PHILADELPHIA – The University of Pennsylvania men's basketball team opened the 2018-19 season with a gritty, 72-71 win at George Mason on Tuesday night. On Friday, the Quakers are home for the first time this season as they host Rice. Prior to the official 8:02 p.m. tipoff, the program will celebrate last year's Ivy League co-championship by officially unveiling the newest banner in the Palestra rafters. Fans are encouraged to get to their seats well ahead of time to make sure they don't miss out.
 
Under fourth-year head coach Steve Donahue, Penn was Ivy League co-champion with Harvard last year and then defeated the Crimson in the Ivy League Tournament final to earn its first NCAA Tournament bid since 2007. The Quakers were picked second in the Ivy League's preseason media poll on October 16, behind the Crimson.
 
GAME 2 – PENN (1-0) vs. RICE (1-0)
Friday, Nov. 9, 2018 * 8 p.m.
Macquarie Court at The Palestra (Philadelphia)
Penn Game Notes | Rice Game Notes
 
NEW IN 2018-19: The Ivy League on ESPN
Tuesday's game, as well as all home games and most Ivy League road games, will air on ESPN+ as part of The Ivy League's new partnership with ESPN. ESPN+ is a new, subscription-based service that offers monthly ($4.99) and yearly ($49.99) plans. Click here to subscribe to ESPN+ and start your free trial! Click here for frequently asked questions about the Ivy League on ESPN.  
 
The Series with Rice
• The Quakers and the Owls have met twice previously, both of the meetings coming within the same calendar year (1997).
 
• The teams split those meetings, the home team winning each time. Rice won the first meeting in Houston on January 4, 70-63; more than 10 months later, on November 22, the teams met in Philadelphia and Penn won, 78-73.
 
Hello, My Friends, Hello
• Rice's head coach is Scott Pera, who spent two years as an assistant coach with the Quakers (2012-13, 2013-14). Also, former Penn player Dylan Jones is on the Rice roster; after missing two full seasons at Penn due to injury, he is a sixth-year senior for the Owls.
 
Penn vs. Conference USA
The Quakers are 5-3 all-time against the programs that currently play in Conference USA. This is Penn's first game against a current Conference USA opponent since November 10, 2006 when the Red and Blue opened its 2006-07 season with a 69-66 loss to UTEP at the BCA Classic in Syracuse, N.Y.
 
Penn by the Numbers
3 • Points scored by junior Ryan Betley in Tuesday's game, when he drained a three-pointer on Penn's first possession of 2018-19; less than five minutes later he ruptured his patella tendon, and so last year's leading scorer will miss the remainder of the season.
 
3 • NCAA Division 1 players this year from China, including freshman Michael Wang. He shares the distinction with James Zhao (freshman at California) and Kevin Zhang (freshman at Tulane). Wang played his high school ball at Mater Dei (Calif.).
 
6 • Points scored by Wang on his first two touches on Tuesday night at Mason; both of those touches ended as made three-pointers. The freshman finished his debut with 14 points, and his one assist might have been the prettiest of the night for either team.
 
10 • Points scored by senior Antonio Woods in the game's final 5:22 on Tuesday night; in fact, all of those points came in a span of 4:17 as Woods—who was scoreless to that point—scored 10 of Penn's final 13 points in the win at Mason.
 
10 • Career double-doubles for junior AJ Brodeur after he went for 19 points and 10 rebounds at Mason. Penn is 9-1 in those 10 games.
 
19 • Minutes played off the bench by senior Tyler Hamilton on Tuesday, after he sat out all of last season; he contributed six points, three rebounds and two assists against the Patriots.
 
24 • Penn wins last season, most since the Quakers had 25 in 2001-02. All time, the Red and Blue have had nine seasons with 24 or more victories.
 
26 • Ivy League titles won by Penn. That is behind only Princeton (27). The rest of the league has 20 combined.
 
61 • Points scored by Goodman in Penn's last nine games last year, after he scored just 35 in the first 24 games.
 
69.3 • The percentage of scoring that returns from a year ago (1,737 of 2,506 points). Darnell Foreman and Caleb Wood scored 688 of the 769 points lost.
 
107 • Career blocked shots by Brodeur. Only midway through his college career, he is already fifth on the program's all-time list in that category. Brodeur set the program's single-season record as a freshman, with 66.
 
161 • Assists by frontcourt mates Brodeur (83) and Rothschild (78) last season. Senior point guard Jake Silpe is another keen eye on the floor, he had 89 assists in 2015-16.
 
291 • Three-point baskets scored by Penn last year, a program record. The Quakers have also set program marks each of the last two years in three-point attempts, with 690 in 2016-17 and then 830 last season.