PHILADELPHIA – The University of Pennsylvania men's basketball team made history on Tuesday, winning on the home court of an SEC team for the first time in program history with an 81-80 win at Alabama. The Quakers get back on the plane and head south again this weekend, this time to Houston and a meeting with Rice on Saturday afternoon.
 
GAME 2 – PENN (1-0) at RICE (0-1)
Saturday, Nov. 9 | 3:30 p.m. (4:30 Eastern)
Tudor Fieldhouse (Houston)
Watch (CUSA-TV) ($$$) | Listen (QAN) | Live Stats | Penn Game Notes | Rice Game Notes
 
Quaker Audio Network
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 Saturday, Varun Raghupathi 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.
 
The Penn-Rice Series
• This marks the fourth meeting between the Quakers and the Owls in men's basketball, and the second in Houston.
 
• Rice won that first meeting in Houston, 70-63, on January 4, 1997.
 
• Penn has won the other two games in the series. The first win came almost 10 months after the inaugural meeting, a 78-73 decision on November 22, 1997.
 
• These teams then took a hiatus until last season, when Penn beat Rice 92-76 at The Palestra.
 
• This marks Penn's first trip to the Lone Star State since the 2006 NCAA Tournament, when the 15th-seeded Quakers fell to second-seeded Texas, 60-52, in Dallas.
 
• Saturday's game pits the Quakers against former Penn assistant coach Scott Pera; the Pennsylvania native is in his second year as head coach of the Owls. Pera was an assistant coach for two years and left after the 2013-14 season, so he did not recruit or coach any of the current Penn players.
 
Penn vs. Conference USA
The Quakers are 6-3 all-time against the programs that currently play in Conference USA.
   Florida International ... 2-0
   Marshall ... 0-1
   Middle Tennessee State ... 1-0
   Rice ... 2-1
   UTEP ... 0-1
   Western Kentucky ... 1-0
 
A Bit About AJ Brodeur
• The senior enters Saturday's game with 26 straight double-figure scoring games, 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 from 1977-78
  AJ Brodeur, 26 in 2019
  Jeff Neuman, 25 in 1966
 
• AJ has started all 93 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
1 • Among the program's 1,791 all-time wins, the number that have taken place on an SEC opponent's home court; that happened Tuesday when Penn won at Alabama 81-80.
 
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).
 
7.5 • Seconds left when freshman Jordan Dingle hit a shot in the lane to give Penn its winning points on Tuesday.
 
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 • Penn players who have recorded at least one double-figure scoring game during their career; that includes six players with at least one game of 20 or more points and four with double-doubles (Brodeur, Betley, Eddie Scott, Bryce Washington).
 
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.
 
12 • Points scored Tuesday by Betley, who suffered a ruptured patellar tendon in last year's opener at George Mason and missed the rest of the season.
 
13.5 • Seconds during the second half in which Penn trailed on Tuesday; Alabama's only lead was 80-79, which set the stage for Dingle's winning shot.
 
18 • Combined double-figure scoring games last year by sophomores Michael Wang (10) and Washington (8).
 
20 • Career double-doubles for Brodeur, who went for 19 points and 10 rebounds Tuesday at Alabama
 
24 • Points scored by Dingle on Tuesday, most ever by a Penn freshman in his collegiate debut.
 
43 • Overall wins by Penn during the previous 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.
 
56 • Games between Scott's first double-figure scoring game at Penn and his second, which happened Tuesday at Alabama (10 points).
 
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.