A Season That Came Out of Nowhere and One That Ended Too Soon for Penn in March Madness
Nine years ago, in 2018 — ages ago it seems — the Eagles delivered Philadelphia perhaps the finest season ever in its ninety-year-plus history (until last year, that is.) Despite the team’s injuries that season, it gave fans in this city everything we wanted. It ended with the slaying of a dynasty in the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LII.
Penn’s basketball season did not end with an NCAA Championship.
It did not end with a parade down Market Street.
It didn’t even end with an appearance in the Final Four or the Elite Eight in the 2026 NCAA Tournament.
In the last game of Penn Basketball’s season — a 105–70 rout at the hands of the #3 Illinois (25–8) — it looked at times like a first-round tournament exit would overshadow all that the Quakers had accomplished.
Even with Penn‘s Ethan Roberts not playing due to a concussion, the contest remained competitive with only a 40–30 Illinois lead at the break. A nine-point deficit was as close as the Quakers would come. With just under three minutes left in the contest, Illinois had a 40-point lead on the way to a 65-point second half.
David Mirkovic led with twenty-nine points, Keaton Wagler had 18, and Kylan Boswell had 13 points for the Fighting Illini , who won the rebound category by 48–25. Michael Zanoni had twenty points for #14 Penn (18–12).
Just days after Penn Men’s Basketball advanced to the Ivy League Title Game with a last-second A.J. Levine layup over Harvard — the Quakers took the Ivy League Title from #1 seeded Yale with a 88–84 win. The incredible win for Penn took shape as Penn trailed Yale 73–69 with only 12 seconds left in regulation.
Penn Basketball has plenty to build on for the 2026 season — including improvement on a third-place Ivy League finish.
The City of Philadelphia and the University of Pennsylvania hosted the first-ever collegiate basketball game , an exhibition contest against the Pennsylvania Military College that concluded in a 21–17 victory in 1926. That wasn’t the only first for Philadelphia. It was also the first contest ever on Penn’s home court — The Palestra.
This season won’t just be another like any other for Penn Basketball.
It’s one where they became Ivy League Champions.
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