Samson Aletan

Yale men’s basketball notches tough road win over Vermont

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The last time Yale men’s basketball defeated Vermont in Burlington, Barack Obama was president. (It was 2014.)

Burlington was a house of horrors for Yale two years ago, when a Vermont four-point play with .7 seconds left downed the visitors.

But Yale exorcised those demons with a tough 77-74 victory over the Catamounts Sunday in a heavyweight mid-major battle.

“We just played together and stuck in there,” Yale coach James Jones said. “Vermont is a really good team. Just makes you feel good about us going forward.”

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Yale men’s basketball holds off Akron to win Paradise Jam Tournament

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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.

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Yale men’s basketball takes first season loss after Rhode Island second-half surge

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Yale men’s basketball took its first loss of the 2025-26 season Tuesday night at John J. Lee Amphitheater, squandering a 10-point second-half lead and falling tamely to KenPom No. 102 Rhode Island, 86-77.

The Rams (4-1) went on a 17-6 run to grab a 57-56 lead and hold off the Bulldogs (3-1). The visitors were more physical than Yale in the second half and outscored them, 46-31, in the frame.

“We did a poor job of getting back [on defense],” Yale coach James Jones said. “They have some quickness there [at guard].”

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Yale men’s basketball notches road rout of Quinnipiac

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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.

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Yale men’s basketball dispatches Navy in season opener

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Tip of the hat to the graduated John Poulakidas and Bez Mbeng. BUt Nick Townsend and Riley Fox are now Yale men’s basketball’s leaders, and the rest of the Ivy League should be warned that the Bulldogs are still the team to beat after their 97-68 road trouncing of Navy to open their 2025-26 campaign.

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2025-26 IHO Men’s Preseason Poll

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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:

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Yale men’s basketball remains the team to beat

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When a team loses arguably two of the top 10 players in its basketball history in John Poulakidas and Bez Mbeng, it is tough to believe that it would be the overwhelming favorite to win the Ivy League.

But don’t tell that to James Jones. You see, Yale merely reloads each season.

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Yale men’s hoops remains on top heading into 2025-26 campaign

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Yale doesn’t rebuild. It reloads.

It is trite but true. Yale and Princeton have been the premier Ivy programs since 2015. But it looks as if Yale will hold that mantle this year, as it has the last two regular seasons.

Incoming frosh will be vastly better than their recruiting rankings, and sophomores will become contributors and then ultimately stars. It always happens for Yale.

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Longtime Yale men’s basketball assistant Justin Simon departs for Carnegie Mellon

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Justin Simon has left his post as Yale men’s basketball associate head coach to become the new head coach at Carnegie Mellon. (Yale Athletics)

The golden era of Yale men’s basketball has taken place over the last decade under the tutelage of longtime head coach James Jones.

Playing no small part in such excellence has been associate head coach Justin Simon, who was named the head coach at Division III Carnegie Mellon University Wednesday.

“I am really fortunate to have been surrounded by so many extraordinary people during my tenure at Yale,” Simon said.

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No. 13 Yale men’s basketball falls to No. 4 Texas A&M in NCAA Tournament

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All good things must come to an end.

So it went for No. 13 Yale men’s basketball in its 80-71 loss to No. 4 Texas A&M in the NCAA Tournament Round of 64 Thursday night in Denver.

Junior forward Pharrel Payne had a career-high 25 points and added 10 rebounds for the Aggies.

A 1:43 sequence at the end of the first half epitomized Yale’s night in its third NCAA Tournament berth in four years.

The Bulldogs were struggling offensively and had no points from the Ivy Player of the Year, senior guard Bez Mbeng, yet were down only 35-29.

Aggies junior forward Solomon Washington was whistled for a flagrant foul off of a rebound.

Mbeng missed both free throws. Yale (22-8) did not convert on the free possession and then turned the ball over.

“In terms of our team, I couldn’t be prouder of our effort today,” Yale coach James Jones said. “It wasn’t our best performance.”

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