Under the Radar Game of the Day: Columbia at Princeton, 6:00 PM Eastern, ASN
-For our latest Bracket Rundown Video Podcast, featuring David Griggs being completely wrong about Hawai’i just hours before they suffer a bad home loss to UC-Riverside, CLICK HERE.
-The Atlantic Sun regular season is done and the conference tournament bracket is out. CLICK HERE for all your conference tournament information.
A one game playoff to determine the Ivy League championship and automatic bid winner will be played, if necessary, on Saturday, March 12 at 5:00 PM Eastern. Princeton and Yale both currently have only one conference loss, at each other’s home courts, and if they both win their remaining regular season games, the playoff will take place. Before such a game happens, there is one team that still wants to crash the party, and could even potentially force a rare three-way tie (requiring an additional “semifinal” game on Friday, March 11). That team is the Columbia Lions, who sit at 8-2 in conference pay, having only lost at home to Princeton and on the road to Yale. Tonight, Columbia will take their first shot at the conference title when they travel to Princeton for our Under the Radar Game of the Day.
Princeton enters play tonight at 8-1 in Ivy league play and 18-5 overall. The Tigers are technically half a game behind Yale, due to having only played one of their two rivalry/travel partner games against Penn so far. Princeton has only lost once since the start of 2016, and with a win tonight will not only push Columbia towards elimination from the conference race, but will also turn the pressure up on Yale, which still has to play at Columbia next weekend. The Tigers continue to be led by Henry Caruso, who had 14 points and 7 rebounds in the win over Yale last weekend, though three others players including Spencer Weisz and Devin Cannady were in double-digits as well. On the court, Princeton has looked like the best team in the Ivy League for the past two months, and while they still have four conference games left after tonight, the Tigers will have their toughest games behind them if they get this win.
Columbia currently sits at 8-2 in conference and 19-8 overall, still in control of their own destiny if they can win their last four regular season games. To do that, they need to not only win tonight but also avoid a let-down tomorrow night when they travel to the other “P”, Penn. The Lions are led by Alex Rosenberg, Maodo Lo and Grant Mullins. All three players were in double-digits in the team’s earlier home overtime loss to Princeton, and Mullins picked up a double-double. Rosenberg, Lo and Mullins will need to be on their games tonight if the Lions want to score the huge road win.
SURVIVAL BOARD UPDATE
After Western Illinois and Jacksonville State were eliminated last night, only 327* teams remain. Penn could be eliminated tonight with a home loss to Cornell or a home win by Yale over Harvard. CLICK HERE to see the Board.
*This number includes Grand Canyon, as our fight for the #LopesWaiver to allow them a shot at the WAC automatic bid is not yet done!
OTHER GAMES OF NOTE TODAY
-VALPARAISO AT MILWAUKEE (Horizon) – The door isn’t completely shut on Valpo’s at-large tournament hopes; Valpo begins their final true road trip of the year in Wisconsin that is a must-win for NCAA hopes (but not for Horizon Tournament seeding).
-IONA AT MANHATTAN (Metro Atlantic) – We highlight this game because of the rivalry aspect; this game still has heat from last year’s tournament where Manhattan won the MAAC Championship.
-HARVARD AT YALE (Ivy) – This will be the first game for the Bulldogs without former captain Jack Montague (who left the team and withdrew from school for personal reasons); this is also the beginning of Yale’s final homestand of the season.
-RIDER AT MONMOUTH (Metro Atlantic) – The final homestand of the year begins for the Hawk’s Nest; Rider will be looking for revenge after blowing a 14-point lead in the final 4 minutes of their first matchup this season.
-CORNELL AT PENNSYLVANIA (Ivy, Survival Board) – The Quakers need a win tonight and losses from Yale and (preferably) Columbia to stay mathematically alive in the Ivy League. A loss or Yale win eliminates Penn.
-DARTMOUTH AT BROWN (Ivy) – A special game tailor made for Lee Delvecchio; this is the first game this year played between 2 teams already taken off of the Survival Board. Sadly, neither team can qualify for the CIT/CBI/Vegas 16. Worse, Keggy the Keg will not be in the house!