PHILADELPHIA – The University of Pennsylvania men's basketball team is ready to tip off the 2019-20 season on Tuesday night. The Quakers will be in the state of Alabama for just the second time in program history as they face the University of Alabama and its first-year head coach, Nate Oats. This is just the third meeting between the Quakers and the Crimson Tide, the first since the 1995 NCAA Tournament.
 
New this season, Penn fans can listen to every men's basketball game through the Quaker Audio Network, a free Internet-based audio streaming service. On Tuesday night, Matt Leon will be on the call while Vince Curran provides analysis. To access the Quaker Audio Network, simply type in www.pennathletics.com/audio on your computer or device.
 
GAME 1 – PENN (0-0) at ALABAMA (0-0)
Tuesday, Nov. 5 | 7 p.m. (8 p.m. Eastern)
Coleman Coliseum (Tuscaloosa, Ala.)  
The Penn-Alabama Series
• This marks the third meeting between the Quakers and the Crimson Tide in men's basketball, but the first on one of the team's home courts.
 
• Alabama won the first meeting, 110-68, on December 29, 1986 at the BMA Holiday Classic in Kansas City, Mo.
 
• Alabama also won the second meeting, 91-85 in overtime, in the 1995 NCAA Tournament first round in Baltimore.
 
• By calendar date, this is the earliest start to a season in program history.
 
• This is just the Penn program's second trip to the state of Alabama; the first came when the Quakers lost at Auburn, 77-70, on December 11, 1999.
 
• Given Alabama's new head coach, we would remiss if we didn't point out that this game is Quakers vs. Oats.
 
Penn vs. The SEC
The Quakers are 6-17 all-time against the programs that currently play in the Southeastern Conference. This is Penn's first game against an SEC opponent since they played at Vanderbilt on December 22, 2014.
 
A Bit About AJ Brodeur
• The senior enters this season with 25 straight double-figure scoring games, tied for the fifth-longest streak in program history...
  Ernie Beck, 74 from 1951-53
  Stan Pawlak, 60 from 1964-66
  Ron Haigler, 41 from 1974-75
  Keven McDonald, 38 rom 1977-78
  Jeff Neuman, 25 in 1966
 
• AJ has started all 92 games played during his career; his streak of starts is the 12th-longest at the NCAA Division 1 level entering the 2019-20 season.
 
Penn by the Numbers
3 • All-Ivy players who return to Penn's lineup in 2019-20: senior captains AJ Brodeur, (two-time unanimous first-team All-Ivy), Ryan Betley (second-team All-Ivy in 2017-18), and Devon Goodman (second-team in 2018-19).
 
3 • Points scored by Betley last year before he suffered a ruptured patellar tendon five minutes into the season opener at George Mason.
 
5 • Consecutive Big 5 wins by Penn entering this season, most since the Quakers won six in a row across 2001-02 and 2002-03.
 
8 • Penn players who have recorded at least one double-figure scoring game during their career; that includes six players who had at least one game with 20 or more points and four who had double-doubles (Brodeur, Betley, Eddie Scott, Bryce Washington).
 
8.3 • Brodeur's rebounds-per-game average last season, best since Tim Krug averaged 8.9 in 1995-96. He also averaged 17.6 points, best since Zack Rosen averaged 18.2 ppg in 2011-12.
 
9.0 • Penn's average victory margin in its Big 5 wins last season, second-best in program history (+11.3 in 1970-71).
 
10 • The number of NCAA Division 1 players who finished the 2018-19 season with at least 500 points, 250 rebounds and 100 assists. That list included guys like R.J. Barrett (Duke), Grant Williams (Tennessee) and Ethan Happ (Wisconsin). It also included Brodeur, who led Penn with 547 points, 257 rebounds and 113 assists.
 
10.1 • Points-per-game improvement by Goodman from 2017-18 (3.8 ppg) to last year (13.9); he was one of just five players nationally at Division 1 to make the double-digit jump in ppg.
 
18 • Combined double-figure scoring games last year by sophomores Michael Wang (10) and Washington (8).
 
43 • Overall wins by Penn during the last two seasons, 24 in 2017-18 and 19 in 2018-19; that is the most since the Quakers had 47 wins across the 2001-02 (25) and 2002-03 (22) seasons.
 
53 • Steals by Goodman last year; his 1.7 thefts per game led all Ivy League players. Goodman also tied for the league lead in overall minutes played per game, at 35.5.
 
573 • Three-pointers made by Penn the last two years (291 in 2017-18, 282 last year); the Quakers led the Ivy League with 9.1 treys per game last season.