Men's Ivy Picture Clears As Season Winds Down

It's been the worst of times, it's been the worst of times.

The Harvard men's basketball team's back-to-back weekend road trips have left it gasping for air in the cellar of the Ivy League.

Harvard (4-18 overall, 3-7 Ivy) is now tied with Brown (9-13-, 3-7) for last place in the Ancient Eight.

Cornell, Dartmouth and Yale are tied for fourth with 4-6 records. Columbia and Pennsylvania are in second with 6-4 marks, while Princeton has clinched at least a tie for the Ivy title at 10-0.

With seven teams bunched so closely together, a lot of movement in the standings is possible. But with just four games left to play, some things are obvious:

Princeton's going to win the Ivy League. (Surprise. Surprise.)

Pennsylvania is the up-and-coming team of the Ivies. Underclassmen Jerome Allen, Shawn Trice and Barry Pierce are already the heart of the Quaker squad.

Columbia is no longer a running joke, but a running team and a darn good one.

The sole reason Cornell has four wins is because it is in central upstate New York. Without the benefit of a seven-hour bus ride, the Big Red does not win a game. (Remember: Cornell is 0-11 on the road.)

Dartmouth Coach Dave Faucher's relative success with a Princetonesque slow-motion offense is a knock on all those who attribute Tiger Coach Peter Carril's 451 wins to superior talent and recruiting. Maybe the old guy knows what he's doing.

Yale's Ed Petersen is overrated. In fact, Yale is overrated.

Brown, well, who knows about Brown. Coach Frank "Happy" Dobbs is mired in a six-game losing streak, and with Princeton and Penn on tap this weekend, things don't look so good for the Bears. Oh, well, don't worry, Frank, be...(I'm not even going to finish that joke.)

The Crimson Truth

And finally, in all its glory, the Harvard Crimson. Harvard has more talent than Dartmouth, Cornell and Brown, but it can't turn the ability into W's. Throw the blame where you will, at Coach Frank Sullivan, at freshman point guard Jared Leake, at the referees, but the truth is a bit more complex.

Here, for the last time, are the reasons the Crimson is 4-18, 3-7 Ivy:

Former Coach Peter Roby's run-and-gun philosophy is a direct contrast to Sullivan's deliberate style of play, featuring a grind-'em-down man-to-man defense and a slowdown offense.

The players have had to make a difficult and radical adjustment to Sullivan's philosophies.

Campbell and McClain Hurt

Furthermore, the Crimson was decimated when last year's starting point guard Tarik Campbell was declared academically ineligible, and by an early season injury to starting guard Matt McClain.

The two casualties left the Crimson with only one point guard (Leake) and forced Sullivan to start four forwards.

As a result, the Crimson is naturally weak against quick and athletic teams.

The adjustment to Sullivan's offensive and defensive schemes cost the Crimson the first half of the season.

Ran Out of Gas--This Time

The second half of the season started off well, as Harvard put it all together and won three games in a row, but an exhausting road trip and tough opponents stole the Crimson's momentum.

A wasted season? Not really. With the return of Campbell and McClain (depending on the success of rehabilitation), the Crimson is well-positioned for next year.

For the seniors, Captain Ron Mitchell, forward Mike Minor and guard Dave LaPointe, it's too late.

But the future--the distant future--looks brighter than it has in a while.