Some thoughts from Princeton men’s basketball’s 76-60 win over Yale at Jadwin Gym Saturday:
KenPom
Princeton men’s basketball outmatched at home by Merrimack
Ivy Hoops Online correspondent George “Toothless Tiger” Clark reports on a 59-56 loss for Princeton men’s basketball (3-10) to Merrimack (6-6) at Jadwin Gym Wednesday:
Quakeaways from Penn men’s basketball’s Big 5 Classic loss to Villanova
PHILADELPHIA — What briefly looked like an opportunity for Penn to snatch a signature win in Fran McCaffery’s first season as head coach spiraled over the course of a half-hour into a nightmare that recreated the worst moments of the Quakers’ last two nightmarish seasons.
Just like last season, Penn played Villanova competitively on Saturday for about 15 minutes of game time. Once again, the game devolved into a blowout. This time, the Wildcats put up 1.36 points per possession in a 90-63 rout that delivered Villanova a Big 5 title.
After junior wing Lucas Lueth tied the score at 27 with an open catch-and-shoot three from the left wing, Villanova (7-1, 3-0 Big 5) went on a 17-2 run to break the game open, which was capped off by two runout layups off turnovers in the final 15 seconds of the first half. The Wildcats were never seriously threatened after that.
The final score, though, was ultimately a secondary concern. The season itself for Penn (5-4, 3-1) is at a crossroads after senior wing Ethan Roberts went down with a scary-looking injury early in the second half. Roberts took an inadvertent high hit while being called for a foul, seized up for a few moments while crumpled in a heap on the ground, and then looked visibly unsteady returning to his feet before walking off the floor under his own power.
McCaffery did not comment on the specific nature of Roberts’ injury but said his player was headed to the hospital.
Roberts’ injury brings back bad memories of the ankle sprain Clark Slajchert suffered in a blowout loss to powerhouse Houston just before New Year’s in 2023. By the time Slajchert returned, Penn was in too deep of a hole to seriously compete for an Ivy Madness spot.
Where do the Quakers go from here?
Princeton men’s basketball outmatched at Monmouth
Ivy Hoops Online contributor George “Toothless Tiger” Clark reports on a 63-58 loss for Princeton men’s basketball (3-8) at Monmouth (5-4) Wednesday:
Yale men’s basketball holds off Akron to win Paradise Jam Tournament
22-for-22.
You read that right. Yale men’s basketball (6-1) was 22-for-22 from the free-throw line and held off a furious Akron (5-2) charge to win the U.S. Virgin Islands Paradise Jam Tournament, 97-94, Monday night.
“I thought our guys were really connected against a really difficult opponent,” Yale coach James Jones said.
Nick Townsend powers Yale men’s basketball to Paradise Jam Tournament final
It was the Nick Townsend show Sunday evening at the Paradise Jam Tournament in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
The senior forward posted a career-high 32 points plus eight rebounds to lead Yale into the tournament final with a decisive 74-63 win over the College of Charleston.
“They let him (Townsend) go one on one, and he took advantage of it,” coach James Jones said.
Quakeaways from Penn men’s basketball’s big Big 5 win over Saint Joseph’s
PHILADELPHIA — With 15:51 to play last night, Penn held a 48-46 lead at the Palestra on Saint Joseph’s and former coach Steve Donahue. The Quakers entered Monday as a six-point underdog, but the small lead clearly wasn’t enough for Penn coach Fran McCaffery — or anyone on the bench, for that manner.
One benefit of my seats behind the scorer’s table is that I can pick up bits and pieces of what’s said on the Penn bench or in the huddle. You can see players get coached up as they come off the floor, or hear an assistant demanding someone on the court cut or help.
I didn’t pick up a ton of what McCaffery was saying during that timeout, but one sentence aimed at the Hawks came through perfectly clear.
“They ****ing can’t defend!”
A few minutes later, Penn proved its new coach right. A 5-0 Penn run — capped by a wing three from Ethan Roberts in transition — would force Saint Joseph’s into a timeout and help lift the Quakers to a thrilling 83-74 win.
Penn (2-2, 1-0 Big 5) was physically overwhelmed by Saint Joseph’s (2-2, 1-1) on the same floor last year, the first big red flag in a season that got Donahue fired. Not so on Monday. The Quakers put up 1.11 points per possession and played at times brilliant offense against an ostensibly superior opponent.
Where do they go from here?
Yale men’s basketball notches road rout of Quinnipiac
Yale men’s basketball dispatched preseason MAAC favorite Quinnipiac (1-2) in Hamden, Conn. last night, 97-60. Yale (2-0) was down early and grabbed a 24-23 lead over the hosts (1-2) and the Bulldogs were off to the races.
“It was a great team performance. Our kids played really well together,” said coach James Jones.
2025-26 IHO Men’s Preseason Poll
The 2025-26 Ivy men’s basketball season tips off Friday, so it’s time for Ivy Hoops Online’s preseason poll – not to be confused with the Ivy League-released media preseason poll. Here’s how our contributors collectively predict the league will shake out, with select observations from some of them:
Yale men’s basketball really is as good as advertised – and maybe better
So much for a nip-and-tuck game with arch-rival Princeton.
And so much for a trap game at Penn in between playing at Princeton and Cornell.
Yale answered those bells emphatically with a 77-70 win at Jadwin Gym and a 90-61 win at The Palestra.
In fairness to Penn, it was a 12-point game with a little under six minutes t0 play and then Yale closed the game out with a 23-6 run. But the game was never in doubt.
If consistency is a virtue, then Yale was more than virtuous. The Bulldogs shot 57% from the filed in both games and held both Princeton and Penn to 34% shooting.
“That’s a really good Yale basketball game,” Yale coach James Jones said. “A really good game from us from start to finish.”