Two-bid Ivy: No. 10 Penn vs. No. 7 Washington, No. 11 Princeton vs. No. 6 West Virginia

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#2bidivy got in just under the wire.

For the first time ever, the Ivy League got two NCAA Tournament bids, league champion Penn and at-large Princeton, in the final season without a conference tournament to determine the league’s NCAA Tournament representative.

Penn received the automatic bid after defeating Princeton at Jadwin Gym, 62-60, completing a season sweep of the Tigers. The Quakers were rewarded with their highest seed in school history, a No. 10 seed pitting them against No. 7 Washington. The Quakers (24-4) and Huskies (22-10) will square off on Saturday at 4 p.m. at the Xfinity Center in College Park, Md. A first-round Penn win would set the Quakers up with No. 2 Maryland on the Terrapins’ home court. Then-No. 1 Maryland ousted Princeton from the tournament in the second round of last season’s tournament, ending the Tigers’ undefeated season.

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Cornell fires head coach Bill Courtney after six seasons

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Cornell fired head coach Bill Courtney after six seasons Monday, ESPN reported, opting not to renew his contract.

Courtney finished with an overall record of 60-113 (.311), including a 27-57 (.321) record in conference play. The Big Red finished last in the conference for the second time in three years this season, going 3-11 in Ivy play after having gone 2-26 overall in 2013-14. Cornell was the only Ivy not to make a postseason tournament during Courtney’s tenure.

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Former Harvard assistant and Cornell grad Yann Hufnagel fired over sexual harassment allegations

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The San Francisco Chronicle reported that Cal men’s basketball assistant coach Yann Hufnagel was fired Monday following an investigation into allegations of sexual harassment.

Hufnagel served as an assistant coach at Harvard under Tommy Amaker from 2009-10 through 2012-13, and graduated from Cornell in 2006 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial and Labor Relations.

University investigators concluded after a months-long probe that Hufnagel had reportedly violated UC Berkeley’s anti-sexual harassment policy, the Chronicle said, noting a release that stated, ““effective immediately, Hufnagel has been relieved of his duties pending the outcome of the termination process and will not be traveling with the team during its NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament run.”

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No. 6 Princeton to play at No. 3 Virginia Tech in NIT first round

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Princeton (22-6, 12-2 Ivy) was projected by Big Apple Buckets analyst John Templon to get a No. 4 seed in the National Invitational Tournament, but the Tigers got a No. 6 seed instead, setting them up to travel to No. 3 Virginia Tech (19-14, 10-8 ACC) for a matchup with the Hokies Wednesday at 8 p.m. on ESPNU.

Princeton enters as the road team despite having a RPI of 39 and Virginia Tech having a RPI of 90, and both teams having virtually identical KenPom rankings (66 for Princeton, 63 for Virginia Tech).

The Tigers turned down a CBI bid after finishing 16-14 last season, and the women Tigers got a No. 9 seed in the NCAA Tournament after going undefeated in the regular season a year ago.

 

No. 12 Yale to play No. 5 Baylor in NCAA first round

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No. 12 Yale (22-6, 13-1 Ivy) will play No. 5 Baylor (22-11, 10-8 Big 12) Thursday at 2:45 p.m. in the West Region in Providence in the Bulldogs’ first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1962. The game will be televised on CBS.

The site of the game is most favorable to Yale, which has only a 100-mile distance to Providence, where the Elis trounced Brown in January, 90-66.

If Yale were to upset Baylor, it would likely face No. 4 Duke in the second round four months after the Blue Devils defeated Yale at Cameron Indoor Stadium, 80-61, even after the Bulldogs grabbed an early 9-0 lead and impressed Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski enough for him to say that Justin Sears would start for his team.

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Columbia to host Norfolk State in CIT first round Wednesday

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Columbia announced Friday it would host Norfolk State at Levien Gym in the first round of the CollegeInsider.com Tournament on Wed., Mar. 16 at 7 p.m.

The Lions enter the CIT with an overall record of 21-10, the most regular season victories for Columbia since 1950-51. Norfolk State, meanwhile, enters with an overall record of 17-16 and a second-place finish in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. (Columbia’s KenPom ranking is 114, while the Spartans’ ranking is 234.) Tickets are on sale now.

Columbia defeated Valparaiso on the road and Eastern Michigan at home in the first and second rounds of the 2014 CIT before losing to Yale, 72-69, in the quarterfinals.

Columbia accepts CIT bid for second time in three seasons

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Columbia is heading to the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament for the second time in three years after advancing to the quarterfinals of the tournament in 2014, the school announced Friday. The Lions will host a first-round game at Levien Gym on Wed., March 16, against an opponent to be determined.

The school news release notes that Columbia’s 21-10 record this regular season has already given the program its most regular season victories since 1950-51. Columbia defeated Valparaiso on the road and Eastern Michigan at home in the first and second rounds of the 2014 CIT before losing to Yale, 72-69, in the quarterfinals. Yale went on to advance to the CIT championship game, where it lost at Murray State, 65-57, sans Justin Sears.

The complete 2016 CIT field of 32 teams will be announced by CollegeInsider.com on the evening of Selection Sunday.

Ivy 60 for 60: Wesley Saunders

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All four of Wesley Saunders' seasons at Harvard ended with a NCAA Tournament appearance.
All four of Wesley Saunders’ seasons at Harvard ended with a NCAA Tournament appearance.

Following our countdown of the top 10 moments in each Ivy school’s men’s basketball history this summer, Ivy Hoops Online is delighted to continue celebrating the 60th anniversary of modern Ivy League basketball by honoring the top 60 players in Ivy hoops history (in no particular order). For the next entry in our Ivy 60 for 60 series, we focus on Wesley Saunders, one of the greatest players in Harvard basketball history… 

A year ago, I argued that Wesley Saunders was the greatest Harvard player of all-time. Therefore it’s no surprise that Saunders is one of the top-60 Ivy League players of all-time. Here’s why he belongs:

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On the Vine – Mar. 11, 2016

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The panel analyzes a historic weekend for Yale and a hump to get over for Princeton, the pros and cons of the Ivy League’s embrace of a conference tournament format, All-Ivy selections from the Ivy League and Ivy Hoops Online, and gives postseason predictions.

Peter Andrews and Mike Tony are joined by IHO founder Ian Halpern, IHO writers Rob Browne and George Clark, and Kevin Spacey for this episode.