The high diastereoselectivities observed in the photocyclization of alpha-(o-ethylphenyl)acetophenones appear to reflect conformational equilibria in the triplet 1,5-biradical intermediates rather than steric barriers created during cyclization. The necessary biradical triplet-->singlet intersystem crossing is proposed to occur along the cyclization reaction coordinate since the orthogonality of the two singly-occupied p orbitals does not depress biradical lifetimes.