Ivy League Basketball: Predicting the standings for the 2017-18 season

PHILADELPHIA, PA - MARCH 12: The Princeton Tigers hoist the championship trophy after the win against the Yale Bulldogs in the Ivy League tournament final at The Palestra on March 12, 2017 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Princeton won 71-59. (Photo by Corey Perrine/Getty Images) /

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LAS VEGAS, NV – NOVEMBER 27: Tyler Williams /

8. Brown Bears

2016-17 result: 13-17 (4-10) – No postseason

Out of the eight teams in this conference, Brown could very well be the doormat of the league. The top offensive team in the league last season, the Bears showed that they could score. The problem came from the defensive end, where they finished dead last. It looks like that could be the case once again this year.

The other problem that head coach Mike Martin has to deal with for this season is the absence of his two leading scorers from a season ago: Tavon Blackmon and Steven Spieth.

Almost 30 points between the two will have to be replaced, with not many viable options coming up the pipeline. Upcoming junior Obi Okolie will have the chance to be the best player on the team up front and does have some promise.

The good news for the program is that there were only two seniors on the roster, meaning the main contributors for this season will have a couple of years to make Brown more of a factor in the Ivy. As for this season, the Bears are a couple of steps below everyone else in the conference, and will likely not improve on the 4-10 conference record of last season.

Instead of finishing in the top four and making the conference tournament, just winning multiple games will be the goal for this roster lacking in top-tier talent.