Busting Brackets
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Ivy League Basketball: 2021-22 power rankings midway through conference play

By Tristan Freeman

Nov 14, 2021; Newark, New Jersey, USA; Yale Bulldogs guard Azar Swain (5) against the Seton Hall Pirates during the second half at Prudential Center. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 14, 2021; Newark, New Jersey, USA; Yale Bulldogs guard Azar Swain (5) against the Seton Hall Pirates during the second half at Prudential Center. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports /
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Ivy League Basketball Pennsylvania Quakers guard Jordan Dingle Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Ivy League Basketball Pennsylvania Quakers guard Jordan Dingle Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /

4. Cornell Big Red – 13-7 (5-4)

It’s been a nice run for the Big Red, winning four out of five games to get in the coveted No. 4 spot in the standings. The offense has come back alive in the past few weeks, scoring 74+ points in all four of the wins. On the season, Cornell ranks 10th nationally in scoring at 81.3 ppg, but the fast pace also means that they give up a lot of points, ranking in the bottom-30 at 75.3 ppg allowed.

What’s interesting about this team is that despite the high scoring numbers, they don’t have a single player who averages more than 11.0 ppg. It’s been a group effort, with nine players averaging more than 9.0 mpg and lots of three-pointers made and attempted. It’s also helped that leading scorer Chris Manon has returned in the past couple of weeks after missing a month due to an injury. He hasn’t been as efficient since his return but the Big Red’s depth has been its reason for competing well in league play so having as many healthy bodies will be very important.

3. Penn Quakers – 10-12 (7-2)

Although it was a tough schedule, the Quakers going 3-10 entering league play made it look as if this was going to be a lost season. That proved not to be the case, starting off 3-1 against the bottom-tier. But Penn currently is on a four-game winning streak, with the last three coming on the road.

Jordan Dingle averaged 13.5 ppg as a freshman but two years later has become one of the best players in the conference, leading Penn with 19.5 ppg and 44% from three-point range. He has scored 31 points on three different occasions, including on back-to-back wins against Yale and Harvard.

Unlike the other teams in the league, this team is led statistically by three sophomores in Dingle, Max Martz, and Clark Slajchert). Their ability to recover from the early season struggles to become a title contender has been highly impressive but they’ll be tested some more, with three straight on the road coming up.