Preview: Ivy League Men’s Basketball

There are a lot of storylines in the Ivy League this season. From Princeton star Caden Pierce deciding to redshirt this season, to two new coaches shaking up the DNA of the conference, to the graduation of an extremely decorated senior class, the intrigue is off the charts. With only four teams qualifying for Ivy Madness, and just a 14-game schedule, the margins between these teams could be razor-thin. While everybody agrees on who is the favorite to win the conference, Nos. 2 through 8 can really go in any order. Let’s unpack.

Ivy League Preseason Poll

Yale received all 21 first-place votes in the poll, and that still somehow feels like too few votes. Not only have the Bulldogs represented the conference in the NCAA Tournament each of the last two years, including a dominant 13-1 season last year, but Yale returns all but two key pieces of that rotation.Now, it’s tough to replace Bez Mbeng and John Poulakidas, but it’s hard to not imagine Nick Townsend, Casey Simmons, and Isaac Celiscar all having excellent offensive seasons. Not to mention Samson Aletan – one of the best rim protectors in mid-major basketball – returns and is now a junior.The major questions for this team start (and really end) with point guard play. Trevor Mullin struggled with turnovers last season and has not proven much, but will have to be a key piece for Yale. Perhaps we also see steps up from Jordan Brathwaite or Riley Fox as well.That being said, I’d be incredibly shocked if Yale doesn’t win the Ivy League, and likely by multiple games, barring injury.

Harvard hasn’t made Ivy Madness since before COVID. It has finished below its preseason KenPom ranking in seven of the last eight seasons. So how are the Crimson in the second spot in the preseason poll? The power of returning talent in a league that lost as much as the Ivy League did without gaining anything from the portal.Robert Hinton led Harvard with an efficient 14.6 points per game as a freshman, and is likely going to be one of the top picks for Ivy Player of the Year. Fellow freshman Austin Hunt also showed promise last season.On the wings, Chandler Pigge and Thomas Batties both averaged double figures last year, with Batties taking a major step forward as an outside shooter. If Harvard can find enough point guard play – maybe Hinton becomes more stable on the ball — and cobbles together enough at the five, there’s potential for a strong season.

While Cornell doesn’t bring back quite as much as it did last season, the Big Red’s style of play always makes for a tough matchup on a Friday or Saturday night. Cooper Noard and Jake Fiegen make up one of the top shooting duos in the northeast, but getting those two shots may be tougher without the playmaking from last year.That burden will fall partially on Jacob Beccles, as well as Anthony Nimani and Josh Baldwin. Transfers DeMaryon Fishburn and Kaspar Sepp infuse some veteran playing experience to a team that could really use it.Cornell plays with elite intensity for 40 minutes, and it could play to their benefit in a younger and less experienced league.

It feels so weird to see Princeton picked fourth in the preseason poll, but the Tigers don’t have a ton to hang their hats on at the moment either.Dalen Davis fell off a cliff in Ivy play last year, and has to return to his best form if they are going to have any chance at exceeding expectations. Mitch Henderson needs plenty of progress frmo sophomores CJ Happy, Malik Abdullahi, and Jack Stanton. All three of them showed flashes last year, but couldn’t establish themselves consistently enough.Perhaps a reset is what Henderson needs to rid the stench of falling well below expectations last year. Maybe it allows Princeton to go back to the principles that built the program up, and it fuels a run from the Tigers. If not, it could be another down year.

After the first winning season in Hanover since the turn of the century, Dave McLaughlin may finally have turned the corner at Dartmouth. The frontcourt of Brandon Mitchell-Day and Jackson Munro that allows the Big Green to win on the defensive glass is back for their senior seasons.Connor Amundsen and Mitchell-Day will be the primary playmakers in the fast-paced system, but a lot of players can touch the ball on a given possession. Amundsen and Jayden Williams are a solid backcourt, but Dartmouth probably needs a jolt from one of the bench guards as well.Yes, three-point regression may be in store, but even then, the Big Green should still be competing for a place in Ivy Madness.

Brown will probably never replace Kino Lilly – who left as the program’s second all-time leading scorer. However, Landon Lewis had a major breakout season last year, and is ready to take the reins as the alpha.Somebody – whether it’s Adrian Uchidiuno, Jeremiah Jenkins, or another name – will need to provide scoring from the point guard spot, but AJ Lesburt and Malcolm Wrisby-Jefferson are solid wings. Watch out for freshmen Brady Loughlin and Isaiah Langham as well, part of one of the conference’s better rookie groups.

Fran McCaffery in the Ivy League is must-watch television. I can’t wait for the first Ivy League official that has to endure FranCon, but I definitely don’t envy them. McCaffery’s hire stimulated the returns of key Quakers Ethan Roberts and AJ Levine from the transfer portal. Roberts in particular gives Penn a chance in any game with his scoring ability.Prized transfer TJ Power is currently nursing an elbow injury, but when he comes back, he’ll add size and shooting to the frontcourt. Even with a new coach, many of the questions for Penn are the same as last year, centered around defense. Perhaps seven-foot Norwegian freshman William Kruse can alleviate some of those.

The other new coach in the Ivy League – Kevin Hovde – was also able to bring back many key pieces from the transfer portal. The Lions have a ton of experience, starting with Avery Brown and Kenny Noland in the backcourt, and going to Blair Thompson and Zine Eddine Bedri in the frontcourt. The problem is that experience comes playing for a losing team and having been recruited by a staff different from the one that has many excited about the future.Columbia did bring some new DNA to the roster, with NYU transfer Hampton Sanders, Richmond transfer Ryan Soulis, and New Orleans transfer Leland Coleman. Maybe the combination of experience and a few new additions can start to build some momentum for Hovde moving forward.

Sam’s All-Ivy Preseason Picks

Primed for a breakout season, Simmons showed flashes of scoring ability throughout the year for the Bulldogs. He’s already one of the best rebounders and defenders in the conference, and a role increase will have him in the Player of the Year conversation.

The only returning first-teamer on the team that is the clear favorite, Townsend is one of the best inside-out threats with his face-up and post-up game in the conference. He’s a terrific playmaker from different spots as well, and will lead the charge for Yale.

After a strong freshman season, Hinton looks to blossom into a conference-transcending mid-major superstar this year.

His game is mostly predicated on his outside shooting, but an increased ball-handling responsibility likely awaits, and he’ll pour in the buckets for the Big Red.

Fitting like a glove into Fran McCaffery’s system as a scoring combo guard, Roberts has the chance to lead the Ivy League in scoring with the Quakers.