Ivy League Basketball: Top storylines for conference heading into March

IVY’s place among mid-major conferences

When fans discuss Mid-Majors it can run the gambit involving names such as the Atlantic 10, Mountain West, Conference USA and anywhere in between. But now it’s time to welcome the Ivy League to the party.

There comes a time in the life of a conference where they reach their potential and evolve, and the 2018 season has been just that for the Ivy League who, at this point, should be considered a true Mid-Major conference.

While they may not be a multi-bid league like the SoCon should be this year, it has more than earned it’s placement among conferences worthy of the title.

This season alone, the Ivy League has claimed some big KenPom Top 100 wins:

Yale: Miami (68th)

Harvard: at Saint Mary’s (34th)

Princeton: at Arizona State (58th)

Penn: Miami (68th), Villanova (30th), Temple (71st)

These wins have bolstered the national reputation for the book worms, and even other key victories have occurred.  While the programs may not be enjoying their usual success, Yale opened their season with an emphatic 17 point win over Cal and Brown rang in the New Year with a 22 point thumping against San Diego State on the road.

Even wins against teams who, in theory, are lesser than some in the Ivy ranks, it can’t be understated what wins against Pac 12 and Mountain West teams alike attract eyes to the brand in a positive light.

And for my fellow KenPom readers out there, their algorithm ranks the Ivy League as the 12th best in the country ranking ahead of the Atlantic 10, Western Athletic, Conference USA and the Missouri Valley all while only being .25 ranking points behind the Mountain West and just .47 ranking points behind the red hot Southern Conference.

Numbers don’t lie: the Ivy is a legit Mid-Major conference.