Yale Nation Set To Invade Providence For Long-Awaited NCAA Game

James Jones has had about enough of questions about the expulsion of captain Jack Montague. Which is somewhat understandable given that he has finally reached the pinnacle of his professional life, putting Yale, yes Yale, in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1962, and thereby drawing some national attention to the rest of his stellar record at a program that was struggling mightily before he got there a LONG time ago, at least in coaching terms.

But with every new development, and with very little transparency to be had from Yale, new questions develop. This week it was revealed that the sexual misconduct incident (described suspiciously as “unconsented-to sex”, according to Yale’s side at least) actually happened back in the fall of 2014, with the accuser coming forward a year later, just before this basketball season was to begin. Montague, predictably, has now sued Yale, over the process designed to protect everyone’s anonymity, but failing miserably on that front.

“I’ve been a head coach at Yale for 17 years,” Jones said Wednesday. “This is the first time we’ve made the tournament since 1962. We are one of the best defensive teams in the country. We are one of the best rebounding teams in the country. So I think that’s a great story. And I’d like to tell that one going forward. If anybody has any questions around those types of things, I’d love to answer those questions.”

Continue reading “Yale Nation Set To Invade Providence For Long-Awaited NCAA Game”

Ivy League Weekly Roundup: Release The Brackets

What Happened Last Week: Yale (NCAA), Princeton (NIT) and Columbia (CIT) learned who and when they will play next. Penn’s women topped Princeton for the outright championship. The Ivy League announced its postseason awards, and the 14-Game Tournament is no more. Continue reading “Ivy League Weekly Roundup: Release The Brackets”

The Shotties: Miscellaneous Ivy League Awards

Earlier this week, we published our picks for the Ivy League individual awards, and the conference announced its official selections. But I’ve been compiling shot location data for every team throughout Ivy play, which has allowed me to hand out some new extra-special bonus awards. These are the trophies that aren’t awarded in primetime, the small font that scrolls by before the commercial break. Presenting, the Shotties. Continue reading “The Shotties: Miscellaneous Ivy League Awards”

Pour One Out for the Ivy League’s “14-Game Tournament”

The Ivy League officially announced a postseason basketball tournament today, to begin in the 2016-17 season. Though this has been expected for a few months, the news is historic, as the Ancient Eight has long been the only conference to award its NCAA tournament bid to the regular-season champion.

Is this a good or bad decision? I’ll get to that in a minute. But on a personal level, my first reaction is sadness. Continue reading “Pour One Out for the Ivy League’s “14-Game Tournament””

Jones, Yale Never Looked Back On Way To Breaking NCAA Hex

As far back as last August, Yale coach James Jones said he wasn’t thinking about the gut-wrenching way in which the chance for his program to qualify for the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 53 years was ripped from their clutches on a cold Saturday night in the forests of New Hampshire.

When Yale opened the 2015-16 season by destroying Fairfield, Jones reiterated that last year was gone, these were different players. But as Ivy League play was finally about to begin in January, really, you must be haunted by last year still, James?

Continue reading “Jones, Yale Never Looked Back On Way To Breaking NCAA Hex”

Princeton’s Title Hopes Dashed Despite Victory

Twenty minutes after Saturday’s game ended, as Princeton’s players were wandering out of locker room to mingle with friends and family, the lights briefly went out at Leede Arena. It was an apt metaphor for their Ivy League championship hopes: At that very moment, Yale was making free throws in the final minute at Columbia, securing the solo Ivy League title and the automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. Continue reading “Princeton’s Title Hopes Dashed Despite Victory”

Harvard 73, Princeton 71: Steeves Wounds Tigers’ Title Hopes

The clock at Lavietes Pavilion showed seven seconds, with Princeton inbounding under its own basket down by two points. Yet it felt like the Tigers were exactly where they wanted to be. After trailing by as many as 10 points in the second half, they had quickly stormed back. On the last possession, they needed just one more bit of devil magic — just as they’d done at Penn and Columbia — to extend or win the game. Continue reading “Harvard 73, Princeton 71: Steeves Wounds Tigers’ Title Hopes”