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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CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA – JANUARY 02: Robert Baker #35 of the Harvard Crimson reacts after making a three-point shot against the North Carolina Tar Heels during the second half at the Dean Smith Center on January 02, 2019 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. North Carolina won 77-57. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA – JANUARY 02: Robert Baker #35 of the Harvard Crimson reacts after making a three-point shot against the North Carolina Tar Heels during the second half at the Dean Smith Center on January 02, 2019 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. North Carolina won 77-57. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /

1) Harvard

2018-19 Record: 19-12 (10-4)

The Harvard Crimson is going to be a force that everyone in college basketball would worry about. They are not going to just scare teams in the Ivy League, but lots of schools in bigger leagues as well. The main reason for this is the fact that they return their top 9 scorers from last year’s squad. On top of that, they have the best recruiting class in the conference according to 247 Sports.

Senior guard Bryce Aiken looks to be the best player in the conference this year. Aiken, a First Team All Ivy League selection last season, averaged 22.2 ppg. He’s ready to show the league and the rest of the country what he is capable of. Accompanying Aiken in the backcourt is guard Noah Kirkwood. Kirkwood averaged 11.1 ppg last year and was selected as the Ivy League Rookie of the Year.

Harvard also boasts an extremely strong recruiting class in 2019. They landed 4-star forward, Chris Ledlum, who is ranked as the 96th overall recruit in the 2019 class. Harvard’s class ranks 38th nationally according to 247 Sports.

The depth of the Crimson is all over the court. Their deep rotation consists of a variety of guys that can come in and contribute good minutes. For mid-majors, two of the most helpful factors are having great depth and quality upperclassmen leadership. Those two things are certainly not lacking for the Crimson. I expect to see Harvard win the Ivy League in 2019-20, then head to the NCAA Tournament ready to give someone a scare.

Next. Top 25 programs of all time. dark

The Ivy League will be sure to give us plenty of excitement again this year. I will definitely be following closely.