Around the Ivy League: A League by Itself

Now, it’s time for the victory lap.

After dodging a series of haymakers thrown by Princeton, Cornell and Columbia in a span of five days, Penn has put itself three games up in the loss column and could conceivably wrap up a share of the Ivy title this weekend—while four to six games remain on the schedules of every league member.

The sequence of events—two Quaker wins, a sweep of Cornell by Harvard and Dartmouth, a sweep of Yale by Penn and Princeton and a Harvard loss to Columbia—that would lead to such a drastic result seems a bit far-fetched, but the sheer fact that the race could be over with two Ivy weekends to go has to be a bit disconcerting to those fans who looked forward to another tense fight to the finish.

Speaking of far-fetched, some might point to Penn’s collapse in Providence and New Haven to kick off last season as a glimmer of hope that the Quakers could stumble and make this a race again. And while it’s perfectly all right to have faith, since it doesn’t cost anything, don’t put any money on it, unless you like losing it, in which case flushing it down the toilet might be a more efficient alternative.

Let’s get to this weekend’s games:

GAME OF THE WEEK: YALE (7-12, 3-3 Ivy) vs. PENN (14-7, 7-0)

If you’re looking for a place to pick up your official 2005 Ivy Basketball Championship apparel, the John J. Lee Amphitheater might just be the place.

The Bulldogs enter the weekend fresh off a home sweep of Dartmouth and Harvard, but that momentum might not even make it to the game against the Quakers, if Yale can’t defeat Princeton tomorrow night.

Penn, on the other hand, will show up to New Haven fresh off a warm up contest against Brown, which after getting swept by the Big Green and Crimson has about as much confidence and swagger as a mediocre intramural team.

The Bulldogs trailed the Quakers by as many as 30 in The Palestra and put up just 41 points less than three weeks ago. Penn’s defense has begun to soften, and the Quakers look much more beatable than they did during that opening weekend, but they’ll find a way to leave New Haven with Ivy win number nine.

BROWN (9-11, 2-4) vs. PENN

Four Ivy road games left the Bears at 2-2, just a point away from having taken three. The return home was supposed to be the springboard to a rise to the top.

Then, the tires went flat. All of them. At the same time.

The rejuvenation that was supposed to be inherent in the return to the Pizzitola Sports Center just wasn’t there, as Brown dragged itself through two incredibly lackluster performances, dropping contests to both Harvard and Dartmouth at home for the first time since 1999.

Now, the Bears are on life support, possibly headed for their first below-.500 finish in the conference and overall in five years.

Brown doesn’t have the talent to run with Penn for 40 minutes, but it does have the most talented player on the floor—senior point guard and reigning Ivy League Player of the Year Jason Forte. Unless Forte can score 36 points, dish out six assists and grab five boards, the Bears don’t stand a chance in this one. And, as Brown proved against Cornell, even if Forte can manage those gaudy numbers, the squad still might not be able to pull off the victory.

YALE vs. PRINCETON (11-10, 2-5)

You can bet the Bulldogs know who Princeton reserve center Mike Stephens is this time around.

Three weekends ago at Jadwin Gym, Yale led the Tigers 28-26 at halftime before Stephens went absolutely nuts.

The senior, who played 25 minutes in relief of Judson Wallace, scored 15 of his career-high 23 points in the second half and added five rebounds, three blocks, two assists and a steal in the period as Princeton charged from behind for the 58-43 win.

The Tigers went on to lose four straight before righting the ship against Columbia last Saturday. Princeton hasn’t ever finished below .500 in Ivy play and hasn’t posted a losing league record since 1953, as a member of the Eastern Intercollegiate Basketball League.

A loss to Yale would put the Tigers dangerously close to breaking that streak. Look for Princeton to continue on the long road back to .500 with a big win over Yale tomorrow night.

—Staff writer Michael R. James can be reached at mrjames@fas.harvard.edu.