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'It's A Process': Penn Students Optimistic About Future After Loss Against No. 1 Kansas

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- A No. 16 seed has never upset a No. 1 seed and that remains true after the matchup between Penn and Kansas.

Energy and excitement sustained Penn fans Thursday during a competitive game against the No. 1 seeded Kansas Jayhawks.

"To see Penn in the game my senior year was amazing and they really put on a show for us right?" said student Sanjay Chandrasekhar.

The Quakers, on the road in Wichita, started off in the lead but eventually fell to Kansas 60 to 76.

"They just had a little better talent on the offensive end they were able to exploit," Chandrasekhar said.

Loyal fans, decked out in blue and red, packed Houston Hall on Penn's campus to cheer on their team.

In alumnus Rachel Bernard's case, she cheered on both teams!

She's a Kansas fan who graduated from Penn in 2015.

"Penn played excellently. They really had a great game," Bernard said.

Students say this is just the beginning of something even better for the men's basketball team here.

"We just put ourselves on the national stage. We're going to get better recruiting. It's a process, like the Sixers, we're going to trust the process and do better in the future," said freshman Teddy Kaplan.

And for the next March Madness matchup, their loyalty remains local.

"We're rooting for Nova now," Chandrasekhar said. "Nova's got the entire Penn bandwagon behind them now"

At one point when Penn led by 10, one of the students looked up plane tickets to Omaha for the Sweet 16. Though that won't be happening anymore, he and the entire crowd said they're extremely proud of their team.

 

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