Penn State looks to make Palestra history vs. No. 1 Purdue
For the first time in Philadelphia sports history on Sunday, Penn State will play host to the AP No. 1 team in college basketball. Penn State will play top-ranked Purdue in the iconic Palestra, which is the regular home to the Ivy League’s Penn Quakers and as storied a venue in the sport as any. But for the first time since 2007, the Palestra will welcome the nation’s top-ranked team in the AP poll, and it will be the first time Penn State has played on the opposite side.
Penn State has adopted the Palestra as its home game for one game whenever it can do so as a way to bring the program to the lucrative Philadelphia area for recruiting purposes. It has played in the Palestra a number of times over the years against teams from the city of Philadelphia, but it has called the Palestra home for a few Big Ten games in more recent years. This may be the biggest one yet as Penn State faces the No. 1 Purdue Boilermakers.
Sports statistics expert and historian Bob Vetrone shared the comprehensive list of every college basketball matchup in the city of Philadelphia where the nation’s top-ranked team visited Philadelphia for a regular season game, dating back to 1953.
Purdue's visit to the Palestra Sunday evening to play Penn State will mark the 26th time a visiting AP No. 1 team has played in Philadelphia —
(Note: Does not include games played by Big 5 teams when they were No. 1)
>>> PRINTABLE version at https://t.co/eDYSU3eAPT pic.twitter.com/kpbUoR1aLM
— Bob Vetrone Jr. (@BoopStats) January 6, 2023
The last time the nation’s top-ranked team visited the Palestra was when North Carolina brought its No. 1 ranking to the venue to obliterate the Penn Quakers. Before that, the last No. 1 team to visit the Palestra was Loyola Chicago for three consecutive games in a late-December tournament against Georgetown, Northwestern, and Temple in 1963. Loyola Chicago lost its first game against Georgetown but won the following two games against Northwestern and Temple.
Since 1953, the AP no. 1 team is 7-1 when visiting the Palestra, not including any games played by a Philadelphia school when ranked No. 1. It’s been roughly 60 years since the last time a No. 1 team went down in the Palestra. Can Penn State make some more history on Sunday evening in Philly?
List
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