Penn is undergoing a basketball overhaul. Here’s how the Quakers look on both sides.

For the Penn men’s and women’s basketball programs, this season is all about proving the naysayers wrong.

On the men’s side, the Quakers were picked to finish seventh in this year’s Ivy League preseason poll following an 11-18 season and the key departures of two guards in graduating senior Clark Slajchert and Villanova transfer Tyler Perkins.

The women finished 15-13 last season. They were picked to finish fourth in the league coming off a season in which they lost star guard Jordan Obi, who, alongside senior guard Stina Almqvist, led the team into the semifinals of the Ivy League tournament.

Ahead of tip-off for the men against NJIT on Monday (7 p.m., ESPN+) and the women against Merrimack on Nov. 8 (2 p.m., ESPN+), here are some things you should know about both.

» READ MORE: Five big questions about Big 5 men's teams this season

Men’s coach Steve Donahue is excited about the potential of Dylan Williams, a JUCO transfer from Triton College in Illinois. Williams, a 5-foot-11 junior guard, averaged 15 points last season, shooting 40.3% from three, and led his team in assists with 5.4 per game.

“Dylan was a quarterback in football [in high school], and you can see he’s used to taking in information, telling people where to be, and I just think that makes us a better basketball team,” Donahue said.

On the women’s side, senior guard Stina Almqvist is Penn’s top option on offense this season following the graduation of Obi, who averaged 14.8 points per game last season.

“[Almqvist] is off to an amazing start this year,” coach Mike McLaughlin said. “She’s a tough matchup for anyone. She’s got size to play the perimeter, size to play around the basket, and she has a really good feel for the game.”

Penn’s women embarked on a team trip to Europe this summer, visiting Croatia and Italy. The team scrimmaged three international clubs, winning all three contests. McLaughlin and his players spoke enthusiastically about the trip, feeling it set them up for this season.

The trip “really made a difference because we got back [to Penn at] the beginning of August,” Almqvist said. “Usually when I come back at the end of August when school starts, there’s so much going on. … Already hanging for two weeks and becoming best friends on that trip really helped us to get a head start. I wish I had that trip as a freshman.”

Last season, senior center Nick Spinoso had the second-highest assist rate in the Ivy League and led the Quakers in assists with 107. With the addition of Williams, Donahue is looking to put his big man in fewer playmaking situations and run the offense through the point guard.

“My feeling is that we’re going to put guards in those [playmaking] decisions,” Donahue said. “They’re going to be better with the ball and make others better. Nick can concentrate on scoring at the rim, shooting the three, getting ball screens, and getting out of them.”

Spinoso is fine with that notion..

“[Coach Donahue] wants me doing less, which will do more for the team, and I definitely feel that,” he said. “It’s an adjustment. Last year was a big adjustment after Clark [Slajchert] went down. I felt like I had to make up for so much. It’s almost more of a trust factor, I’ve got to trust those guys to get in and out. I think those passes and playmaking will just come with the flow of the game.”

Last season, Mataya Gayle led the Quakers in assists while scoring 14.3 points per game. For her efforts, she was named Ivy Rookie of the Year. The sophomore guard looks to be a part of a one-two punch with Almqvist this season.

The goal is to “keep developing [Gayle’s] game,” McLaughlin said. “In terms of her leadership ability, she feels for the game at certain times the run, at certain times the pace. She’s still learning those aspects of the game. That’s why I think our ceiling’s a lot higher than what you’re seeing now.”

Guard Sam Brown is looking to avoid a sophomore slump. Brown averaged 10.9 points per game last year, starting in 18 games. With the departure of Slajchert, who averaged 18 points last season, there are lofty expectations for Brown to take the next step.

“It would be natural for me to assume that a larger role would be taken,” Brown said. “However, we bring in new guys, and roles change. Frankly, I’m willing to do whatever role that I’m given to the highest extent I can.”

» READ MORE: Penn has lost some women’s basketball standouts, but the Quakers see change as a good thing

This offseason saw changes for Big 5 women’s basketball, adding Drexel and adopting a pod schedule identical to the men’s tournament. The new format has been welcomed by Penn players, who hope to win the inaugural Women’s Big 5 Classic at Villanova’s Finneran Pavilion on Dec. 6.

“Our goal is to get to that [Big 5] championship,” Gayle said. “From an underclassman point of view, we want to do it for our seniors.”

Penn’s men will play a pair of pod matchups to determine their spot in the Dec. 7 Big 5 Classic at the Wells Fargo Center. The first is a Nov. 15 matchup at the Palestra against last year’s Big 5 champion St. Joseph’s (8 p.m., ESPN+). The second game finds the Quakers taking on Villanova on Nov. 19 (7 p.m., Peacock). Last season, the Quakers pulled off a 76-72 upset of the Wildcats at home as Perkins, a freshman guard, scored a team-high 22 points. It will be the first meeting between Perkins and his former team after a season in which he broke the Quakers’ freshman scoring record.

» READ MORE: Big questions about Big 5 women’s basketball teams this season