Ivy League: Harvard and Yale Play for Automatic Bid

Two of the nation’s great bastions of higher education will once again meet with the intention of determining prestige and superiority. However, this isn’t a science fair (or whatever they do to decide who’s school is better). The Ivy League’s regular season basketball championship, and its subsequent automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, are at stake when Yale travels to Harvard with both teams sporting identical 10-2 conference records.

The Crimson, who won the first meeting between the two teams, would officially take the conference and the automatic bid with a win. A victory for the Yalies would only leave the formality of beating Dartmouth before securing the title and a bid for themselves.

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It’s been a long time since the Ivy has featured two teams that have made a name for themselves both inside and outside of the league. Harvard has become a perennial power in the conference under the leadership of former Michigan coach Tommy Amaker, who has controversially brought a level of talent to the Ivy that few on the inside thought was possible. Yale looks the part of a top-notch Ivy League bunch. The Bulldogs start three seniors and two juniors, rely on a combination of potent shooting and deft passing — and their basketball IQ reminds you that they’re significantly smarter than the average kid dribbling a basketball. That’s the usual recipe.

I’m fairly certain you haven’t been watching too much Ivy League hoops, so here’s a quick Q&A primer about the biggest thing going down in Cambridge tonight.

Where have I seen these teams before?

Yale was fairly ambitious with some of their non-conference scheduling this year. The highlight of their season thus far has been an upset of UConn earlier this season. The win carried a bit more weight at the time, but it’s still a feather in an Ivy League cap. Wins over Southern Illinois and Kent State also hinted at a strong season in the Ivy. In addition to the wins, Yale only loss to Providence by six and pushed Vanderbilt to double overtime before succumbing. Still this is the only thing you really need to know going in.

Harvard made their biggest mark in the season opener when they defeated MIT by 21. I’m kidding. That happened, but the Crimson have some meat on their schedule besides beating up on the good people that host the Sloan Conference every year. Harvard’s best win probably came over UMass, a team that hung around the tournament bubble until about mid-February. Sadly, the Harvard footage you’re most likely to have seen this year is the absolute dismantling that they suffered at the hands of Virginia.

Are any of these guys good?

As a matter of fact, yes, some of these guys are good. Harvard’s lineup is particularly formidable. Siyani Chambers could start for a lot of power conference schools. His offensive abilities are not reflected by his points per game average (9.7 ppg). He’s a very capable scorer, but plays his role of distributor and facilitator very well. The Crimson’s leading scorer is Wesley Saunders (16.5 ppg), a chiseled guard/forward type who scores in a variety of ways, bullying his way through the less athletic teams in the Ivy.

Yale doesn’t have the individual talent that Harvard features with Chambers and Saunders, but the sum of their parts allows them to compete with most teams. The Bulldogs are led offensively by forward Justin Sears (14.5 ppg) and guard Javier Duren (13.9 ppg), and they have proven that they’re willing to turn to Jack Montague (45% 3PT) for a big shot late in the game.

Between the two teams, only three players are averaging double-digits for the season. These teams don’t rely on the talent of their personnel, but rather the efficiency and execution.

OK, this game isn’t even on TV. Can you just tell me who’s going to win and if they have a chance to pull an upset in the tourney?

Harvard will take the game, the conference, and the bid. 69-61. As for their tournament chances, the Crimson have been pesky in March. I like them as a 13 or 14-seed playing a vulnerable 3 or 4-seed. They could beat a team like Notre Dame, Wichita State, or Northern Iowa. They could also get annihilated by Maryland, Utah, or Iowa State. It’s all about where they end up in the bracket.

Next: College Basketball: Injuries Sure to Impact March Madness