IVY LEAGUE MEDIA DAY PRESEASON POLL:
- Yale
- Harvard
- Cornell
- Princeton
- Dartmouth
- Brown
- Penn
- Columbia
COMMENTS FROM DAVID:
-In the modern day transfer-heavy era, the Ivy League is still the Ivy League. The roster turnover is not nearly as drastic as what we see in virtually all other areas of D-1, and many of these teams probably have an advantage early on because as early as May they have a pretty good idea of what their rotations are going to be. Yunno, kinda like how it used to be for everyone.
-Yale ran away with the league last year, and with three starters back is expected to do the same again this year. If there is a team in this conference that might be good enough to make a run at the bubble, it is the Bulldogs. Nick Townsend is perhaps the best player in the conference. He can score and rebound and is one of the best three-point shooters in the country. The frontcourt is strong and is made up of multiple guys who also have range. When you have frontcourt players that can nail it from beyond the arc, you are a hard team to beat.
-Harvard was a modest 12-15 overall last year, but they were playing much better down the stretch and with three starters back they should be able to carry that momentum into this season. They did miss the Ivy League Tournament last year, but they won five of their last seven. Chandler Pigge, Thomas Batties II, and Robert Hinton are all double-digit scorers who return to the lineup, and they should be able to develop some depth as well.
-Jon Jaques enters his second year as Cornell head coach, and with two key starters back they should be able to continue to compete with the top half of the conference. This is always a fun team to watch because of how much their style conflicts with the rest of the conference. Cooper Noard and Jake Fiegen were both double-digit scorers last season and both can hit from the outside. They will need some guys to step up and play more minutes this year if they are going to keep pace with the top of the league.
-Princeton is in a bit of a reset mode with just one starter back from last season. Guys that came off the bench and saw limited minutes last year will have to step up this year. The middle of the league feels about right for the Tigers. They have a shot at making the Ivy Tournament, but I do not see them competing for the top spot.
-Dartmouth had their best season in recent memory last year and played well enough in the second half of conference play to make the Ivy League Tournament. Three key starters are back including Brandon Mitchell, who averaged over 13ppg last year and is a proven rebounder. Connor Amundsen is also a strong guard for the team. Last year’s success has brought some excitement and raised some expectations. I think they will have another good year and be back in the Ivy League Tournament this year.
-Brown was a modest 6-8 in conference play last year. They return their top-two scorers and should be a little better this year, but most of the league is returning the bulks of their rotations and is also likely to be better. I think they improve some, but still finish in the bottom half of the conference.
-Penn won just 8 total games last year and it is kind of weird to see a program that was a flagship in this conference for so long suddenly struggling like they are now. Ethan Roberts is one of the best players in the conference and his return is huge for the Quakers, but other than him they seem to be lacking in proven experience. I think Penn is better this year, but I also think they are closer to the bottom than to the top.
-Columbia had an unusual season last year. They started off 11-1 and won at Villanova during that stretch…then from December 30th on they won just one game the rest of the way. It was a shocking and almost inexplicable decline. Four starters are back. That may not seem like a big deal for a team that won just one Ivy League game, but let us not forget that they were also 11-1 at one point. The potential is there for this team to surprise some people like they did in November and December of last season.
