play FDU-Florham on Wednesday at 6 p.m. at The Palestra.

For Kentucky forward Justin Edwards, a Philadelphia product, the game will be a homecoming.

It will essentially be that for UK’s Kareem Watkins, D.J. Wagner and Aaron Bradshaw, all of whom are either from Camden, New Jersey — located just across the Delaware River from Philadelphia — or played their high school basketball there.

When No. 12 Kentucky faces the University of Pennsylvania on Saturday at the Wells Fargo Center, it will be a homecoming for UK freshman wing Justin Edwards (1), a Philadelphia product.
When No. 12 Kentucky faces the University of Pennsylvania on Saturday at the Wells Fargo Center, it will be a homecoming for UK freshman wing Justin Edwards (1), a Philadelphia product.

Series history

Kentucky leads the all-time series with Pennsylvania 5-0.

As UK head man, John Calipari is 1-0 vs. the Quakers.

Penn coach Steve Donahue is 0-0 vs. UK as Quakers head man and 0-1 overall. Donahue was the Cornell coach when Kentucky beat the Big Red 62-45 in the 2010 NCAA Tournament round of 16.

Current Pennsylvania head coach Steve Donahue has coached against Kentucky once before. In the 2010 NCAA Tournament round of 16, UK defeated the Big Red 62-45. In the picture, Kentucky guard Eric Bledsoe scored on a drive past Cornell’s Mark Coury, a former UK player.
Current Pennsylvania head coach Steve Donahue has coached against Kentucky once before. In the 2010 NCAA Tournament round of 16, UK defeated the Big Red 62-45. In the picture, Kentucky guard Eric Bledsoe scored on a drive past Cornell’s Mark Coury, a former UK player.

Most recent meeting

Brandon Knight scored 22 points and Doron Lamb added 16 off the bench to lead Kentucky to an 86-62 victory over Pennsylvania on Jan. 3, 2011, at Rupp Arena.

Brandon Knight (12) scored 22 points to pace Kentucky to an 86-62 win over Pennsylvania on Jan. 3, 2011.
Brandon Knight (12) scored 22 points to pace Kentucky to an 86-62 win over Pennsylvania on Jan. 3, 2011.

Power rankings

In the Pomeroy Ratings, Kentucky is No. 12 and Pennsylvania is No. 190.

The CBS Sports approximation of the NCAA NET rankings has Kentucky No. 26 and Penn No. 138.

Know your foe

1. Penn was hit with unexpected attrition in the offseason that removed two players expected to form the heart of the Quakers’ team in 2023-24.

Star guard Jordan Dingle — not to be confused with the Kentucky Wildcats football tight end of the same name — transferred to St. John’s to play for new Red Storm coach Rick Pitino. Last season, Dingle averaged 23.4 points a game for Pennsylvania.

Penn also lost returning starter Max Martz, who averaged 10.8 points and hit 41.2 percent of his treys, due to injuries.

2. Kentucky will not be the only team in its game with Pennsylvania relying on freshmen. Penn freshmen guards Tyler Perkins and Sam Brown are emerging standouts.

The 6-foot-4, 205 pound Perkins, a product of Lorton, Virginia, entered play Saturday averaging 16.3 points, second on the team, and leading the Quakers in rebounding at 7.1 a game.

Brown, a 6-3, 180-pound frosh from Merion Station, Pennsylvania, is averaging 12 points a game and has made 11 of 22 3-point attempts. Brown is the son of ex-Philadelphia 76ers head coach and current San Antonio Spurs assistant Brett Brown.

3. The signature victory this season for Pennsylvania came over intracity rival Villanova, a 76-72 upset of the then-No. 21 Wildcats on Nov. 13. before 6,723 fans at The Palestra.

Tyler Perkins had 22 points and six rebounds to pace the Quakers. Penn held ‘Nova to 22-of-63 shooting, 9-of-33 on 3-point attempts.

Entering play Saturday, Pennsylvania’s three losses were by eight points, 69-61, on the road to the Saint Joseph’s team that took Kentucky into overtime at Rupp Arena before falling; and a pair of overtime defeats, 83-80 at Maryland-Eastern Shore and 84-79 to Belmont.

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