Just hours away from tip now, so it's time for the season's first Powerpoll. As a matter of housekeeping, remember that the Powerpoll is not predictive and is only meant to reflect the quality of the teams as of right now.
Showing posts with label 2011 Season Preview. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 2011 Season Preview. Show all posts
Friday, November 12, 2010
Scouting The Rookies
A handful of Ivy players found professional basketball employment in Europe, one landed in the NBDL, while another even made it into the NBA.
Needless to say, the league's losses to graduation were huge, and the degree of the decline some Ivy teams will face will in very large part be determined by the quality of the contributions those squads can get from their freshman classes.
Needless to say, the league's losses to graduation were huge, and the degree of the decline some Ivy teams will face will in very large part be determined by the quality of the contributions those squads can get from their freshman classes.
Previewing The 2010-2011 14-Game Tournament
It's not so easy this year, is it?
After two years of a reigning champion with a stocked, returning roster, the Ivy League is finally up for grabs again. Cornell not only lost four of five starters, but also lost a couple more pieces of its rotation, making the race for the league's automatic bid as muddled as it's been since the Big Red won its first of three straight championships in 2008.
After two years of a reigning champion with a stocked, returning roster, the Ivy League is finally up for grabs again. Cornell not only lost four of five starters, but also lost a couple more pieces of its rotation, making the race for the league's automatic bid as muddled as it's been since the Big Red won its first of three straight championships in 2008.
Thursday, November 11, 2010
No. 1 Princeton Tigers
After a 9-5 non-conference run where the Tigers went just 6-2 against teams outside the top 200, very few people could have imagined the closing stretch this squad would put together.
Princeton stormed through the Ivy season and marched all the way to the semifinals of the CBI, notching four top 150 wins and a pair of slim, three-point losses to Cornell along the way. The uber-athletic, defensive force Kareem Maddox led the Tigers' resurgence, as the 6'8 forward found an offensive game, combining his stellar free throw shooting with a new-found ability to locate and convert shots from the floor. The interior presence freed up Princeton's deadly shooters to fire away, creating a more potent offense down the stretch.
Now, fans and media alike have heaped expectations upon the Tigers that haven't been there since 2005. That Princeton team also returned a bunch of talent and grabbed the top spot in the preseason media poll but, after an impressive non-conference run, stumbled to a 1-5 league start and never was a factor in the Ivy race. The Tigers would be wise to take heed of that cautionary tale.
Princeton stormed through the Ivy season and marched all the way to the semifinals of the CBI, notching four top 150 wins and a pair of slim, three-point losses to Cornell along the way. The uber-athletic, defensive force Kareem Maddox led the Tigers' resurgence, as the 6'8 forward found an offensive game, combining his stellar free throw shooting with a new-found ability to locate and convert shots from the floor. The interior presence freed up Princeton's deadly shooters to fire away, creating a more potent offense down the stretch.
Now, fans and media alike have heaped expectations upon the Tigers that haven't been there since 2005. That Princeton team also returned a bunch of talent and grabbed the top spot in the preseason media poll but, after an impressive non-conference run, stumbled to a 1-5 league start and never was a factor in the Ivy race. The Tigers would be wise to take heed of that cautionary tale.
No. 2 Harvard Crimson
Step one is complete. Harvard coach Tommy Amaker has built a winner at Harvard, something which hadn't (and some believed couldn't) be done in the modern era.
The ascent becomes steeper at the top, though, and Amaker will have to attack the summit without recent face-of-the-program guard Jeremy Lin. The second phase of the program's overhaul won't see gaudy win improvements like the six and seven Harvard registered in 2009 and 2010, respectively. Now the focus is far narrower: Win the school's first-ever Ivy title.
The Crimson has never had a better shot than it does this season. Amaker has had three recruiting classes to stockpile talent, and the league landscape has only been as wide open a couple times in the past 20 years. It's not as if the window is closing. In fact, with a stellar six-man recruiting class on board for next season, the opportunity should only grow with time. For a program that has been aggressive at achieving goals under Amaker, don't expect it to be satisfied with waiting.
The ascent becomes steeper at the top, though, and Amaker will have to attack the summit without recent face-of-the-program guard Jeremy Lin. The second phase of the program's overhaul won't see gaudy win improvements like the six and seven Harvard registered in 2009 and 2010, respectively. Now the focus is far narrower: Win the school's first-ever Ivy title.
The Crimson has never had a better shot than it does this season. Amaker has had three recruiting classes to stockpile talent, and the league landscape has only been as wide open a couple times in the past 20 years. It's not as if the window is closing. In fact, with a stellar six-man recruiting class on board for next season, the opportunity should only grow with time. For a program that has been aggressive at achieving goals under Amaker, don't expect it to be satisfied with waiting.
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
No. 3 Cornell Big Red
Only once in the last eight years has an Ivy team had to replace more possessions than Cornell.
The Big Red begins treading deep into the unknown on Friday night, hoping that the reserves that showed so much promise in limited action can maintain that level of performance when called into the starting lineup. Luckily the league is more wide open than a year ago, when Cornell marched through the Ivies with almost no hiccups, so the Big Red will have some margin for error. But if the three-time defending Ivy League champion Big Red is going to become the first team since early-90s Princeton to represent the Ivies in four straight NCAA tournaments, it's going to need the best possible outcome from several players in new roles.
The talent is definitely there, but the experience is lacking, which could very well be the difference in what will be a tough Ivy race.
The Big Red begins treading deep into the unknown on Friday night, hoping that the reserves that showed so much promise in limited action can maintain that level of performance when called into the starting lineup. Luckily the league is more wide open than a year ago, when Cornell marched through the Ivies with almost no hiccups, so the Big Red will have some margin for error. But if the three-time defending Ivy League champion Big Red is going to become the first team since early-90s Princeton to represent the Ivies in four straight NCAA tournaments, it's going to need the best possible outcome from several players in new roles.
The talent is definitely there, but the experience is lacking, which could very well be the difference in what will be a tough Ivy race.
No. 4 Penn Quakers
Teetering on the brink finally became a total collapse.
Since their last NCAA appearance in 2007, the Quakers have been in a slow decline with Ivy win totals falling from 8 to 6 to 5 and overall wins dropping from 13 to 10 to 6 in the same span. But it all fell apart when Penn started 0-10 last season, including more than a few blowout losses.
It's rare that a team is as poised to bounce back immediately as the Quakers are this season, however. Penn boasts a favorite for league POY in Zack Rosen, an All-Ivy PF Jack Eggleston and a former Ivy ROY Tyler Bernardini. The Quakers' hopes still rest on its returning walking wounded staying healthy and that those players shake of the rust that has built from the extended absences due to injury. If those pitfalls can be navigated successfully, Penn has a chance to go from the bottom division to the top of the league.
Since their last NCAA appearance in 2007, the Quakers have been in a slow decline with Ivy win totals falling from 8 to 6 to 5 and overall wins dropping from 13 to 10 to 6 in the same span. But it all fell apart when Penn started 0-10 last season, including more than a few blowout losses.
It's rare that a team is as poised to bounce back immediately as the Quakers are this season, however. Penn boasts a favorite for league POY in Zack Rosen, an All-Ivy PF Jack Eggleston and a former Ivy ROY Tyler Bernardini. The Quakers' hopes still rest on its returning walking wounded staying healthy and that those players shake of the rust that has built from the extended absences due to injury. If those pitfalls can be navigated successfully, Penn has a chance to go from the bottom division to the top of the league.
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
No. 5 Brown Bears
The frontcourt anchor is gone, but the youth movement has folks in Providence very excited.
Matt Mullery spent the past two years as Brown's go-to big man and one of the league's best interior scorers. Now, the Bears must move forward, and they appear well equipped to do so. With nine freshmen and sophomores on the roster, most of whom will see either time in the rotation or starting lineup, Brown knows it's only at the start of a three-year window for a run at the title.
For the Bears to be competitive this season, though, they must get stronger defensively. Brown finished outside the top 200 in three of the four defensive factors - 203rd in defensive rebounding percentage, 226th in effective field goal percentage (eFG%) and 347th (dead last nationally) in turnover rate. The Bears' offensive talent means very little, if it can't keep opponents from outscoring them on most nights.
Matt Mullery spent the past two years as Brown's go-to big man and one of the league's best interior scorers. Now, the Bears must move forward, and they appear well equipped to do so. With nine freshmen and sophomores on the roster, most of whom will see either time in the rotation or starting lineup, Brown knows it's only at the start of a three-year window for a run at the title.
For the Bears to be competitive this season, though, they must get stronger defensively. Brown finished outside the top 200 in three of the four defensive factors - 203rd in defensive rebounding percentage, 226th in effective field goal percentage (eFG%) and 347th (dead last nationally) in turnover rate. The Bears' offensive talent means very little, if it can't keep opponents from outscoring them on most nights.
No. 6 Yale Bulldogs
Following a rough start to the season, Yale coach James Jones rallied the troops in Ivy play - he always seems to - as the Bulldogs scrapped their way to a solo fourth place finish, despite failing to hit the .500 mark for the first time since the 1999-2000 season.
Times are going to keep getting tougher for Yale, which graduated the leading possessions eater in the league (and 36th nationally) in guard Alex Zampier as well as swingman Jordan Gibson and post Paul Nelson. With two of the three teams which fell a game short of the Bulldogs last year potentially taking a huge step forward (Penn and Brown), a 7-7 league campaign or fourth place finish would be Jones' finest accomplishment yet.
There's enough returning talent, especially down low, that it's possible, but first Yale must find solutions for the gaps left by last year's senior class.
Times are going to keep getting tougher for Yale, which graduated the leading possessions eater in the league (and 36th nationally) in guard Alex Zampier as well as swingman Jordan Gibson and post Paul Nelson. With two of the three teams which fell a game short of the Bulldogs last year potentially taking a huge step forward (Penn and Brown), a 7-7 league campaign or fourth place finish would be Jones' finest accomplishment yet.
There's enough returning talent, especially down low, that it's possible, but first Yale must find solutions for the gaps left by last year's senior class.
Monday, November 8, 2010
No. 7 Columbia Lions
After an uneven non-conference run, in which the Lions went just 6-8 against the nation's 340th ranked strength of schedule, but played better basketball in games against the strongest competition, Columbia kept the pattern going in the Ivy season, sweeping Penn and Brown, but only managing a split with Dartmouth.
The Lions often provided a gritty defensive effort, but rarely had enough offensive firepower to capitalize - highlighted by their disappointing 5-3 record in games in which they held opponents to an offensive rating of under 90.
With increased grumbling around Morningside Heights about then-coach Joe Jones' future with the program, Jones took a job on Steve Donahue's staff at Boston College, and Columbia replaced him with St. Mary's assistant Kyle Smith.
The Lions often provided a gritty defensive effort, but rarely had enough offensive firepower to capitalize - highlighted by their disappointing 5-3 record in games in which they held opponents to an offensive rating of under 90.
With increased grumbling around Morningside Heights about then-coach Joe Jones' future with the program, Jones took a job on Steve Donahue's staff at Boston College, and Columbia replaced him with St. Mary's assistant Kyle Smith.
No. 8 Dartmouth Big Green
It wasn't pretty from start to finish in Hanover last season, but things got really tenuous at the start of the Ivy League season, when the Dartmouth players quit on then-coach Terry Dunn on the eve of the Big Green's meeting with Harvard.
Dunn got the axe, but not much changed down the stretch, as Dartmouth took down a couple 300+ Pomeroy teams at home, but suffered multiple, double-digit beatdowns en route to a last-place Ivy campaign.
Dunn got the axe, but not much changed down the stretch, as Dartmouth took down a couple 300+ Pomeroy teams at home, but suffered multiple, double-digit beatdowns en route to a last-place Ivy campaign.
Season Preview Starting Today!
Counting up from worst to first, 14-Game Tournament will preview each Ivy League team, leading up to the Columbia/LaSalle and Princeton/Rutgers games on Friday at 7:00 p.m (Cornell/Albany and Brown/Fordham follow later that evening).
Here's the Season Preview schedule:
Here's the Season Preview schedule:
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