Ivy Power Rankings – Dec. 8, 2015

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Now that we’re well into nonconference season, we’ve got a bead on how the Ivies are coming along so far. Our Richard Kent breaks down his Ivy power rankings. What are yours?

1. Yale (5-3) The best team by far thus far. Makai Mason is making an early case for Ivy Player of the Year, coming up big against top competition (37 points and 15 assists against SMU and Duke combined). Justin Sears is, well, Justin Sears (and the reigning Ivy POY, who has to like his chances of doing major damage to the Tigers, who he scored 53 points against in two games a year ago) after Stony Brook forward Jameel Warney dominated the Tigers in the frontcourt last week. Brandon Sherrod is a specimen after taking a year off. Should have beaten the Mustangs and were competitive at Cameron Indoor for a half.

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Thoughts on the creation of an Ivy conference tournament: Yea or nay?

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It was reported by CBS Sports last week that the Ivy League is close to creating an annual conference tournament that would be in place for the 2016-17 season, which is obviously big news since the Ivy League is the only Division I conference that still doesn’t have a conference tournament. Ivy presidents finally seem poised to go along with coaches’ wishes in setting up such a tournament, as it’s been reported that TV exposure is a motivating factor in securing a league tourney.

Eight of IHO’s writers weighed in on whether they support the creation of an annual conference tournament, and if so, where and when should it be held on a yearly basis, and how many teams should participate. Their in-depth responses after the jump:

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Seawolves hand Princeton its first loss of the season

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Jameel Warney demonstrated why he will be a draft pick in the next NBA draft this afternoon as Stony Brook defeated the Tigers, 91-77, on the victors” court.

Warney”s sixth double-double this season (26 points and 15 rebounds) kept the Seawolves comfortably in control throughout the contest, as the Tigers (4-1) never led. A 9-0 run to start the second half got the Tigers within two at 41-39, but after a timeout the Seawolves went an an 11-3 run of their own. Warney added seven blocks and eight assists to his fabulous effort, looking like a man playing with boys. Henry Caruso and Devin Cannady each posted 16 points to lead the Tigers. After posting more casino than 90 points in two straight games, the Tigers surrendered 91 to a very talented Stony Brook quintet, which has held the lead in 119 of its last 120 minutes on the floor. Shooting north of 60 percent from the field certainly helps and that”s exactly what the Seawolves did against the overmatched Tigers, who were outrebounded 35-14 on the defensive glass.

The Tigers head to a Tuesday contest at St. Joe”s, which beat Columbia last night in Manhattan..

St. Joe’s knows Lo: How the Lions can start winning at the wire

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Following last night’s devastating 80-78 loss to Saint Joseph’s, Columbia (4-5) has now lost three out of its last four games by a combined four points.

Each time, the Lions have had the ball in their hands with a chance for the tie or victory on the last possession. Each time, they’ve come up short.

Last night, it was the Lions’ defense that surprisingly gave them a chance to win late in the second half after largely going missing for much of the second frame. Saint Joseph’s shot 59.4 percent in the second half after missing 22 of its first 33 shots, but Columbia’s press defense came up huge in the final two minutes, forcing a five-second call and a turnover on the sideline that set up the final play.

With 5.3 seconds to go, the Lions had a golden opportunity, inbounding in the Hawks’ half of the floor. Everyone knew where the ball was going — especially Saint Joseph’s coach Phil Martelli.

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Penn falls to Navy despite a comeback with a twist

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PHILDADELPHIA – For the first time all season, Penn basketball has lost consecutive games.

The Red and Blue were thrown off from the opening tip by Navy, a squad which won its seventh consecutive game after an 0-2 start. The Quakers (4-3) got off to a slow start before staging a late comeback, only to be undone by a layup from Navy sophomore Shawn Anderson and some missed free throws by sophomore guard Antonio Woods in the final minute.

I’ll get to the comeback in a second, but the more notable part of this game was the beginning. This is the fourth straight game that Penn trailed at the half and the end of the first half exposed some weaknesses, particularly with the Quakers’ depth.

A turning point came when both Woods and senior center Darien Nelson-Henry each picked up two fouls, all within a two-minute span. The duo account for a lot of Penn’s offense, and it showed in their absence (they each subbed in for a few possessions later in the half, but were limited).

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Ivy Wednesday roundup

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Navy 65, Penn 59

So very close. Sophomore guard Antonio Woods missed three free throws and a long two-point jumper in the final 26 seconds, helping Navy end the game on a 6-0 run after Penn climbed back from a nine-point deficit with 5:07 remaining to force a 59-59 tie at the 1:03 mark. Of course, Woods’ 16 points – 13 in the second stanza – allowed the Quakers to stick around that much in the first place since Penn got little production from its bench (10 points to Navy’s 29), or its defense (two points off turnovers to Navy’s 22). Penn struggled for much of the game with senior center Darien Nelson-Henry in foul trouble, as the Quakers committed 18 turnovers. Now’s a good time to remember that Penn is 4-3 despite ranking last in the conference in three-point shooting even in coach Steve Donahue’s three-heavy system, with a bunch of players that Donahue didn’t recruit suddenly slotted into his system. Check out Steven Tydings” analysis of Navy-Penn, which featured a comeback with a twist.

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Cornell ekes past Siena, 81-80

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What a turnaround. Cornell held serve to improve to 3-0 at home (4-4 overall) in dramatic fashion, overcoming a 14-point second-half deficit and a 55-43 hole with 11:52 remaining. How? Two words: Robert. Hatter.

The junior guard scored 25 of Cornell”s 40 points in the final 15:32 (and 32 on the night, thanks in part to 4-for-4 shooting from beyond the arc). One thing has always been true about Hatter: When he”s on, he”s really on.

Another promising development for Cardiac Cornell, which is 2-1 in games decided by three points or less this season after being projected casino to finish last in the Ivy League, is junior center David Onuorah”s play tonight. Onuorah posted nine points, nine rebounds and three blocks in 36 minutes, allowing Cornell to, for once, hold its own on the boards and actually execute within a frenetic tempo. Good stuff for Cornell against a squad 153 slots above it in the KenPom standings, and a trend that must continue from Onuorah if this undersized frontcourt is to do damage come Ivy play.

Ivy Hoops Plus: Q&A with Piqued editor-in-chief and former Princeton forward Kareem Maddox

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For our latest installment of Ivy Hoops Plus, a feature in which we shine a light on the many impactful works that those with Ivy ties are doing off the court, we caught up with former Princeton forward Kareem Maddox (’11). The 2011 Ivy Defensive Player of the Year and league champion is now producer of Colorado Matters for Colorado Public Radio. Last year, Maddox founded Piqued, a website that features interviews with intriguing minds from all walks of life, with fellow Princeton graduate Nick Antoine. Maddox tells us about what motivated him to start Piqued, and his Piqued interview with another Princeton basketball legend, Armond Hill (’76).

Ivy Hoops Online: How did Piqued come about?

Kareem Maddox: The idea for Piqued started as a conversation between Nick Antoine and me. We were a few years out of undergrad and were talking about how much we missed learning about the broad range of subjects taught at Princeton. We realized, “Why do we have to stop? Let’s seek out experts, ask them questions, and share what we learn with our friends.” That’s how the name came about—the interviews were about topics that “piqued our interest.” The website started off with just print interviews and over time we began adding additional features such as illustrations. We plan to add podcasts very soon.

IHO: Are there other publications or websites that helped inspire Piqued’s mission, or did Piqued come from a general lack of publications that focused solely on curiosity-based conversation?

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They got Tiger blood, man: Breaking down Princeton's hot start

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“I feel like a tiger right now. There”s nothing impossible if you get up and work for it.” – Michael Flatley

I include this quote from stepdancer Michael Flatley because coach Mitch Henderson could not have choreographed the start of the Tigers” season any better. Princeton is 4-0, the only remaining undefeated Ivy, thanks to an offense that has simply blown opponents away, even if the competition has been middling so far.

Princeton beat Fairleigh Dickinson, 91-61, Monday at Jadwin Gym, with junior forward Henry Caruso posting 27 points on 10-for-11 shooting in just 24 minutes, adding 10 rebounds for good measure. In the three games since Hans Brase was ruled out for the year with a torn ACL, Caruso is averaging 21 points per game on 22-for-28 shooting. Caruso is a guy who gets the shots that he wants and he deserves special mention here. But why else has Princeton been successful so far?

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How to fix Columbia’s defense

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Entering the season, the general consensus was that Columbia’s biggest flaw was its potential inability to keep its opponents’ scoring totals down.

A handful of performances aside, the Lions have done little so far to shake that criticism. They suffered what was easily their worst loss of the season on Saturday night, allowing Longwood to shoot 65.2 percent in the second half of a 70-69 gut-punch. Part of Columbia’s struggles can be chalked up to sheer fatigue (Saturday was its fourth game in one week), but it’s also obvious that there are serious structural flaws that coach Kyle Smith will need to compensate for going forward.

So, what are some realistic solutions?

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