Ivy League Basketball: 2017-18 stars on each team in the conference

Yale Bulldogs – Makai Mason and Miye Oni

The star player for Yale, Makai Mason, committed to Baylor this offseason as a graduate transfer for the 2018-19, even though he will be playing this season with the Bulldogs. As weird as it sounds, it’s perfectly legal since the Ivy League does not allow fifth-year players. Mason was the Preseason Player of the Year in the conference last season but missed the season with a foot injury.

One blessing in disguise was that the injury allowed other players to step up and contribute greatly, still finishing a respectable third place. The experience should bode well for the overall depth of this team.

Miye Oni had a great freshman year, with 12.9 points and 6.3 rebounds per game. His very first game was against Washington and he had 24 points. Like many freshmen, he needs to shore up his scoring consistency to make things easier for Mason coming back.

Mason will also be coming back to a capable backcourt, where he will team up with junior Alex Copeland, who led the team in scoring with 13 per game. The experience of last season combined with Mason’s return should help improve an already top-tier scoring offense.

While Mason is the undoubted best player, Oni could be the determining factor between a top three seed and the regular season champs. The player with the highest pro potential, Miye could leap even ahead of Mason as the best player on the team.

Considering the amount of youthful talent this league has, it seems as if the conference as a whole is just a year away from potentially producing multiple tournament teams. The question is which one of these young players will take the big leap to become the face of the Ivy League? Or will Makai Mason be taking some more hardware before he heads to Baylor next year?