Pennsylvania Quakers
Overall Rank: #32
Conference Rank: #1 Ivy League
Penn had a great 2015-2016 season. They went 13-1 in Ivy League action and earned a trip to the NCAA Tournament. They lost 65-53 against Washington, but the Quakers were supposed to play second fiddle to Princeton in the Ivy League while their young team grew up. But Penn did not need any time to mature and now this is a very experienced squad that returns just about everybody. Michelle Nwokedi, a 6-3 junior, and Sydney Stipanovich, a 6-3 senior, will once again dominate the paint. Nwokedi averaged 14.0 points and 9.6 rebounds last season, while Stipanovich added 12.8 points and 10.1 rebounds. No team in the Ivy League, and not many other teams across the nation, can stop those two on either end of the court.
2015-16 Record: 24-5, 13-1
2015-16 Postseason: NCAA
Coach: Mike McLaughlin
Coach Record: 111-92 at Penn, 518-153 overall
Key Departed Players (starters in bold)
Brooklyn Juday, Guard, 0.2 ppg
Key Returning Players (starters in bold)
Michelle Nwokedi, Junior, Forward, 14.0 ppg
Sydney Stipanovich, Senior, Center, 12.8 ppg
Anna Ross, Junior, Guard, 9.4 ppg
Kasey Chambers, Senior, Guard, 7.8 ppg
Lauren Whitlatch, Junior, Guard, 7.7 ppg
Beth Brzozowski, Junior, Guard, 6.9 ppg
Ashley Russell, Sophomore, Guard, 2.4 ppg
Princess Aghayere, Sophomore, Forward, 1.4 ppg
Jackie Falconer, Senior, Forward, 0.9 ppg
Key New Players
Emily Anderson, Freshman, Center
Laura Bagwell-Katalinich, Freshman, Forward
Alexis Glasgow, Junior, Guard, Transfer from Northwestern
Kendall Grasela, Freshman, Guard
Liz Satter, Freshman, Forward
Phoebe Sterba, Freshman, Guard
Projection
The starters in the backcourt will again be Anna Ross, Kasey Chambers and Lauren Whitlatch. Ross is the most consistent shooter, but it is Whitlatch who will take the most shots from beyond the arc. Ross and Chambers are both capable ball handlers who make sure the offense runs through the frontcourt. With plenty of depth and a few newcomers coming in who can add even more options for Coach Mike McLaughlin, Penn can not only return to the NCAA Tournament, they can win a game or two.
Projected Postseason Tournament: NCAA
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 62.5 (205th in nation, 6th in conference)
Scoring Defense: 52.0 (8, 1)
Field-Goal Percentage: 38.1 (245, 7)
Field-Goal Defense: 34.7 (8, 2)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 6.3 (92, 3)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 32.8 (95, 4)
Free-Throw Percentage: 69.0 (191, 6)
Rebound Margin: 2.9 (88, 2)
Assists Per Game: 14.1 (102, 5)
Turnovers Per Game: 11.1 (5, 1)
