History: Until 2017, the Ivy League awarded their automatic bid to the regular-season champions. In the five tournaments played starting in 2017 (remember, the 2020 and 2021 tournaments were canceled), Princeton and Yale have won two apiece. The other title went to Penn. Three champions entered the tournament as the #2 seed, while two entered as the #1 seed.
While the Ivy League has some history in the NCAA Tournament, last year’s Princeton squad was the first to win an NCAA Tournament game in the Ivy League Tournament Era. Cornell has never won the tournament, but their 2010 regular-season title catapulted them to the Sweet 16 as a #12 seed.
Returning Champion: Princeton
Losing the tie-breaker to Yale, the Tigers entered the tournament as the #2 seed. They defeated the Bulldogs by nine before pulling off a major NCAA Tournament upset, defeating Arizona in the 15-vs-2 game.
Format: Four of the eight teams make the compressed field. With Brown earning the #4 seed this year, only two teams have never qualified: Dartmouth (at least they can unionize), and Columbia.
Favorite: Princeton (24-3, 12-2)
The Tigers were in the early bubble discussion, but a pair of in-conference road losses shattered those dreams. However, their #48 NET ranking is better than South Carolina, Northwestern, Virginia, Utah, Ohio State, and Seton Hall. The KenPom ranks them 56th, and they have the 28th most efficient offense in the nation.
They didn’t play any Quad 1 games, though they did defeat Rutgers on a neutral court and Hofstra/Duquesne on the road. You may laugh at those two wins, but they are in Quad 2, while the Rutgers win sits in Quad 3. Two sophomores lead the way, as guard Xaivian Lee averages 17.7 points/5.9 rebounds/3.7 assists while forward Caden Pierce averages 16.3/9.3/3.2. They commit only 8.1 turnovers (362nd) and try to kill you with volume 3-point shooting (their 10.5 makes per game rank 9th).
If they are in the lead late, fouling them is nearly fruitless as they shoot 81.3% from the line, the second-best number in the nation.
Contenders: Cornell (22-6, 11-3), Yale (20-9, 11-3), Brown (12-17, 8-6)
Live Long Shot: None, as only four teams make it.
Preview:
As dominant as Princeton may appear, Cornell and Yale each came within a game of matching them. The three top teams all split with each other. The tie-breaker for the #2 seed came down to computer rankings. Does it matter? No, as the tournament is played on a neutral court (Columbia). The tiebreaker is all about which team gets to wear their home uniforms.
Cornell played Syracuse within 11 on the road and defeated Patriot League juggernaut Colgate by 13 at home. Their win over Princeton (83-68) easily outshines their loss (79-77). While Princeton is as efficient as any team in the country, Cornell piles up the points (83.0; 16th). The Big Red has an incredible 62.7% rate from 2-point range, the top number in the nation. While only two players average double-digits, six players average 8.8+ points. Instead of a star, they are a collection of solid players. You can see why they are tough to beat.
Yale was pesky in the non-conference. One may not brag about a pair of 15-point losses, but they came on the road against Gonzaga and Kansas. The 2-vs-3 game against Cornell promises to be good, as they defeated Cornell by two and lost to them by three. Five players average between 10.0 and 14.4 points. 7’0″ sophomore forward Danny Wolf averages 14.4 points/9.7 rebounds. Additionally, the big guy shoots 35.7% from three.
Brown is the misfit in the field, but don’t tell them that. Percentage-wise, they have the third-worst record in the conference, but they cruised to the #4 seed by three games over Harvard. They finished the regular season on a 6-game winning streak. They defeated Cornell and Yale on the road during the streak. Yes, one of the reasons why Cornell and Yale couldn’t keep up with Princeton was because they lost to Brown. Kino Lilly is an Ivy League scoring machine, averaging 18.4 points. He relies on volume, as he shoots 38.6% from the field.
Bottom Line:
Brown is hot but didn’t fare well against their first-round opponent (Princeton). The hard way to choose the winner would be to “guess” who wins the Cornell-Yale game and pick them to dethrone Princeton.
Winner: Why not be daring? I pick Cornell to defeat Yale and Princeton to take the title.