The University of Pennsylvania men’s basketball team is set to participate in the fourth annual Cathedral Classic, taking place at The Palestra over Thanksgiving weekend. The tournament will feature four teams: Penn, Hofstra, Merrimack, and La Salle.
Games are scheduled as doubleheaders on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. On Friday and Saturday, games begin at 2 p.m., with Penn playing in the second game each day. Sunday’s games start at noon.
The event schedule includes:
– Friday: La Salle vs. Hofstra at 2 p.m., followed by Penn vs. Merrimack at 4:30 p.m.
– Saturday: Hofstra vs. Merrimack at 2 p.m., then Penn vs. La Salle at 4:30 p.m.
– Sunday: La Salle vs. Merrimack at noon, concluding with Penn vs. Hofstra at 2:30 p.m.
All six games will be available for streaming on ESPN+, a subscription-based service that provides coverage of Ivy League basketball.
Fans can also listen to live audio broadcasts of all Penn men’s basketball games this season through the Quaker Audio Network (QAN), which is free and accessible online. Matt Leon will provide play-by-play commentary during the weekend’s games, with analysis from Stan Pawlak.
Penn has participated in every Cathedral Classic since its inception in 2022. In the first year, the team went undefeated with wins over Hartford, Colgate, and Delaware. In subsequent years, they posted a 2-1 record in 2023 and a 1-2 record last year.
Friday’s matchup against Merrimack marks the first meeting between these two programs since Merrimack joined NCAA Division I seven seasons ago as part of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC).
On Saturday, Penn faces La Salle for their 77th overall meeting; Penn leads the series historically but lost their most recent contest after a buzzer-beater shot by La Salle during overtime.
Sunday’s game against Hofstra will be only the third encounter between these teams; each side has one win from previous matchups dating back to the late 1990s.
Several individual performances have stood out for Penn so far this season:
– Michael Zanoni has maintained a perfect free throw percentage (13-for-13).
– Senior Cam Thrower has converted nearly all his attempts from the line (14-for-15).
– Sophomore AJ Levine recorded seven assists without turnovers against Drexel.
– Junior Augustus Gerhart secured a career-high eleven rebounds earlier this month.
– Junior TJ Power collected fifteen rebounds against Saint Joseph’s—the highest single-game total for a Penn player since November 2022.
– Senior Ethan Roberts is averaging 24.6 points per game entering Thanksgiving week—ranking him third nationally among scorers.
Penn holds an average of nearly ninety points per game so far this season and set a program single-game scoring record with 119 points in their opener on November 7.
For updates throughout the tournament and season, fans can follow @PennMBB on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, or visit www.PennAthletics.com.
