Ivy Play Intensifies

As league play begins in earnest this weekend, with all eight teams in action, Around the Ivy League makes its triumphant return to the printed page, after slogging through a 1-3 start in the SportsBlog.

Despite just making the turn into February, several teams have already found themselves eliminated from the two-month playoff that is the 14 Game Tournament. Dartmouth and Columbia, which have combined for a 1-7 start, are out of the race, while Brown and Cornell—each 2-2—have no margin for error.

The three one-loss teams—Harvard, Yale, and Princeton—are all very much alive, though a loss this weekend would put them on the endangered species list. Those seven aforementioned squads are all trailing 2-0 Penn, which has been labeled the prohibitive favorite from the moment the final buzzer sounded in its first-round NCAA loss to Boston College last season.

Now, to this weekend’s action:

BROWN AT PENN

The Bears (6-11, 2-2 Ivy) delivered one of the two true stunners of the early season action, knocking off Yale at home after losing to the Bulldogs by 14 in New Haven a week earlier.

Brown is an extremely young team, something that has been exacerbated as of late due to tri-captain Luke Ruscoe’s battle with an injured ankle. Without Ruscoe, the Bears are short on talent and even shorter on poise. That’s a disastrous combination when you’re heading into one of the toughest home environments in the Ivy League.

Penn (10-6, 2-0) takes this one handily.

YALE AT PRINCETON

Everyone is waiting for the Tigers (3-12, 1-1) to turn it around. Everyone has been trying to analyze what’s going wrong.

In other words, everyone is trying to make excuses for what seems readily apparent.

Princeton is a really bad basketball team this season.

The Bulldogs (11-8, 3-1), however, have a relatively strong team—one which was bolstered by the return of center Dominick Martin, who, with one semester of eligibility remaining, sat out the first month of the season to join the team for Ivy play.

The Tigers will keep the score artificially low due to their slow pace of play, but Yale will still win by double-digits.

DARTMOUTH AT CORNELL

The Big Green (2-15, 0-4) is going to be the second half surprise once again this season. There’s too much talent on that roster that, with some experience, should be able to turn this into a five- or six-win Ivy season.

That surge, however, won’t start Friday night in Ithaca. The Big Red (7-11, 2-2) is an extremely dangerous team that is one Dragutin Kravic prayer from being 3-1 in league play.

Cornell takes the contest with a comfortable three-possession cushion.

YALE AT PENN

It’s easily the Game of the Year to this point.

If the Quakers hold serve at home, that means that Penn’s trips to New Haven and Cambridge are must wins for the Bulldogs and Crimson. If the Bulldogs pull off the upset, the race gets very interesting and the rest of the league is afforded a bit more margin for error.

Penn has been air-tight at home this season, playing with powerhouses St. Joseph’s, Temple, and Villanova to the final minutes.

It’s a Saturday night on the road, and the Bulldogs only need a split—take the Quakers by seven.

BROWN AT PRINCETON

If both teams drop their Friday matchups, this contest will likely set the tone for the rest of the season for the Bears and Tigers.

It’s hard to imagine Princeton getting swept at home, but if Cornell and Columbia can nearly pull it off, it’s definitely not beyond the grasp of Yale and Brown.

This one will be close and will likely come down to the coaching matchups. Go with Glen Miller and the Bears in a tight finish.

DARTMOUTH AT COLUMBIA

The loser of this game will be the frontrunner to finish the year in the league’s basement.

The two teams are relatively similar. Both are young with at most two All-Ivy players of any distinction. They’ve both played a surprising road game (Columbia’s win at Cornell, Dartmouth’s double-overtime victory at Brown). And both teams can beat you with the three.

The Big Green gets on the board in league play with a tough three-point win over the Lions.

Last Week: 1-1

This Season: 1-3