Pop quiz time!

The Ivy League has a unique season set-up and tournament. The league schedules games in a way which prioritizes the balance between athlete and student, given the rigorous academics of these universities. What, like it’s hard?  

Given this firm dedication to academics, it’s only right that we test our knowledge on the Ivy League heading up to the ultimate back-to-back. Sharpen those pencils, it’s time for Ivy Madness

1. How many Ivy League Men’s basketball conference tournaments have there been?

A. 0

B. 15

C. 99

D. 3

There have only ever been three Ivy League tournaments! The first Ivy League conference tourney was held in 2017 with the 2020 and 2021 tournaments being canceled due to COVID-19. The fourth ever tourney begins on Saturday.

2. Where will the 2022 Ivy League tournament be held?

A. TD Garden

B. Mizzou (AKA “The Harvard of the Midwest”) Arena

C. Lavietes Pavilion (On the campus of Harvard University)

D. Jadwin Gymnasium (On the campus of Princeton University)

If you guessed C, congrats! The Ivy League tournament isn’t held in a neutral site like TD Garden, nor is it held at the home of the number one seed in the conference, Princeton.  Rather it is being held at Lavietes Pavilion, the home of the Harvard Crimson. The Ivy League utilizes a rotating system between its eight member schools to host the conference tourney.

The Pavilion seats just over 1600 fans and is the third-oldest building still in use as a college basketball arena. With the appearance and size of a large high school gym, the atmosphere could become loud and concentrated with an NCAA tournament bid on the line.

True or False: Harvard should be able to use this home court advantage to earn the automatic bid.

False. I’ll admit, this was a bit of a trick question. Harvard isn’t even in the tournament. Only the top four teams out of the eight in the Ivy League make the conference tournament, and Harvard is on the outside looking in this year. So, while the Crimson are playing host, they won’t be competing.

4. Who are the favorites to win the tournament?

A. Princeton

B. Yale

C. Penn

D. Cornell

This one was not a trick. The four teams listed above are the teams that qualified for the Ivy League tourney and will be competing this weekend. Princeton is the betting favorite going in, having lost just two conference games during the regular season.

My picks:

No. 1 Princeton vs No. 4 Cornell

Princeton, the regular season champions of the Ivy League, have an efficient offense which ranks in the top-50 in KenPom. Cornell has maybe given Princeton the most headaches out of any team this year, with the two splitting the season series. Princeton was able to pull out a two-point victory at home but fell to Cornell in Ithaca. Princeton’s loss came without its head coach Mitch Henderson.

Princeton heavily relies on the three-ball, with the fifth most 3-point field goals per game and sixth best 3-point percentage in the NCAA. While this team lives by the three, there is also the chance that it has a poor shooting night and loses its main method of scoring. Given this and the previous results, Princeton seems like less of a sure thing then one might expect versus Cornell who was .500 in conference play.

Cornell can keep it close but, in the end, star power wins out and Princeton has the Ivy League Player of the Year in Tosan Evbuomwan who provides a consistent inside presence.

Final Score- Princeton: 87 Cornell: 81

No. 2 Yale vs No. 3 Penn

         Yale and Penn also split their season series, but Yale has been consistent, finishing 11-3 in conference play. Yale plays extremely strong defense which will be a key to its success. Penn has the Ivy League leading scorer in Jordan Dingle who is averaging 20.6 points per game but Yale’s defensive prowess should neutralize his scoring. This should be a fairly low-scoring contest with Yale able to pull ahead.

Final Score – Yale: 72 Penn: 58

Championship: No. 1 Princeton vs No. 2 Yale

Yale features the best 3-point shooting defense in the Ivy League and has strong counters to Princeton’s sharpshooting perimeter players. The difference maker remains Tosan Evbuomwan. If the lanky big-man is able to work around the Yale defenders then Princeton will still have the offensive edge. Evbuomwan put up 26 points with 18 coming after Princeton’s shot cooled off in the second half the last time these two teams met.

Princeton’s ability to spread the floor around Evbuomwan make them extremely difficult to defend. The team’s versatility forces opposing teams to pick their poison, even when they are strong defensively like Yale.

Princeton’s strong shooting and high efficiency make them a force to be reckoned with in March. This team could be a candidate to make a surprise Sweet 16 run if its shooting gets hot.

Final Score – Princeton: 86 Yale: 79