Week 5 Powerpoll

Another week, another great finish for the Ivy League.

All six Ivy teams in action on Saturday either met or outperformed expectations, pushing the league into the teens in every ranking system (16th in Pomeroy and Sagarin and 13th in RPI). Removing the six upcoming non-D-I games, we're over halfway through the non-conference schedule, with the league tracking toward its best finish in the ratings systems in recent history.

Overachiever, Underachiever: Comparing Ivy Teams To Initial Projections

At the beginning of the season, the 14-Game Tournament released its preseason projections for each Ivy team's offensive and defensive efficiency, and with at least four games per team in the books, it's time to take a look back and see how each league team stacks up against their projections.

Sunday Notebook: Dartmouth Surprises, Harvard Hangs On

What is it about Hartford that brings out the best in Dartmouth?

After losing its first four games last season by at least 16 points, the Big Green led almost wire-to-wire en route to a double-digit victory. Fast-forward to this season: Dartmouth gets blown out at Providence and squanders a huge second-half lead against UNH. Then, out of nowhere, the Big Green jumps out to a 15-point lead in the first half and Jabari Trotter has a performance reminiscent of the Alex Barnett years.

Quick Thoughts From Wednesday's Games

Jack Eggleston buried his fourth three of the night out of the under eight media timeout to give the Quakers a 54-42 lead, and Penn was well on its way to its second victory in as many tries.

Then things went horribly wrong.

Sunday Notebook: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

It's been all of one game, but the evidence for the Quakers turnaround story is already building.

Behind 18 points from freshman Miles Cartwright - all in the first half - and a double-double from Jack Eggleston, Penn avenged last year's 79-50 loss at Davidson with a 69-64 victory at The Palestra.

Saturday Notebook: Ivies Jump Out To Hot Start

It's rare that an Ivy team finds itself in a must-win situation against a BCS school, but that's where Princeton was on Friday night, needing a home victory over a fringe top 150 Rutgers squad to prove that it and the league wasn't going to take a big step back in the absence of a dominant Cornell team.

Preseason 14-Game Tournament Powerpoll

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.

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.

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.