Yale and Princeton: This era’s Ivy League men’s basketball duopoly

I am old enough to remember the Princeton-Penn hegemony in Ivy hoops.

We’re talking 1965-2015. That’s 50 years. That’s a long time. Names like Carril, Dunphy, Bradley, Petrie, Calhoun and many, many more.

Tommy Amaker entered in 2007 and assisted in disrupting the world order. In 2010, Cornell made a run to the Sweet 16.

Since then, it has been mostly Yale and Princeton.

And the rivalry is very heated.

James Jones and Mitch Henderson could not be more different, personally and stylistically. But since 2016, their hegemony is crystal clear.

Yale has gone 88-28 and Princeton 85-31 in the Ivy regular season. Yale has won three Ivy League tourneys and Princeton two. They have each won two NCAA tourney games.

Little to separate them, but Yale has won 11 out of the last 14.

Princeton and Yale have, as a duo, separated from the pack.

This year, Yale sits atop the Ivy standings at 4-0. Princeton is 3-1 after a home loss to Cornell.

Yale has a league-leading NET ranking of 79 and a KenPom ranking of 75. Princeton sits at 130 and 137, respectively.

“I’m excited about the opportunity,” Yale coach James Jones. “That’s what college basketball is all about.”

And he is correct. The 5 p.m. start at Jadwin Gym will be televised by ESPN2.

Keys to the game:

  • Yale senior guard John Poulakidas shooting from long range.
  • Princeton senior guard Blake Peters making three-plus treys.
  • Yale senior guard Bez Mbeng not picking up two quick fouls guarding Princeton junior guard Xaivian Lee.
  • Princeton being able to rebound with Yale, especially on the offensive glass. How vocal an expected sold-out crowd is at Jadwin.

4 thoughts on “Yale and Princeton: This era’s Ivy League men’s basketball duopoly”

  1. Should be an epic battle. The Tigers have struggled at times with their energy level, especially to start games, but they shouldn’t have any trouble getting up for this one. Like the Rutgers game, I’m sure everyone will be amped, especially after dropping one at Jadwin last weekend to Cornell. Great opportunity for the Tigers to reestablish themselves as the League favorite.

  2. Rarely has an Ivy team so clearly separated itself from the rest of the league, and the Bulldogs gave done it without Danny Wolf! But the path to the Big Dance is a minefield. Cornell looks very tough. The Tigers have a lot of high level talent. So it won’t be easy for anyone. The race does not always go to the swift, nor the battle to the strong. BUT that’s the way to bet…

    • Yale is clearly the best team in the league. But so was Princeton last year.

      The Tigers have been a huge disappointment this season, but that all goes away with a good weekend in March. If they make it there!

  3. Absolutely no fire from Princeton’s starters today. Mitch Henderson has never been a good motivator (unlike James Jones).

    Yale is just a better coached team with more disciplined players. Xaivian Lee is the best player on the floor by far, but he’s not immune from an occasional stinker. Anything less than an A+ game from the X-Man and Princeton doesn’t stand a chance against Yale.

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