In Drexel's third game at the Palestra against a Big 5 team, the Dragons were overwhelmed by St. Joe's, falling 69-51 on New Year's Eve. Basically, Drexel had the best player on the floor, but the Hawks had the next six.

Dragons center Frank Elegar went 6-for-6 for 17 points and eight rebounds, but the Hawks were too much. Six-foot-8 swingman Pat Calathes had 20 points, 10 rebounds and five assists and Ahmad Nivins, Tasheed Carr and Darrin Govens all scored in double-figures.

Here are a few interesting notes about the game:

Drexel was the home team, and put down their own stickers along the baseline, but for some reason St. Joe's sat on the home bench and got to use the Penn (much nicer, much bigger) locker room.

While both teams brought the band and cheerleaders (and in Drexel's case the dance team as well), I'd say no more than 1,500 of the 5,284 fans in attendance were rooting for the Dragons. Despite being some three blocks away, the Dragons were clearly out-numbered by migrating members of Hawk Hill.

Phil Martelli, still, only plays six players. Idris Hilliard or Rockwell Moody may get 10 minutes on a given night, but Calathes, Nivins, Carr, Govens, Rob Ferguson and Garrett Williamson off the bench got 91.5 percent of the minutes in the win over Drexel. And that's barely above their season average of 87. These teams have got to be two of the more foul-sensitive in the country. Certain players getting in foul trouble can be fatal.

There were five dunks in all (three by St. Joe's, two by Elegar), most of which were thunderous ones. A dunk that won't go down on the scoresheet was one in the first-half for the Hawks when the 6-foot-5 Williamson caught an alley-oop off on the baseline, but it hit the back iron. He jumped from out of the lane, and was about to tomahawk it, but unfortunately for all of the viewers, it didn't fall.

Drexel coach Bruiser Flint didn't disappoint, working the refs all game, drawing a technical foul in the second half and standing on the court for the majority of the game, even when the ball was in his own end.

With a team as young as Penn -- starting five freshmen at one point or another -- playing in any building other than the Palestra will be tough.

The Red and Blue started their away schedule off on a sour note, getting blown out by Loyola in Baltimore. The Quakers then fell to Lafayette earlier this week, in a game they probably should have won, but one that it is hardly a surprise that they didn't.

After edging the Quakers in overtime at the Palestra in the season opener, Drexel coach Bruiser Flint knew the Red and Blue would be two different teams on the home and road this season.

"[If I was coaching Penn, I'd know] my team is going to be really good at home, I just have to get them to play pretty good on the road, because they're young," Flint said after the win. As a young team they can sneak some home wins, but they just have to be able to play well on the road. "As a young team, [they] have to be able to play with some poise on the road."

Penn's game against No. 22 Villanova will no doubt be a tough one. But even if the Quakers lose (and they likely will) this is an instance where a moral victory does, indeed count. Penn has always had trouble playing on the road, for whatever reason, and staying with a borderline top-25 team would be a big step in being able to win games down the road away from the comforts of 33rd street.

Buried by all of the craziness that happened on the Palestra floor Friday night, you probably missed something that happened off of it.

While his team always gets supporters to walk down 33rd street, and there were more this year in particular because the Dragons were so good last season, Drexel coach Bruiser Flint has had very little success at the Palestra. Up until last night's overtime win the two-time CAA Coach of the Year is 106-74 all-time at Drexel, but 1-5 against Penn.

And out of the 20 times Drexel has played Penn, how many times have the Dragons hosted the Quakers? Yep the same amount of times I've dunked on Frank Elegar.

It's no Norries Wilson rant, but here's Flint inviting Penn to the Daskalakis Center.

bruiser-sounding-off.mp3