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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EAST LANSING, MI – NOVEMBER 15: Members of the Columbia Lions basketball team cheer as they took a lead late into the second half of the game against the Michigan State Spartans at Breslin Center on November 15, 2013 in East Lansing, Michigan. Michigan State defeated Columbia 62-53. (Photo by Leon Halip/Getty Images) /

7. Columbia Lions

2016-17 result: 11-16 (5-9) – No postseason

The Lions fall further down the Ivy League for two main reasons. First, leading scorer and rebounder Luke Petrasek graduated, and as of now, there doesn’t appear to be a prime post replacement.

The other factor is the conference as a whole. With the exception of Columbia, Brown, and Princeton, the other five schools return their top player. As a whole, the conference will be more talented and tougher, meaning a team like Columbia who didn’t get better will likely suffer as a result.

That does not mean Columbia will not be competitive, though. Senior Nate Hickman and sophomore Mike Smith are talented players in their own right and will look to increase their offensive outputs in the wake of Petrasek’s absence. Smith, in particular, will have to score as well as control the offense to get his teammates involved.

After finishing just outside of the inaugural four-team playoff last time, Jim Eagles will hope that he can take the program to the top four in just his second season. After winning the College Basketball Invitational and winning 25 games just a couple of seasons ago, there are fears that the momentum has stalled for the program.

A conference finish that isn’t close to the top four and Columbia could drift further away from the big three.