A Big Red refresher

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A longtime friend of IHO, Rob Browne has agreed to join the site as a contributor focused on Cornell, a team poised to pull off a key upset or two during Ivy play. Here’s Rob’s in-depth look at the state of the Big Red:

Although picked last in the preseason Ivy League poll and having an initial KenPom raking of 311, Cornell has started the season 7-9 (0-2 Ivy) and finds itself with a current ranking of 232.  While its most lopsided victory was against Division III Penn State Harrisburg, the Big Red scored decisive victories at home against Binghamton (No. 333) and Lafayette (No. 321).  They had several close wins against Howard, (No. 269), Colgate (No. 209), St. Peter’s (No. 178) and Siena ( No. 109).

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On the Vine – Jan. 28, 2016

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The panel breaks down a wild weekend of league play and looks ahead to the first weekend of Ivy back-to-backs, plus an update on developments and feelings toward the formation of a conference tournament. Technical difficulties included. Peter Andrews and Mike Tony are joined by Michael James (@ivybball), and in an impromptu appearance, Jonathan Tannenwald of Philly.com, for this episode.

Ivy 60 for 60: Jim McMillian

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Columbia hasn't won an Ivy title since Jim McMillian graduated in 1970. (The Lions last won the crown in '68.)
Columbia hasn’t won an Ivy title since Jim McMillian graduated in 1970. (The Lions last won the crown in ’68.)

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 throughout the season (in no particular order):

Jim McMillian was a McDonald’s-level All-American who played for Brooklyn’s Thomas Jefferson High School. In college, much as Bill Bradley had done for Princeton, McMillian catapulted the Columbia basketball program from obscurity to national prominence by his sophomore year (with the able assistance of Dave Newmark, Heyward Dotson, Roger Walaszak and Washington Redskins Super Bowl lineman George Starke).

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Penn comes first for Yale this weekend

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Last year, Yale trumped Penn easily at the Palestra, 75-48, with Makai Mason leading the way off the bench with 14 points. The series finished much closer in New Haven, with the game not decided until the final minute. Yale won, 55-50, partially due to a 32-24 rebounding advantage and 9-for-10 free throw shooting from now graduated Javier Duren.

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Ivy Power Rankings – Jan. 26, 2016

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The best thing about this week of Ivy action is it’s the first full weekend of league play. Now that all Ivies except the Ps have squared off with their travel partners twice, we get beyond those singular matchups and into the grueling back-to-backs that give the conference its identity. In other words, this is when we start to find out definitively who the contenders really are.

  1. Yale (11-5, 2-0 Ivy)

The Bulldogs lived up to their reputation of trouncing lesser competition, bruising Brown in Providence with frontcourt depth. It’s got to be really encouraging that forwards Brandon Sherrod and Sam Downey combined for 42 points on 17-for-20 shooting with Justin Sears plagued with foul trouble. It’s hard to judge the Elis too much by their offensive efficiency against the Ivy League’s most porous defense, but this was a certifiably strong performance. Yale’s defense is the best in the conference. Yale is the best rebounding team in the conference. Let’s keep the analysis simple here – those facts mean a lot.

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Ivy Saturday roundup

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Columbia 79, Cornell 68

Cornell’s gameplan was sound: Don’t sag in too much responding to Columbia interior attacks and try to disrupt the Lions with physicality on the perimeter. Cornell’s gameplan didn’t matter.

Columbia shot 13-for-24 (54.2 percent) from beyond the arc to pull away in the second half. A trio of Lions – Luke Petrasek, Maodo Lo and C.J. Davis – hit at least three treys, enough to make up for several bunnies missed inside and playing at a faster pace than coach Kyle Smith probably wanted. Cornell missed Robert Hatter for the second game in this series but benefited from freshman guard Matt Morgan’s 26 points on 9-for-23 shooting. For more on the game, read our Ian Wenik’s instant analysis.

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Ivy 60 for 60: Rudy LaRusso

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Rudy LaRusso was in an episode of Gilligan's Island once.
Rudy LaRusso was in an episode of Gilligan’s Island once.

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 throughout the season (in no particular order):

Between 1960 and 2007, Penn and Princeton dominated Ivy League basketball, winning 43 out of 47 championships. However, the first dominant team in the newly formed Ivy League was Dartmouth, led by All-American power forward Rudy LaRusso. Between 1956 and 1959, Dartmouth and LaRusso rendered the Penn-Princeton rivalry stillborn by winning three consecutive championships.

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Columbia gets back on track with treys, sweeps Cornell

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This time around, the biggest source of drama in Columbia’s rematch with Cornell was the open question of how the Lions would be able to safely return to Manhattan following a 79-68 victory. The three-point shooting of Columbia (13-6, 2-0 Ivy) kept Cornell (7-9, 0-2) safely at arm’s length throughout the second half.

Turning point: This game was close at halftime, as Columbia only held a 36-33 lead heading into the break. In the second half, though, the Lions took advantage of their biggest strength to open up a big lead they wouldn’t give up.

Luke Petrasek, Maodo Lo and Alex Rosenberg all hit three-pointers in the first 3:27 of the second half, pushing the Lions’ lead to 11 points. Cornell never seriously threatened after that burst.

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