Back to Penn and 1979 run

The Quakers may be on quite an NCAA losing streak, but that was not the case in the 1979 NCAA Tournament.

That was the year Penn joined DePaul, Michigan State and Indiana State in the Final Four. A Final Four most people would say ushered in a Renaissance period in college and pro basketball thanks to the igniting of the Larry Bird/Magic Johnson rivalry.

It was a 40-team tournament back then and Penn was the No. 9 seed in the East. In succession the Quakers beat Iona, then top-seeded North Carolina, Syracuse (which by the way had just beaten UConn -- and freshman Corny Thompson -- in the second round) and then St. John's. Penn's Tony Price averaged 23 points a game in that stretch.

The clock struck midnight a week later though when Penn got beaten 101-67 by eventual champion Michigan State.