Despite being known for its academics, the Ivy League has produced some of the most iconic moments and upsets in March Madness history. While Yale and Princeton are usually associated with their difficult admissions, many college basketball fans think of their tourney upsets against No. 4 Auburn last year and No. 2 Arizona two seasons ago. Although only four teams are selected each year to make the Ivy League conference tournament, every single one of those teams could go on to cause havoc in the NCAA tournament and create a Cinderella story that all of America can root for.
The Favorite: Yale Bulldogs
The Ivy League conference tournament has a different format then most other conferences, as only the top four teams in the conference make the tournament. There are then two rounds played, between the No. 1 seed and the No. 4 seed, and the No. 2 and No. 3 seed. The winner of those two games then play each other, and the winner of that game receives an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. The clear favorite and almost certainly the No. 1 seed in this year’s tournament is the Yale Bulldogs. The Bulldogs won last year’s conference tournament and are entering March on a high note once again, coming off of a major upset in last year’s tournament against No. 4 Auburn. Yale’s John Poulakidas, who scored 28 in said game against Auburn, leads the entire Ivy league in scoring, averaging 18.9 ppg.Poulakidas is a projected late second round pick in this year’s NBA draft, he would be the first player from Yale to be drafted since the Jazz selected Miye Oni in 2019. The Bulldogs stand as the clear favorite in this year’s tournament, with only one loss in conference play. Yale, however, lost its last game to Harvard 74-69, and the Bulldogs will have to regain momentum before conference tournament play begins.
The Big Christmas Colors: Cornell and Dartmouth
The two most probable No. 2 and No. 3 seeds in this year’s tournament are Cornell and Dartmouth. Both programs sit four games back from first place in the conference, boasting records of 8-5 with single-digit losses to Yale. The two teams, who will most likely end up playing each other in the first round of the tournament, split their season series, with Cornell winning their first matchup 76-64, while Dartmouth routed the Big Red 88-49 in their second time facing off. Both teams contain high scoring guards, with Nazir Williams leading Cornell with 14.4 ppg, and Ryan Cornish leading Dartmouth with 17.4 ppg. Despite its lackluster showing in the last matchup between these two teams, Dartmouth cannot count out Cornell just yet. The Big Red shot just 27.9% from the field the last time these teams met, something that Dartmouth cannot count on to happen again. Both teams won their respective home games in the series, so it should shape up to be a neck and neck matchup between the Big Red and Big Green in their series tiebreaker.
The Best of the Rest: Princeton and Brown
The final team that will be playing in this tournament is still up in the air, as both Princeton and Brown could secure the No. 4 seed. In order to secure their spot in the conference tournament, all that Princeton needs to do is beat Penn at home. In doing so, the Tigers will move to 8-6 on the season and face the Yale Bulldogs in the Ivy League tournament. If the Tigers are unable to win, then Brown has a chance to clinch its spot in the tournament by beating Yale at home. The two teams would then have the same record and have split the head to head matchups this season, and the final spot would come down to their records against shared opponents. Both teams could pose a serious threat to the Bulldogs’ reign of Ivy League dominance, and projected NBA draft pick Xaivian Lee could potentially lead Princeton to an upset win and another Cinderella run in March.
Predictions
Although it only contains three games, this year’s Ivy League tournament could produce a potential upset in the NCAA tournament as it has in the past. With Yale’s dominance this year against conference opponents, I’m picking the Bulldogs to advance to the finals with a win over Princeton. Dartmouth versus Cornell is shaping up to be a potential Ivy League game of the year, and I see Cornell coming out with a chip on their shoulder after Dartmouth’s domination in their last matchup, sending the Big Red to the championship. In the championship game, I have the Yale Bulldogs continuing their conference crusade and securing an automatic bid to March Madness to terrorize more high-major opponents.