VIDEO: Princeton earns the Ivy's autobid at the buzzer

You want to know what college basketball is all about?

Harvard and Princeton.

In the third head-to-head matchup, the Tigers and the Crimson headed to Yale's Lee Coliseum to play what amounted to the Ivy League Championship game. The gym was electric, with both schools sending a huge contingent of students. The crowd was split down the middle, with half the gym decked out in Orange and the other half in Crimson.

Harvard's Brandyn Curry scored on a tough layup in the paint with 12 seconds left to give Harvard a 62-61 lead. After Princeton had a shot blocked out of bounds with 2.8 seconds left, head coach Sydney Johnson called a timeout setting up the final possession:



So thanks to Douglas Davis, the Tigers, who were a loss to Penn on March 5th away from being eliminated from contention, are headed to the NCAA Tournament with the 63-62 win.

You want an idea of the kind of atmosphere that was in the gym? Neutral floor court storm:


(h/t some bum at CBS for the photo)

The question that must be asked now is whether or not Harvard can actually sneak into the NCAA Tournament. Its more of a possibility than you may think. The Crimson have beated Boston College and Colorado this season. They went on the road to play teams like Michigan and George Mason during the non-conference portion of their schedule. They have an RPI of 32.

More importantly, however, this is a team that, if they were able to land a 12 seed, can win a game in the NCAA Tournament. They have a front line that can match up with a high-major front line in Keith Wright and Kyle Casey. Their backcourt is a solid combination of shooters, athletes, and play makers.

Based on the rest of the bubble, the chances of Harvard getting in is fairly small.

Count me among the group that wants to see the Crimson get a chance.
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Harvard earns a share of the Ivy title, puts the pressure on Princeton

Harvard won a share of their first ever Ivy League crown tonight, beating Princeton 79-67 on the strength of 24 points from a yet-to-be-fully-healthy Kyle Casey and 10 points and 10 assists from Brandyn Curry.

I say that they won a share of the title because there is still a chance that the Crimson can win the outright title. Princeton is a game behind Harvard in the win column as they travel to the Palestra to take on Penn on Tuesday.

It sets up an interesting scenario.

The Ivy League is the only conference in the country that doesn't have a tournament. Their at-large winner is determined by the regular season champion. If Princeton beats Penn, the Tigers and the Crimson will be tied for the Ivy League title, setting up a situation where the two would be forced to play a third rematch, essentially what amounts to an Ivy League title game.


I know what you are thinking.

Its the Ivy League. Why should I card about who gets in as the appetizer for a No. 1 or No. 2 seed?

Because both Princeton and Harvard have the horses to spring an upset in the NCAA Tournament.

The Crimson have a front line that can compete with the high-majors in Casey and Keith Wright. Their back court, led by Curry, Oliver McNally, and Christian Webster, is better than you think. Remember how Tommy Amaker made some headlines with recruiting violations a few years back? Well, it paid off.

Princeton has four players averaging between 12.1 ppg and 14.0 ppg, but they too have a nice blend of size and perimeter players. On Saturday, it was the 25 points that Dan Mavraides scored that kept the Tigers close.

But most importantly, you should care because these are two rivals and two quality basketball teams playing for the right to get into the NCAA Tournament.

If you can't get excited about that, feel free to mail in your fan card. I'll pay for the postage.
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The Ivy had a great year, but it is still the Ivy

With Cornell's run to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament, and Jeremy Lin's performance in the Summer League and subsequent contract with the Golden State Warriors, the question that is going to start being asked is whether or not the Ivy can consistently produce NCAA tournament winners and NBA players.

In other words, does this boost in profile make the league more attractive to recruits?

As they say, there is no such thing as bad publicity.

Jeremy Lin went from Harvard to the NBA.
(photo credit: ESPN)

Cornell became the darling on the NCAA Tournament, putting together some of the most impressive offensive basketball I've ever seen in their two wins during the first weekend. And while that team had plenty of talent -- Ryan Wittman, Louis Dale, and Jeff Foote probably all could have started at BCS programs by their senior seasons -- their success was as much about coaching and the ability of that team to play together as much as it was individual talent.

In other words, that team was a fluke team. Steve Donahue landed three guys that could have gone to bigger schools, surrounded them with solid role players, and developed a system that allowed each of those three players to maximize their ability. It was a perfect storm and a testament to the job Donahue did. That's why he got the head coaching job at Boston College.

As for Lin, he was just a guy that the bigger schools missed on. It happens -- ask the Curry brothers or Adam Morrison. Maybe it was because he was too slow, or couldn't jump high enough, or didn't have perfect form on his jumper, or his height, or his ethinicity. Whatever it was, Lin slipped through the cracks to become one of the best guards in the country last season while playing for a school known for brain power, not athletics. Lin, like the group at Cornell, was a fluke.

Look, I don't mean to discredit what the Ivy League did last season. It was impressive. It was fun to watch. But that doesn't change the fact that it is the Ivy League. There is a much smaller pool of prospects for schools in the Ivy League. They need players that not only can afford to pay for school (not always the case, as financial aid can be given to athletes), but can hold their own in the classroom as well.

That is what an Ivy League coach needs to sell recruits on. "Come here, play a lower level of D1 basketball in a league that doesn't have a conference tournament at a school where you will need to work as hard, if not harder, in the classroom than you do on the court."

That is a tough sales-pitch to a BCS-level kid. Its also why a coach like Steve Donahue, who was able to successfully make that sales pitch to three potential high-major players, gets scooped up by a school like Boston College.

The Ivy is like any other low- or mid-major conference. It goes in cycles. They've have been very successful the last year.

But one year, one Sweet 16 trip, and one undrafted free agent earning a contract is not going to make anyone forget that this is, in fact, still the Ivy League.

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Cornell will never get an at-large bid

If my google reader had a trending topics section a la twitter, Cornell's near upset of would be at the top of that list.

One point that has been discussed is whether or not Cornell deserves an at-large bid to the tournament.

In a word: no.

Cornell plays in the Ivy League. The Ivy League is the only conference in the country that gives their automatic bid to the champion of the regular season because they don't have a conference tournament.

The Big Red hung tough with Kansas last night.
(photo credit: LJ World)

If today was Selection Sunday, Cornell would almost assuredly be dancing. They've won at St. John's, at Alabama, and at La Salle. They are 11-3, with their only losses coming at home to Seton Hall, at Syracuse, and at Kansas last night, in a game they very well could have won. They have an RPI of 35 (before last night's game), but with just one top 50 win (and that may not be top 50 for too much longer, as St. John's is currently 50th in the RPI) and are 2-3 against the top 100.

Seeing as their non-conference slate is done, Cornell's profile has no where to go but down playing an Ivy League conference slate. Yes, they have two games left against Harvard, who is 25th in the RPI, but the only other team in the conference with an RPI better that 239 is Princeton, who is 139th.

There are not many teams playing in low-major conferences that are going to be considered for an at-large berth, which means that Cornell will be competing for one of those 31 spots with teams that are going to have numerous chances at knocking off the best in the country during conference play.

Cornell won't.

The only way that they can can be eligible for an at-large berth is if they lose the Ivy's regular season title. Assuming an absolute best case scenario, that means they go 13-1 in league play, with their only loss coming to Harvard. If Harvard also goes 13-1, it would set up a one game playoff for the automatic bid, which Cornell would then lose.

Assuming the computer numbers stay where they are, that would mean Cornell would have just two top 50 wins and would be 3-5 against the top 100. Is the committee going to give an at-large bid to a team whose marquee win is against Harvard?

Not likely.

If Cornell was to sweep Harvard during the regular season, it would mean that the Big Red would have to drop three games to Ivy opponents to hear their name on Selection Sunday. Call me crazy, but I don't see a three loss Ivy League team making the tournament.

The argument for Cornell getting an at-large bid would have merit if the Ivy League had a conference tournament. Say Cornell goes undefeated during the regular season, but loses a close game to Harvard in the tournament final.

Then the Big Red would have an legitimate gripe if they are sent to the NIT.

Yes, Harvard is a good team. Yes, Jeremy Lin is a great player. But if Cornell can't win the Ivy League, then they don't deserve to go dancing.
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