Yale 86, Columbia 72: Sherrod Can’t Miss, Bulldog Offense Can’t Be Stopped

NEW HAVEN, Conn. – There was a time not long ago when the vaunted Yale offense was not so vaunted. In their last two games before Christmas break, the Bulldogs put up 0.94 and 0.89 points per possession in losses to Illinois and USC.

Yeah, those are BCS schools, you say? Well, in the game after finals, Yale posted 0.97 ppp against Central Connecticut, who has spent some time at No. 351 in KenPom this season and whose defense has been in the bottom five in efficiency nationally all season. The Bulldogs still won that game handily and were in the other two thanks to its defense, tops in the Ivy League last season, and by all accounts, the backbone of its Ivy challenge this season.

Continue reading “Yale 86, Columbia 72: Sherrod Can’t Miss, Bulldog Offense Can’t Be Stopped”

Ivy League Weekly Roundup: A 3-Team Race Emerges

What Happened Last Week: The top three contenders looked the part: Columbia stayed perfect, thanks to an Alex Rosenberg buzzer-beater. Yale did the same, but not without a scare from Princeton. Cornell got a surprising road sweep, while Harvard crashed and burned. Continue reading “Ivy League Weekly Roundup: A 3-Team Race Emerges”

Columbia 55, Harvard 54: Rosenberg’s Buzzer-Beater Is Sweet Revenge

For several seasons, Harvard has been the team that can’t lose close games. Whether it was overtime squeakers or playoff game-winners, the Crimson always seemed to come out on top, going 16-3 in Ivy games decided by five points or less from 2012-15. Columbia, meanwhile, was the league’s hard-luck team, going 5-17 in such games. Continue reading “Columbia 55, Harvard 54: Rosenberg’s Buzzer-Beater Is Sweet Revenge”

Columbia Finishes Season Sweep of Cornell

ITHACA, N.Y. — Kyle Smith pointed a finger in the air with a wide grin on his face after he walked off the Newman Arena court following Columbia’s (13-6, 2-0 Ivy) 79-68 win over Cornell (7-9, 0-2). For the third in his six-year tenure, Smith has led the Lions to a 2-0 Ivy League start, but this is the first time that record comes with heightened expectations. Continue reading “Columbia Finishes Season Sweep of Cornell”

Ivy League Weekly Roundup: Previewing Conference Play

What Happened Last Week: The Ivy League lost the (quasi-official) #IVYvsAE Challenge 4-2, returning the (very imaginary) trophy after last year’s (hashtag-less) sweep. Princeton and Brown scared Miami and Rhode Island, but neither completed an upset. Continue reading “Ivy League Weekly Roundup: Previewing Conference Play”