Busting Brackets
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Ivy League Basketball: Preseason rankings for 2019-20 season

By Donovan Darlington

PHILADELPHIA, PA - MARCH 11: The Harvard Crimson huddles during the first half of the Men's Ivy League Championship Tournament at The Palestra on March 11, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Corey Perrine/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - MARCH 11: The Harvard Crimson huddles during the first half of the Men's Ivy League Championship Tournament at The Palestra on March 11, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (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)
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) /

8) Dartmouth

2018-19 Record: 11-19 (2-12)

Dartmouth finished dead last in the Ivy League a season ago. The fact that they are returning a very experienced squad is always a positive to look forward to. They return guards Brendan Barry and James Foye. The two averaged 13.2 and 10.8 ppg last season.

In addition to the guys in the backcourt, they return a very talented forward in Chris Knight. Knight led the team in scoring last season, averaging 15.4 ppg. The return of these solid players will help promote a solid mindset within the team heading into this year.

In any conference, having a battle-tested experienced team full of upperclassmen is always something positive to look up to. Unfortunately for Dartmouth, I feel as if the squads commanding the top of the league are just too much for them to be able to be competitive in the conference.

7) Columbia

2018-19 Record: 10-18 (5-9)

Columbia is in a situation very similar to that of Dartmouth. They are returning a lot of experience from last year’s team. Their great guard, Mike Smith, only played eight games last season before sitting the rest of the season due to injury. He averaged 15.8 ppg in those eight games. He is back this year and ready to go, so that is definitely something for the Lions to be happy about.

Along with Smith, Columbia returns guard Gabe Stefanini. Stefanini was called upon a lot in Smith’s absence, so now that the two are together in the backcourt, it will be exciting to see how things go for Columbia.

The downfall of the Lions in 2019 will be the level of talent within the rest of the league. Things are heading in the right direction, but Columbia is a few years out from being a strong Ivy League competitor.