OUTLOOK: Cornell repeated as champions of the Ivy League last season and with
every starter and several key reserves back in the fold, the Big Red are
clearly the favorites to win the title once again in 2009-10.
Princeton made a big move up the standings last season and returns all five
starters, making the Tigers the biggest threat to Cornell. Penn is coming off
its most disappointing campaign in some time, but the Quakers return four
starters that should help them challenge for the conference crown. Harvard
continues to move in the right direction and its three returning starters
should have the Crimson competing for a winning campaign at the very least.
Brown returns the services of three double-figure scorers, making the Bears a
candidate for the biggest turnaround after placing last a season ago. The
Columbia Lions are strong at the perimeter, but will need help in the front to
stay competitive, while the Yale Bulldogs must overcome the losses of two All-
Ivy players. The Dartmouth Big Green are still developing and won't be all
that competitive following the loss of the league's top scorer.
CONFERENCE CHAMPION: Cornell
PREDICTED ORDER OF FINISH: 1. Cornell, 2. Princeton, 3. Penn, 4. Harvard, 5.
Brown, 6. Columbia, 7. Yale, 8. Dartmouth.
TEAM BY TEAM ANALYSIS:
CORNELL - Behind a talented group of sophomores, the Big Red won its first Ivy
League title in 20 years with a perfect 14-0 campaign in 2007-08. Those same
players led Cornell to the Ancient Eight crown last season, marking the first
time in league history that a school other than Penn or Princeton repeated as
outright champions. All five starters are welcomed back from last year's 21-
win club, so the Big Red is obviously a heavy favorite to three-peat. Leading
head coach Steve Donahue's veteran squad is the All-Ivy duo of Ryan Wittman
and Louis Dale. The 5-11 Dale was voted the 2007-08 Ivy Player of the Year and
he brings a variety of skills to the table, producing 13.0 ppg, 4.2 rpg and
3.6 apg a season ago. As for the 6-6 Wittman, he has led Cornell in scoring
each of the last three seasons, including an average of 18.5 ppg last year,
and is just 231 points shy of the school's all-time scoring record. The duo
will be accompanied by seven-foot center and second-team All-Ivy selection
Jeff Foote. The reigning Defensive Player of the Year, Foote is an
intimidating force in the Ivy League and he averaged 11.8 ppg and 7.2 rpg last
season. Chris Wroblewski also took home some hardware last season, as the 6-0
guard was voted the league's Rookie of the Year after averaging 6.7 ppg off
the bench. He was the conference's top three-point threat, hitting on 44
percent of his chances. Alex Tyler (6.9 ppg, 4.6 rpg) and Geoff Reeves (9.0
ppg) are welcomed back to their starting roles, and the team shoot also
receive a boost from Division I transfers Mark Coury (Kentucky) and Max Groebe
(UMass).
PRINCETON - Coming off consecutive last-place finishes, the Tigers moved up to
second place last season, tying Yale with an 8-6 ledger. Princeton even went
13-14 overall, a big improvement from a 6-23 showing in 2007-08, as Sydney
Johnson has his alma mater back on track. Like league favorite Cornell, the
Tigers return all five starters from a year ago and that includes Douglas
Davis and Dan Mavraides. The 5-11 Davis led the Tigers in scoring (12.3 ppg)
as just a freshman and he figures to be one of the league's best players in
his second go-around. Mavraides, a 6-3 guard, also averaged in double figures,
with 10.3 ppg, and helps form a solid backcourt duo. Pawel Buczak is also back
and the 6-10 center has the potential to be a force after recording 7.7 ppg
and 4.1 rpg last season. Kareem Maddox (5.0 ppg) and Marcus Schroeder (4.9
ppg, 3.0 apg) round out the returning starters, and highly-touted freshman Ian
Hummer should also make an immediate impact.
PENN - The Quakers have fallen off considerably after winning three straight
conference championships (2004-05, 2005-06, 2006-07) and last year they
dropped into a sixth place tie with a 6-8 finish. It marked Penn's first
losing league record since 1990-91, but head coach Glen Miller should have the
Quakers back in the thick of things with four starters back in the fold. Tyler
Bernardini highlights the returnees and the 6-6 guard, who was the 2007-08 Ivy
League Rookie of the Year, paced Penn in scoring with 13.7 ppg last season.
Zack Rosen will again accompany Bernardini at the perimeter, as the 6-1 guard
was effective as a freshman starter last season, scoring 8.1 ppg and leading
the conference with 5.0 apg. Jack Eggleston heads the frontcourt after the 6-8
forward produced 9.6 ppg and 5.9 rpg a season ago, and 6-6 Rob Belcore (4.3
apg) also returns after a promising rookie campaign. The Quakers have some
solid depth in the frontcourt, including 6-9 Andreas Schreiber, who is back
following shoulder surgery.
HARVARD - The Crimson knocked off nationally-ranked Boston College on the road
last season in a shocker and went 8-6 outside of the Ancient Eight, but its
non-conference success didn't carry over to Ivy League play, where the team
went just 6-8. Head coach Tommy Amaker has Harvard moving in the right
direction and the return of three starters gives the program hope for a better
showing in the Ivy in 2009-10. One reason for optimism is the return of Jeremy
Lin, one of the conference's elite players. Last season, the 6-1 Lin broke
through with a tremendous campaign, leading the Crimson in scoring (17.5 ppg),
rebounding (5.5 rpg), assists (4.3 apg) and steals (2.4 spg). Keith Wright
should help take some of the pressure off Lin this season, as the 6-8 forward
will be counted on for more production after averaging 8.0 ppg and 5.5 rpg as
a freshman last season. Doug Miller, a 6-7 forward, is the last of the
returning starters and he contributed 6.1 ppg and 3.6 rpg last season. Oliver
McNally (5.9 ppg), Peter Boehm (6.1 ppg) and Max Kenyi (5.6 ppg) were
productive freshmen reserves last season and they figure to have expanded
roles in 2009-10.
BROWN - After going 11-3 within the conference in 2007-08, the Bears fell off
dramatically in Jesse Agel's first year at the helm, dropping to last place
with a 3-11 showing last season. There is a good chance of a turnaround,
though, as Brown returns three double-figure scorers, including Matt Mullery.
The 6-8 forward was a first-team all-league choice last season, averaging 16.1
ppg and 6.5 rpg, and he figures to be among the top players in the league once
again. Peter Sullivan is another player that can score at a high rate, as the
6-5 forward averaged 14.3 ppg in a complimentary role to Mullery last season.
The team's third returning starter comes in the backcourt, with Adrian
Williams. The 6-1 guard netted 11.0 ppg last season and shot 37.7 percent from
beyond the arc. The Bears however, are still in search of a point guard to
set up these three scorers.
COLUMBIA - For the third straight season, the Lions finished a level 7-7
within the conference. Three starters and some key reserves are now back,
giving head coach Joe Jones a chance to lead Columbia to a winning record. The
backcourt will be the strength of this team, with 6-2 Patrick Foley being the
most productive player, averaging 10.9 ppg and 2.5 apg last season. Noruwa
Agho is another intriguing option and the 6-3 guard should be primed for a big
campaign after netting 9.1 ppg as a freshman last season. Niko Scott (8.2 ppg)
and Kevin Bulger (5.3 ppg) also return as starters in the backcourt, but the
Lions are in need of some help down low. Asenso Ampim, a 6-6 forward, was a
productive player in 16 games for the Lions last season, as he averaged 5.9
ppg and 6.1 rpg. He should receive help from 6-7 Brian Grimes, a La Salle
transfer that has potential, but is coming off an ACL tear.
YALE - The Bulldogs have finished with at least a .500 record in league play
in nine straight seasons and that includes an 8-6 showing in 2008-09. Yale
though, lost a pair of All-Ivy performers in Ross Morin and Travis Pinick, so
its run of non-losing conference campaigns is in jeopardy. Head coach James
Jones however, does return the services of Alex Zampier, a 6-3 guard that
will be counted on to shoulder much of the scoring after netting 13.2 ppg a
season ago. Porter Braswell, a 6-0 guard, tallied 4.6 ppg and 2.1 apg off the
bench last season, but should push for a starting job along with highly
regarded freshman Michael Grace. In the frontcourt, the Bulldogs are short on
talent, but Paul Nelson (3.0 ppg) and Greg Mangano (2.1 ppg) do have good size
with their 6-10 frames.
DARTMOUTH - Behind the outstanding play of Alex Barnett, the Big Green were
able to finish a level 7-7 within the conference. Barnett, the Ivy League
Player of the Year, led the conference in scoring at 19.4 ppg and his
departure leaves a big hole to fill for head coach Terry Dunn. Fortunately,
Dunn did break in a solid freshmen class alongside Barnett and that should pay
dividends in 2009-10. The backcourt should be solid now that Jabari Trotter
and David Rufful have had a year to develop. As a freshmen last season, the
6-1 Trotter averaged 7.0 ppg, while the 6-4 Rufful chipped in with 6.3 ppg.
Ronnie Dixon (5.3 ppg) and Marlon Sanders (4.6 ppg) are two other regulars
that should make an impact at the perimeter. In the frontcourt, the Big Green
will rely on sophomore David Rufful (6-4), who showed good promise as a
rookie, averaging 6.3 ppg off the bench.
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