Yale basketball: 2017-18 preview for the Bulldogs

A couple of years ago Yale finally broke through a barrier they struggled to do so since 1962 in getting back to the NCAA Tournament. Will the Bulldogs make another trip?

In 20 years of coaching the Yale Bulldogs, James Jones has brought Yale into the upper echelon of Ivy League hoops. Last season was supposed to be another great year, but Ivy League preseason player of the year Makai Mason went down with an injury right before the year began. It was a devastating blow to the team, but the players came together to still have a productive season.

The seven rotation players spread the wealth of scoring, ranging from 7-13 ppg. They were led by freshman Miye Oni, whose breakout season kept the Bulldogs in contention. Even though they were swept by both Harvard and Princeton, the team claimed one of the top four spots in the inaugural Ivy League postseason tournament.

Yale avoided the three-game sweep to the Crimson by pulling off the semi-finals upset. Ultimately, they were no match for the Tigers who ran through the entire conference in route to an undefeated season in the league.

Mason, who might be the best player coming into this season, will be back. They will have to replace their leading rebounder in Sam Downey and Anthony Dallier, who led Yale in assists. This team still has what might be the best starting lineup in the Ivy, and the balance from it could be the deciding factor in who wins the league.