The out-of-conference portion of the Yale men’s schedule ended today with an emphatic 93-65 win over visiting Howard.
Yale (7-6) was picked to finish second behind Princeton in the Ivy media preseason poll.
So what have we learned about Yale?
Tiger Takeaways for Princeton women’s basketball as Ivy League play approaches
A whiteboard used by Princeton women’s basketball coach Carla Berube and her coaching staff sits on a sideline chair af the Jon. M. Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Dec. 8, 2024 (Steve Silverman | Ivy Hoops Online)
Princeton women’s basketball ended 2024 on a high note, vanquishing the Le Moyne Dolphins, 75-43, on New Year’s Eve and finishing its nonconference schedule with a 9-4 record.
With the curtain rising on the Ivy League season in only three days, it’s time to take stock of how the Tigers have fared during the first half of the season and look ahead to the prospects for the six-time-defending Ivy League champions grabbing yet another conference title.
Here are four Tiger Takeaways from the conclusion of the nonconference season:
Just how vulnerable is Princeton men’s basketball?
PRINCETON, N.J. – By now, you’ve probably seen Dalen Davis’ game-winning three-pointer to beat Akron 76-75 on Monday afternoon, completing a remarkable comeback, not for the first time this season for Princeton.
The win over the Zips (7-5) may have been the most impressive comeback, down 11 with seven minutes left, but the Tigers also overcame deficits against Iona, Northeastern, Merrimack, Monmouth and Rutgers.
Impressive fortitude, yes. But is it a sign of a veteran team that will continue to do this for the next few months, or an ominous omen that the preseason Ivy League favorites might be extremely vulnerable this season?
After loss at Rutgers, it may be now or never for Columbia men’s basketball
PISCATAWAY, N.J. – You won’t ever get a coach to say a season is now or never, but for Jim Engles and Columbia this season, it might be that time.
It’s Engles’ ninth year in charge of the program, and Columbia hasn’t had more than five Ivy League wins in any of the first seven seasons. On a macro level, that’s not an aberration. The Lions haven’t been to the NCAA Tournament since 1968 and before Kyle Smith’s two winning seasons, Columbia hadn’t had a winning record in Ivy play since legendary coach Jack Rohan (who was also in charge in 1968) did it in 1991-92.
Solid effort falls short for Penn women’s basketball at Arizona State
The Penn women’s basketball team went a long way for is loss Monday to Arizona State – not just in flying to the Southwest, not just in challenging a Big 12 team on its home court, but in playing the Sun Devils even or better for seven-eighths of the game before falling, 73-67.
Columbia men’s basketball loses a game within a game at Rutgers
There was more to Columbia men’s basketball’s game at Rutgers than the 91-64 final score in the home team’s favor.
More to the game than the first triple-double at Rutgers since 1983. Projected no. 1 or 2 NBA draft pick Dylan Harper had 16 points, 12 assists and 11 rebounds.
LISTEN: Princeton men’s basketball’s postgame presser after 76-75 win over Akron
Ivy Hoops Online correspondent George “Toothless Tiger” Clark brings us Princeton men’s basketball’s postgame press conference after a dramatic 76-75 comeback win for Princeton (10-4) over Akron (7-5) Monday afternoon at Jadwin Gym, featuring coach Mitch Henderson and sophomore guards Dalen Davis and Jackson Hicke:
.@DalenDavis2, FOR THE WIN!
The Tigers come back from 15 down to defeat Akron, 76-75!
: https://t.co/ttHDA754SJ#MakeShots pic.twitter.com/W3EGU6EfSb
— Princeton Men’s Basketball (@PrincetonMBB) December 30, 2024
Quakeaways from Penn men’s basketball’s 86-66 loss at Penn State
Playing on the road as a 25-plus-point Vegas underdog without your best player is typically a recipe for disaster. Penn learned that the hard way roughly this time last year against Houston when star guard Clark Slajchert suffered a season-ruining ankle sprain in an 81-42 beatdown.
By those standards, the Quakers’ Sunday trip to the Bryce Jordan Center to face Penn State was a (relative) success. Despite being without the services of junior wing Ethan Roberts, Penn went toe-to-toe with the Nittany Lions for roughly 25 minutes in an 86-66 defeat.
The Quakers (4-9) went to the locker room down just 34-31 at halftime and were within two points of Penn State (11-2) after senior big man Nick Spinoso bounced in a three-pointer from the left wing to make it a 38-36 game with 17:40 to go in the game. The Nittany Lions responded with an extended 13-3 run to push their advantage to double digits and built a bigger lead from there.
Penn State big man Yanic Konan Niederhauser scored five points in the game-deciding run. He finished with a 19-point, 15-rebound double-double.
What could Penn fans take away from a respectable showing against an NCAA Tournament contender?
Princeton women’s basketball rolls past Middle Tennessee State, 64-51, for third straight win
The Princeton women’s basketball team cruised past the Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders Saturday afternoon at Jadwin Gymnasium, 64-51, for the Tigers’ third consecutive win. The triumph extended Princeton’s home winning streak to 23 games, tied for the third-longest in the nation.
This group of Tigers is a changed team since returning home two and a half weeks ago after starting the season with eight of its first nine games on the road. In three consecutive home wins against Rhode Island, Vermont and now Middle Tennessee State, Princeton hasn’t trailed for a second and has outscored its opponents by an overage of 13.3 points per game.
Columbia men’s basketball uses dominant second-half performance to down Fairfield, 85-72
After finding itself down nine at the half to Fairfield, the Columbia men’s basketball team found its offensive groove over the final 20 minutes, outscoring its opponents by 22 points to come away with a convincing 85-72 victory at Levien Gymnasium Saturday afternoon.
The win puts Jim Engles’ Lions at 11-1 on the season, including a perfect 8-0 record at home. Meanwhile, the Stags, which were undefeated when leading at the midway point this season, ended the day at 5-8.