PHILADELPHIA – Fresh off an Ivy League championship and NCAA Tournament appearance in 2017-18, the University of Pennsylvania has announced its 2018-19 men's basketball schedule. In the fourth season under John R. Rockwell Head Coach of Men's Basketball Steve Donahue, the Quakers will play a 30-game schedule that includes 14 contests at The Palestra.
 
Season tickets for the 2018-19 men's basketball home season are on sale now. Existing season ticket holders should click here for information, while fans interested in becoming season ticket holders can click here. Please note, new season tickets will be assigned after the renewal deadline (Sept. 14).
 
"With this year's schedule we strived to provide our student-athletes with the greatest college basketball experience possible," said Donahue, last year's Ivy League and ECAC Coach of the Year. "Playing in a tournament such as the Paradise Jam in the US Virgin Islands and playing at a place such as The Pit at New Mexico are tremendous experiences for a student-athlete. Our philosophy with scheduling continues to be one where we want to challenge our program to be able to compete on the national level."
 
A Few Notes…
 
*In addition to games at The Palestra with all seven Ivy League institutions and two Big 5 foes—defending NCAA champion Villanova and Saint Joseph's—the Quakers will also host non-conference opponents Rice (Nov. 9), Lafayette (Nov. 13), Stockton (Nov. 24), Miami (Dec. 4), and Monmouth (Dec. 31).
 
*This will mark the second time in three years that Penn hosts a Villanova squad that is defending the national title. That game will take place on Tuesday, Dec. 11.
 
*Penn's home opener with Rice will mark a return to The Palestra for Owls' head coach Scott Pera, who was an assistant coach for the Quakers for two seasons (2012-13, 2013-14). By calendar date, that game will match the earliest home game in program history, set three times previously (also 2007-08, 2012-13, 2013-14).
 
*Penn's season opens three days before that, as the Quakers meet George Mason on Tuesday, Nov. 6. By calendar date, it will be earliest regular-season game in program history.
 
*For the second-straight year, Penn will participate in an NCAA-exempt event which allows the program to play 30 regular-season games. The eight-team Paradise Jam takes place Nov. 16-19 on St. Thomas, Virgin Islands. Click here for previously released Paradise Jam information.
 
*When Penn plays at Temple (Jan. 19), head coach Steve Donahue will once again match wits against his former boss at Penn, Fran Dunphy; when the Quakers host Lafayette (Nov. 13), he will match up against Fran O'Hanlon, with whom he shared bench space when they were assistants at Penn. This will be Coach Donahue's last matchup with Dunphy, who has already announced his retirement from Temple following the 2018-19 season.
 
*For the first time in history, the Penn-Princeton series will be done before the Quakers play another Ivy League game. The Quakers will be at Princeton on Saturday, Jan. 5; one week later, the Tigers will visit The Palestra. The rest of the Ivy schedule won't begin until February. The last time both Penn-Princeton regular-season games were played before February was 1977-78.
 
*Penn's first Ivy League home weekend won't take place until February 15-16 (Dartmouth/Harvard). The Quakers will begin February with two Ivy League road weekends (Feb. 1-2 at Cornell/Columbia, Feb. 8-9 at Brown/Yale).
 
*In addition to the 30-game regular season, Penn hopes to advance to the Ivy League Men's Basketball Tournament which will take place at Yale's John J. Lee Amphitheater March 16-17. The Quakers, of course, won this last year with a semifinal win over Yale and a title-game victory over Harvard at The Palestra. The top four regular-season finishers will advance to the event, with semifinals taking place on Saturday and the championship game on Sunday. While the team that finishes the regular season with the best conference record will be declared the official Ivy League champion, the winner of the Ivy League Tournament will receive the Ancient Eight's automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament.
 
The Non-Conference Schedule…
 
AT GEORGE MASON (Tuesday, Nov. 6): This will be the fourth meeting between the Quakers and the Patriots in six years, after never meeting before 2013-14 … Mason has won the first three meetings, including a 79-60 decision at The Palestra on December 10, 2016 … One of Mason's assistant coaches is Ted Rawlings, a Penn grad who was a student manager with the Quakers' men's basketball program … 2017-18 record: 16-17, 9-9 Atlantic 10.
 
RICE (Friday, Nov. 9): The Quakers and Owls previously played a two-game series in 1996-97 and 1997-98, the home team winning each time … Penn's win was a 78-73 decision on November 22, 1997 at The Palestra … Penn is 5-3 all-time against current Conference USA programs, the last meeting coming early in 2006-07 when the Red and Blue lost to UTEP 69-66 at the BCA Invitational in Syracuse, N.Y. … 2017-18 record: 7-24, 4-14 Conference USA.
 
LAFAYETTE (Tuesday, Nov. 13): One of its most consistent non-conference matchups, the Quakers and the Leopards have met every year but two since the 1985-86 season … Penn leads the series, 42-9, and has won the last two matchups, 81-52 two years ago at The Palestra and 73-68 last year in Easton, Pa. … Prior to that, the Leopards had won four in a row, five of seven, and six of the last nine meetings … The game pits Coach Donahue against Fran O'Hanlon; the two were assistant coaches together at Penn during the 1990s … 2017-18 record: 10-21, 7-11 Patriot League.
 
STOCKTON (Saturday, Nov. 24): The Quakers and the Ospreys, an NCAA Division 3 program in the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC), will meet as part of Penn's participation in the Paradise Jam … This will be the first meeting between these programs … This is Penn's third game against a non-Division 1 in four years, as the Quakers hosted Division 3 Ursinus three years ago and Penn State-Brandywine last year … 2017-18 record: 15-10, 9-9 NJAC.
 
AT DELAWARE STATE (Tuesday, Nov. 27): This will mark the fourth meeting in five years between the Quakers and the Hornets, the second in Dover … Penn set a program record for victory margin over a Division 1 team a year ago, beating DSU 105-52 at The Palestra … The Red and Blue also won the matchup in Dover three years ago, 60-54, a year after DSU came to The Palestra and won the first meeting between these programs, 77-75 in overtime … 2017-18 record: 4-28, 2-14 MEAC.
 
MIAMI (Tuesday, Dec. 4): This is a return on the Quakers' trip to Coral Gables early in 2016-17, a game won the Hurricanes 74-62 … "The U" has won four in a row over Penn dating back to the 1966-67 season, and holds a 6-3 series lead overall … All nine games in this series have taken place in Coral Gables; this is Miami's first visit to The Palestra to play Penn … The Red and Blue's last wins over the Canes took place around the New Year in 1951-52 (89-64) and 1953-54 (67-54) … 2017-18 record: 22-10, 11-7 ACC.
 
AT LA SALLE (Saturday, Dec. 8): Penn leads the series, 40-31, and had won two in a row before the Explorers escaped The Palestra with a 75-71 double-overtime win early last season … The Quakers won on its last trip to Tom Gola Arena, 77-74, as A.J. Brodeur set a Penn freshman record with 35 points … La Salle has a new head coach, Ashley Howard … 2017-18 record: 13-19, 7-11 Atlantic 10.
 
VILLANOVA (Tuesday, Dec. 11): For the second time in three years, the Wildcats come to The Palestra as defending NCAA champion … That said, Villanova lost four players from last year's team who were among the top 33 picks in the 2018 NBA Draft … Villanova has won 15 in a row in the series, including a 90-62 decision last year at Jake Nevin Fieldhouse out on the Main Line … Penn's last win over the Wildcats at home came in 2001-02 … 2017-18 record: 36-4, 14-4 Big East.
 
AT NEW MEXICO (Saturday, Dec. 22): This will be the Quakers' second meeting with the Lobos but their third trip to the famed "Pit" ... Penn played in the Lobo Classic twice, in 1981 and 1992; it was in 1992 that the Red and Blue faced UNM and lost to the Lobos, 54-51 … The Quakers' only other game against a Mountain West foe came against San Diego State back in 1978-79 … 2017-18 record: 19-15, 12-6 Mountain West.
 
AT TOLEDO (Friday, Dec. 29): Last year's Mid-American West champion, the Rockets won the first-ever meeting in this series last year at The Palestra, 85-72 … Toledo used an 11-2 run down the stretch to pull away, and was one of just two teams Penn failed to beat after leading at halftime last year … Prior to last year's game, the Red and Blue's most recent contest against a MAC foe came back on Feb. 7, 1994 when the Quakers went to Buffalo and won, 77-52 … 2017-18 record: 23-11, 13-5 Mid-American.
 
MONMOUTH (Monday, Dec. 31): This will be the ninth meeting between the Quakers and the Hawks in a series that started in 2003, with Penn leading 6-2 … Last year's meeting, of course, was epic: a 101-96 win for Penn in West Long Branch, N.J., that needed four overtimes to be decided … It was just the second 4OT game in program history (the other coming in 1919-20) … Monmouth won its last appearance at The Palestra, 71-56, during the 2014-15 season … All-time, Penn is 2-1 at home vs. Monmouth … 2017-18 record: 11-20, 7-11 MAAC.
 
AT TEMPLE (Saturday, Jan. 19): The Owls have dominated this Big 5 series recently, winning 11 in a row and 14 of the last 15 meetings … Last year, Temple beat Penn at The Palestra, 60-51 … This will be Coach Donahue's last time facing one of his mentors, Fran Dunphy, who has already announced his retirement following the season; Donahue was an assistant under Dunphy at Penn from 1989-2000 … 2017-18 record: 17-16, 8-10 American.
 
SAINT JOSEPH'S (Saturday, Jan. 26): Arguably Penn's most even Big 5 rivalry in recent years, the Quakers and Hawks have each four times among the last eight meetings … Penn gained a 67-56 win last year, snapping a modest two-game SJU win streak … Penn has played Saint Joseph's 86 times, more than any other non-Ivy League program (SJU leads the series, 50-36) … Every game in this series has been played in The Palestra dating back to the 1996-97 season … 2017-18 record: 16-16, 10-8 Atlantic 10.
 
The Princeton Rivalry…
Saturday, Jan. 5 at Princeton; Saturday, Jan. 12 at Penn
*These will be the 240th and 241st meetings between the Ivy League's flagship programs; Penn has not played any other opponent more than Princeton. The Quakers swept last year's season series—a first since 2007-08—taking a 76-70 decision at The Palestra and then winning exactly a month later at Princeton, 82-65. In that second game, Penn set a program record for points in a game at Princeton.
 
The Ivy League Weekends…
February 1/2 – at Cornell, at Columbia
*Penn swept this trip a year ago—winning 74-62 at Columbia and 79-71 at Cornell—after splitting it five years in a row from 2012-13 to 2016-17 … All five times Penn split, the win came in Ithaca against the Big Red … This will mark Coach Donahue's fourth trip to Ithaca since coaching there from 2000-01 to 2009-10.
 
February 8/9 – at Brown, at Yale
*Penn split this trip last year, losing 80-79 at the buzzer to Yale on Friday before downing the Bears 99-93 on Saturday … Penn has swept this trip 27 times overall, but just once over the last seven years (including getting swept three straight years, from 2013-14 to 2015-16).
 
February 15/16 – Dartmouth, Harvard at The Palestra
*Penn has swept this home weekend 45 times overall, including last year (74-46 over Dartmouth, 74-71 over Harvard) and the 2015-16 season … That said, the Quakers have split or been swept at home by the Big Green and Crimson eight of the last 10 years.
 
February 22/23 – Columbia, Cornell at The Palestra
*Penn has swept this weekend 44 times overall, including the last two years and five of the last seven seasons. The Quakers beat the Big Red 69-61 last year on Friday, then the Lions 77-71 on Saturday.
 
March 1/2 – at Harvard, at Dartmouth
*Penn split this trip last year—winning 64-61 at Dartmouth, losing 76-67 at Harvard—but had been swept on it each of the four years before that … Penn's last sweep of this trip came in 2011-12.
 
March 8/9 – Yale, Brown at The Palestra
*Penn has swept this home weekend 38 times overall, but last year's sweep—which included a 95-90 overtime win against Brown—was the Quakers' first since 2011-12 … Prior to last year, the Quakers had been swept at The Palestra by the Bulldogs and Bears three times in four years.