Ivy hoops world reacts to Kobe Bryant’s death

Kobe Bryant’s impact on the game of basketball and the people who have a passion for it has been incalculable, and his sudden death at 41 following a helicopter crash that killed his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others near Los Angeles Sunday put into perspective just how much Bryant mattered to those who have been Ivy League hoopsters.

Read more

Yale women continue to gather momentum with 73-40 rout of Brown

Yale’s on a roll.

The Bulldogs shut down Brown with authority in a 73-40 rout at the Pizzitola Sports Center Saturday, completing a season sweep of the Bears after having beaten them 79-72 last Friday.

Yale (12-3, 2-0 Ivy) held Brown (6-9, 0-2) to five points in the first quarter and 15-for-57 (26.3%) shooting for the game.

Read more

Penn stymies Temple, 66-59, to split Big 5 slate

Fran Dunphy’s teams always seemed to play great defense, whether at Penn or Temple.

Dunphy was honored with a standing ovation prior to the game, the first meeting between the two without either being coached by Dunphy in 31 seasons Saturday at the Palestra, and defense was fittingly the order of the day.

The Big 5 rivals held each other under a point per possession, but it was Penn that made enough shots for a 66-59 win.

Read more

Inside Ivy Hoops – Jan. 22, 2020

In the latest episode of Inside Ivy Hoops, Ivy Hoops Online editor Mike Tony is joined by IHO writer Richard Kent, and the two reflect on the promise shown by both the Yale men and women this season as they head into rematches with Brown as well as other Ivy action from last weekend while looking ahead to another pivotal weekend of play.

Inside Ivy Hoops – Jan. 17, 2020

In the latest episode of Inside Ivy Hoops, Ivy Hoops Online editor Mike Tony is joined by IHO writer Rob Browne, and the two reflect on pivotal wins for Princeton over Penn on both the men’s and women’s sides in addition to the Dartmouth women stealing their Ivy opener from Harvard) last weekend and preview this weekend’s women’s and men’s Ivy action.

Pondering Penn after another Princeton sweep of the Red & Blue

It was all going so well for Penn.

After getting pummeled at the Palestra by a Princeton squad that had started the season 1-7 six days earlier, Penn was making the adjustments it needed in the Jadwin Gym rematch.

Penn made its first two threes after going just 3-for-23 from deep in the last meeting. Princeton had dominated inside at the other end of the floor six days prior, but Jarrod Simmons was inserted into the starting lineup for the first time ever to help man Penn’s frontcourt, scoring the game’s opening bucket and blocking Penn-killer Richmond Aririguzoh in the paint early.

8-0 Penn. 10-2 Penn. The team that beat Alabama and Providence and went toe to toe with Arizona and Villanova finally feasting on a team that had started the season 1-7.

Read more

How Penn arrived at another letdown against Princeton

Princeton shot just 2-for-11 from deep, got outscored by double-digits in second-chance and fastbreak points and didn’t score a field goal in the game’s final 6:37.

And yet the Tigers never trailed en route to a surprisingly easy 78-64 win over Penn at the Palestra Saturday night, their sixth win there against Penn in six seasons (including their 2017 Ivy League Tournament quarterfinal victory).

So what did Penn (7-5, 0-1 Ivy) do wrong against Princeton (5-8, 1-0) this time?

Read more

Inside Ivy Hoops – Jan. 4, 2020

In the season debut episode of Inside Ivy Hoops taped Friday evening, Ivy Hoops Online editor Mike Tony is IHO writers Rob Browne and George Clark, who discuss the IHO staff’s Ivy men’s and women’s power rankings and women’s and men’s players of the 2010s as voted on by IHO staff writers (all in that order), plus we preview tonight’s Princeton-Penn matchup:


(Editor’s note: This episode was lightly edited for clarity. We regretfully neglected to discuss the Brown women, who finished last in our Ivy women’s power rankings. Brown stands at 6-7 and has won three of its last four games, but the Bears have struggled defensively and shooting efficiency. It’s hard to see them making a run at an Ivy League Tournament appearance unless they shore up both areas in conference play.)