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Ivy League Basketball: 2018 Conference Tournament preview

By Tristan Freeman

LEXINGTON, KY - DECEMBER 02: Tommy Amaker, head coach of the Harvard Crimson, watches from the bench during the second half of the game between the Kentucky Wildcats and the Harvard Crimson at Rupp Arena on December 2, 2017 in Lexington, Kentucky. (Photo by Bobby Ellis/Getty Images)
LEXINGTON, KY - DECEMBER 02: Tommy Amaker, head coach of the Harvard Crimson, watches from the bench during the second half of the game between the Kentucky Wildcats and the Harvard Crimson at Rupp Arena on December 2, 2017 in Lexington, Kentucky. (Photo by Bobby Ellis/Getty Images) /
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LEXINGTON, KY – DECEMBER 02: Tommy Amaker, head coach of the Harvard Crimson, watches from the bench during the second half of the game between the Kentucky Wildcats and the Harvard Crimson at Rupp Arena on December 2, 2017 in Lexington, Kentucky. (Photo by Bobby Ellis/Getty Images)
LEXINGTON, KY – DECEMBER 02: Tommy Amaker, head coach of the Harvard Crimson, watches from the bench during the second half of the game between the Kentucky Wildcats and the Harvard Crimson at Rupp Arena on December 2, 2017 in Lexington, Kentucky. (Photo by Bobby Ellis/Getty Images) /

This is just the second annual Ivy League Tournament. But with the inaugural champion out of the mix, who will take home both the title and the bid to the big dance?

After being the last conference to holdout on a tournament to determine their representative for the NCAA Tournament, the Ivy League decided to relent and have their own event.

Four teams were invited, including the three current powerhouses – Princeton, Harvard, and Yale, as well as the University of Penn bringing up the claiming the last spot. The Tigers won both games, finishing off an unbeaten season in conference play.

Based on the returning talent, it was expected that the “Big 3” would return, and would possibly make the Ivy a two-bid league. But injuries, sophomore slumps, and limited contributions ended those hopes early, with every team struggling out the gate.

Princeton had by far the best perimeter, but with nothing from the frontcourt, they were too predictable, causing the defending champs to go 5-9 in conference play and missing out on the top four spots.

Yale thought they would get back star guard Makai Mason, who missed the previous year with a foot injury, but he’s only played in just one game this season. The Crimson had some issues themselves with health but rebounded to tie for the regular season crown.

But the story was the team who crashed the “Big 3”. After returning all of their key players, the Quakers got off to a great start to the conference to finish 12-2 to tie Harvard for the crown.

However, the biggest threat might be the four-seeded Cornell Big Red, who has a scorer who could win this tournament by himself. Who is he and what shot does his team really have? Find out in this Ivy League Tournament preview.