Busting Brackets
Fansided

Ivy League Basketball: 2020 conference tournament preview and predictions

By Jacob Matteson

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - MARCH 15: A basketball net, hoop and backboard are shown before a semifinal game of the of the Pac-12 basketball tournament between the Colorado Buffaloes and the Washington Huskies at T-Mobile Arena on March 15, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - MARCH 15: A basketball net, hoop and backboard are shown before a semifinal game of the of the Pac-12 basketball tournament between the Colorado Buffaloes and the Washington Huskies at T-Mobile Arena on March 15, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
6 of 6
Next

Predicting the tournament

Two Games Separate One Team From Capturing The Crown and Hearing Their Name Called on Selection Sunday.  Which Team Will Come Out on The Other End To Cut Down The Nets?

To make it to this point in the season, especially for a conference that only allows four teams to compete for its conference crown, you have to always be on your A-Game or close to it.  This makes the following games so interesting to try and forecast:

(1) Yale vs. (4) Penn

  • The top-seeded Bulldogs an absolute force this season.  Currently enjoying a higher KenPom ranking than Texas, Arizona State, and UCLA among others, it’s easy to see why they’re the top dog in the fight.  These teams split the season series 1-1, with both games being decided by single digits.  In both games, AJ Brodeur and Paul Atkinson respectively went off for their teams and one would assume this will happen again.  The noticeable difference?  Yale’s Jordan Bruner.  In the Bulldogs loss to Penn, Bruner netted just 6 points compared to 15 point outing in their win.  I expect Jordan Bruner to be the deciding factor in this opening round game as Yale beats Penn in the opening round.

(2) Harvard vs.  (3) Princeton

  • March is when fans get excited about trendy upset picks.  But this game isn’t it.  The Crimson have crafted an impressive season despite not having Seth Towns and Bryce Aiken and it seems Tommy Amaker has his crew firing on all cylinders.  I’ll take Harvard to beat Princeton in what I think will be a double-digit win.  Which gives us the finals clash.

(1) Yale vs. (2) Harvard

  • So it comes down to this…and is anyone surprised?  Harvard is 2-0 this season against the Bulldogs and in both of their meetings, Crimson unleashed a potent and balanced attack while allowing Atkinson to have his big-time stat lines.

Top-25 power rankings for mid-majors. dark. Next

  • While the story of what Yale has done without Miye Oni is admirable, their storybook comes to an end on Saturday as the Senior heavy Harvard Crimson knock off the Yale Bulldogs in the Ivy League finals.