Princeton women’s basketball coach Carla Berube talks about putting the Tigers’ 2024 NCAA Tournament loss behind the program, where she expects leadership to come from on this year’s team, previews Monday’s season opener at Duquesne, highlights what to look for from her squad’s newcomers, explains why she’ll have to be patient this season, and much more in an in-depth conversation with Ivy Hoops Online contributor Steve Silverman:
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Ivy women’s basketball Media Day highlights
As the 2024-25 season quickly approaches, the Ivy League hosted its annual women’s basketball Media Day on Thursday. The three-hour event, hosted by Lance Medow, can be viewed on the conference’s YouTube channel.
Prior to the event, the league announced the results of its preseason poll.
Princeton, which has claimed the Ancient Eight title for the last six years, was picked first with 122 out of a possible 128 points and 10 first-place votes. Columbia, which has tied for the top spot in each of the last two seasons, came in second with 110 points and five first-place votes.
Harvard, which has finished the last two years in third placed, was tabbed for third in 2025, earning 101 points and one first-place spot.
Penn, the final participant in last year’s Ivy tournament, was picked fourth with 75 votes, while Brown, which finished last year tied with Penn for fourth, was four points back in fifth place.
Sixth place went to Yale, which was as high as third place in 2022, with 48 votes.
While Cornell and Dartmouth ended last season tied for seventh place, the Big Red got the nod for seventh in this year’s poll with 30 points and the Big Green were eighth with 19 points.
Below are highlights from this year’s virtual Media Day:
Impressions from Ivy League men’s basketball Media Day
The Ivy League hosted media day on Tuesday for the upcoming men’s basketball season.
Here’s one key impression from interviews with players and coaches from each of the eight Ancient Eight programs:
WATCH: Q&A with Princeton women’s associate head coach Lauren Battista
Princeton women’s basketball associate head coach Lauren Battista discusses her promotion to that role in her upcoming sixth year with the Tigers, pitching Princeton to recruits and much more in an in-depth conversation with Ivy Hoops Online contributor Steve Silverman:
Princeton women’s basketball releases return matchup-heavy 2024-25 schedule
The Princeton women’s basketball team, winner of five consecutive Ivy League Tournament championships, released its schedule this week for the 2024-25 season.
For the Tigers, it’s déjà vu all over again. Of the 27 games included on the schedule, only four involve new opponents compared to a season ago. That’s largely due to Princeton playing return matchups against nine nonconference opponents from the 2023-24 campaign.
Princeton’s Kaitlyn Chen on choosing UConn for grad transfer season
Next week, Kaitlyn Chen will graduate from Princeton University as one of the most decorated basketball players in the history of Old Nassau.
The senior point guard and former Ivy League Player of the Year recently announced she will enroll next fall at the University of Connecticut to play for the legendary Geno Auriemma as a graduate transfer.
Chen told Ivy Hoops Online she will pursue a master’s degree in sports management at UConn.
Reporter’s Notebook: The day after round one in Iowa City
It’s been more than a day since the No. 9 Princeton women’s basketball team lost its first-round game in the NCAA Tournament to No. 8 West Virginia, 63-53. yet the reality of the Tigers’ season coming to an end hasn’t completely set in for your faithful Ivy Hoops Online correspondent.
A few thoughts and onsite reports from the day after round 1 at the Iowa City pod of the Big Dance:
No. 9 Princeton women’s basketball bows to No. 8 West Virginia in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament
IOWA CITY, Iowa – No. 9 Princeton women’s basketball team ran into a buzzsaw in the first round of the 2024 women’s NCAA Tournament, falling to No. 8 West Virginia, 63-53, Saturday in Iowa City.
The loss ended an outstanding season for Princeton and marked the close of an era for a historic triumvirate of senior co-captains–Kailtyn Chen, Ellie Mitchell, and Chet Nweke–who led the program to new heights during their sensational careers at Old Nassau.
The Tigers (25-5, 15-1 Ivy) came into this contest against the Mountaineers (25-7, Big 12 13-7) filled with confidence and high hopes. And it first, it looked as though those hopes might be vindicated.
LISTEN – Brian Earl leaves Cornell men’s basketball to coach William & Mary
Ivy Hoops Online contributor George “Toothless Tiger” Clark reports on Brian Earl departing Cornell men’s basketball after eight years as the program’s head coach to take the same job at William & Mary and reflects on what Earl has meant to Cornell, Princeton (as a former player and assistant coach) and the Ivy League:
NCAA Tournament Reporter’s Notebook: Controversy swirls on the eve of round one in Iowa City
IOWA CITY, Iowa – Greetings from Iowa City, Iowa, the heartland of girls and women’s basketball.
Your faithful Ivy Hoops Online correspondent grew up in the Hawkeye State, so covering Princeton women’s basketball at this venue has been a nice homecoming for me. In fact, the last time I visited Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City was for a Boston concert with a group of my high school buddies 45 years ago. To be honest, I barely remember the concert, other than it was loud.
But one thing I remember clearly from those long ago days is how important girls’ high school basketball was to the state of Iowa. Back then, the girls’ game was quite different than today. Each team played six players at a time, three on offense and three on defense, and neither the offensive nor the defensive players were allowed to cross the half-court line.
Women’s basketball has come a long way since then, but one thing that hasn’t changed is the passion for the sport. When I was growing up here, no event was more important to the people of Iowa than the girls’ high school basketball tournament, which took place every year at Veterans Memorial Auditorium in downtown Des Moines.
Now, the chief passion in the state is Caitlin Clark and the University of Iowa women’s basketball team. The No. 1 Hawkeyes kick off the first round of games here Saturday afternoon against the No. 16 Holy Cross Crusaders. Later in the day, the No. 9 Princeton Tigers will face off against the No. 8 West Virginia Mountaineers.
How big of a circus is the Caitlin Clark show here in Iowa City? So big, that a gaggle of cameramen and reporters from all over the nation this morning staked out the Iowa women’s locker room in the bowels of Carver-Hawkeye Arena just to get a glimpse of the star player as she walked down the hallway to the team’s pregame day press conference. Then, after the player part of the press conference ended and it was time for coach Lisa Bluder to take questions from the media, nearly every reporter shuffled out of the room, leaving only yours truly and a couple of others to ask questions of the person who actually runs the team.
Here are some other impressions, news, and notes from Iowa City on the day before the round one games begin: