It has been a good year for Ivy League men's basketball. The conference RPI of .4895 puts it 17th in the nation, a full 10 spots higher than at the end of last year. This is a look at the member schools at the midpoint of the season.
Brown (12-4 overall, 3-0 Ivy)
The Bears were widely expected to contend for the league title this season. After an 87-82 win at Yale Saturday, Brown took over first place in the league ahead of Princeton. The Bears' 12-4 start this season is their best since the 1944-45 season.
There were 57 fouls called in Saturday's game — Brown made 39 of 44 free throws and Yale hit 24 of 39. Yale had trailed by 11 in the second half and pulled within three with just 5.7 seconds remaining, but Earl Hunt iced the game with two free throws. Hunt is making a case for Ivy Player of the Year, averaging 20.6 points per game.
Yale (10-6, 2-1)
At the beginning of the season, Yale was given an outside chance to compete for the title. After losses to Gardner-Webb University and Division III-Macalester College in the Poinsettia Holiday Classic in Greenville, S.C., it looked like the prediction was folly. Then the tables turned dramatically. Yale responded with improved team defense to post three straight wins, including an upset win over Clemson, their first win over an ACC opponent in nearly three decades.
With 12 games left to play, the team's 10 wins match its season total from a year ago. Yale has two three-game winning streaks this season. The most recent was snapped by Ivy-foe Brown. The loss was also the Elis' first loss at home this season, dropping their record at home to 6-1.
Penn (12-4, 2-1)
The Quakers looked absolutely scary early in the season. Their largest margin of defeat was a 78-71 setback to then-No. 2 Illinois. Penn defeated reigning Big 12 Champion Iowa State, Villanova and Temple.
However, Penn is currently sitting in third place in the Ivies after a 78-75 overtime loss at Harvard. The Quakers are still scary, though, as they have four players averaging in double figures in scoring this season, Ugonna Onyekwe (18.1), Koko Archibong (16.0), Andrew Toole (13.0), and Jeff Schiffner (10.4).
Harvard (12-4, 2-1)
The Crimson produced the first major upset of the young Ivy season, getting a career-high 28 points from junior guard Patrick Harvey in a 78-75 overtime win over Penn. Harvey scored 15 straight points in one second-half stretch and netted seven of the team's 15 points in overtime, including the go-ahead three-pointer that made it 71-69. He then sealed the victory with four straight free throws in the final 15 seconds.
Harvard's defense has been the strength of its team so far this season. In the victory over Penn, Harvard shot 48.2 percent from the floor, but held Penn to 38.2 percent, the seventh time in 16 games an opponent has hit less than 40 percent of its shots.
Cornell (3-13, 0-3)
The Big Red were predicted to struggle this year, and they have, especially on offense. In their loss Saturday to Columbia, Cornell was held scoreless for the first eight minutes, 47 seconds of the second half. In the first half, they went scoreless for a six-minute stretch.
Cornell's only victories this season are against Ithaca College, Lehigh and Army. However, in their best offensive performance of the season, the Big Red lost at Yale, 79-74.
Columbia (8-9, 1-2)
The Lions busted into the win column Saturday with their victory over cellar-dweller Cornell. Columbia held the Big Red to 27.8 percent shooting.
The Lions have been impressive at home recently, going a perfect 5-0 this season and 13-1 dating back to Jan. 17, 2001. However, Columbia has struggled away from Levien Gym, managing only one victory in nine tries this season.
Dartmouth (8-9, 0-3)
Guard Flinder Boyd continues to give opponents headaches. The Big Green, however, have lost all of their first three Ivy games — to Harvard, Penn and Princeton — by double figures.
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