Ivy League Basketball: Preseason rankings for 2018-19

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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PHILADELPHIA, PA – NOVEMBER 10: Patrick Tape #3 of the Columbia Lions looses possession of the ball against Jermaine Samuels #23 of the Villanova Wildcats in the second half at the Wells Fargo Center on November 10, 2017 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Villanova Wildcats defeated the Columbia Lions 75-60. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /

7. Columbia Lions

2017-18 season record: 8-19 (5-9)

Star guard Mike Smith continues to develop into one of the best offensive mid-major guards, averaging 17.6 ppg and 4.6 apg as a sophomore. He’ll return for his junior season with the Lions, along with second-leading scorer and passer Quinton Adlesh (11.4 ppg and 2.3 apg). They’ll form one of the top backcourts for the upcoming season.

The problem is that the other key players from last year’s team have departed. Nate Hickman (8.7 ppg) graduated, while Kyle Castin (10.5 ppg) went to Xavier as a grad transfer and Lukas Meisner (11.2 ppg and 7.5 rpg) went pro early and is playing professionally in his home country of Germany.

The missing production from last season’s top scoring offense in the Ivy will hurt for sure, with the returning underclassmen having to step up to replace them. The key will be 6’10 big man Patrick Tape, a solid rebounder who can balance out the offense.

One breakout candidate for Columbia this season is Gabe Stefanini, a 6’3 rising sophomore guard. He was productive in limited minutes, averaging 18.1 ppg per 40 minutes on 46% shooting from three-point range. The Lions will be competitive and potentially compete for one of those four spots but the lost production leaves them with more questions than answers in the preseason.