NCAAB Ivy
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Ivy League: 2007-08
Cornell
The Cornell (16-12) Big Red matched the previous season's win total with 8-6 Ivy record. Head coach Steve Donahue and the Big Red will return three starters and 11 letter winners from last year's squad, including eight of the team's top 10 returning scorers, in 2007-08. The good news is their top two scorers are back, and both were just freshmen! Sophomore 6-6 Ryan Wittman was named Ivy League Men's Basketball Rookie of the Year.
Wittman, a six-time Ivy League Rookie of the Week pick, ranked fourth in the Ivy League in scoring (15.6 ppg) and paced the circuit in 3-point field goals with a school record 93, 21 more than any other player in the league. That total ranked 12th nationally. He also ranked sixth in 3-point percentage (.431, 22nd in the country) and second in free throw percentage (.887). He opened his career with 18 points, three rebounds and two assists in his first collegiate start to help the Big Red top Northwestern on the road and ended the year with a career-best 24 points, including six 3-pointers, against Harvard.
Sophomore Louis Dale was named to the honorable mention team as a freshman. Dale closed out his freshman season ranked ninth in the Ivy League in scoring (13.3 ppg.) and third in assists (3.7 apg.), while also standing among the top 10 in defensive rebounds (seventh, 3.7), free throw percentage (seventh, .785), and 3-point percentage (second, .468).
So that's a terrific sophomore duo to build around. Junior guard Adam Gore missed all of last season except for one game. Gore was the leading scorer two years ago (12.9 ppg), averaging a school freshman record 12.9, which Wittman just broke. 6-7 junior Brian Kreefer and 6-7 sophomore Alex Tyler will get more time up front, but it's clear the great backcourt is going to lead the way. Cornell was an impressive 7-7 SU, 5-3 ATS on the road and should be one of the top Ivy teams this season.
Penn
Penn (22-9) is off another strong season, their first under Coach Glen Miller. Miller had spent the previous seven years as Head Coach at Brown University, and replaced Fran Dunphy, who left Penn after 17 years to become Head Coach at Temple. Penn played tough defense for Dunphy allowing 60 ppg (17-9 UNDER the total), but last season under Miller they were more uptempo, averaging 74 ppg (16-11 OVER the total).
This appears to be a rebuilding season, with three senior starters gone. 6'-4" senior Brian Grandieri (12 ppg) is back for this senior season to anchor the backcourt, along with role players 6-4 sophomore Darren Smith (4.2 ppg), junior Kevin Egee and senior Michael Kach. Someone will have to step in for guard Ibrahim Jaaber (16 ppg), the second leading scorer who graduated.
The frontcourt has good depth, though a lot of youth, with 6-7 junior Brennan Votel and 6-8 sophomore Justin Reilly. They also like playing at home: Penn has won 21 straight home Ivy League games. However, they didn't play well when stepping up in competition, losing to UTEP, by 18 to Syracuse, losing 99-98 to Villanova, and losing 104-62 to North Carolina.
They.5?ve won three straight Ivy League titles. Few teams shot or shared the ball as well as the unselfish Quakers, the No. 9 team in Division I, connecting on 49.3 percent from the floor and No. 7 in assists with 17.7 apg. They might be the team to beat in the Ivy again, but there are holes to fill up front.
Columbia
Columbia (16-12) won 16 games without a single senior on the roster! Columbia has a very nice frontcourt with leading scorers and rebounders 6'-8" senior John Baumann (13 ppg, 6.5 rpg) and 6'-9" senior Ben Nwachukwu (8.8 ppg, 5.2 rpg). Baumann was first-team All-Ivy League. The junior forward led the Lions in scoring for the second consecutive year, averaging 13.3 ppg, which ranked 8th in the Ivy League.
He also ranked third in the league in rebounding (6.5 rpg), while leading the Ivy League in field goal percentage (.578) and three-point field goal percentage (.509). In Ivy League contests, Baumann was even more impressive, averaging 14.4 ppg and shooting a league-leading .610 from the floor. Throw in senior guard Justin Armstrong and sophomore Nico Scott, and the backcourt is loaded.
Guards junior K.J. Matsui and 6-5 senior Mack Montgomery provide backcourt depth off the bench, so there is excellent returning experience. Columbia was a .500 road team and just 3-8 SU, 4-7 ATS as a dog, but with so much returning talent, the Lions will roar in the Ivy League this season.
Yale
Yale (14-13 SU, 10-6 ATS) is off two straight winning seasons and returns 4 of 5 starts. The only loss was leading rebounder 6'-5" senior Casey Hughes (9.6 ppg, 5.8 rpg). Yale still has a deep frontcourt behind 6'-7" junior Ross Morin (8.7 ppg) and 6'-6" senior Caleb Holmes (8.7 ppg). Throw in 6-7 junior Travis Pinick and 6-10 senior center Matt Kyle and the Eli has one of the bigger Ivy frontcourts.
The backcourt returns it top player in senior Eric Flato (15.3 ppg), the leading scorer. He led Yale in scoring (15.3 ppg), three-pointers (71), assists (96) and steals (50), was named First Team All-Ivy. In 14 Ivy games, Flato averaged 16.4 points, which was third in the league. He was named the co-Ivy League Player of the Week after scoring a career-high 26 points in a win at Columbia and adding 18 points against Cornell. Yale was 11-6 over the total with a strong offense (68 ppg).
Yale was 8-5 SU, 4-2 ATS at home, 6-8 SU, 6-4 ATS on the road. One guy to watch is 6-8 sophomore Josh Davis, who was only able to play in 8 games. Davis came to Yale after spending a year at the Hun School in New Jersey. At St. John's International School in Belgium, he averaged 14 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists, four blocks and three steals as a senior. 6-10 sophomore Paul Nelson was a former McDonald's All-America nominee. Yale should have a winning record again, but needs to improve on the road.
Harvard
Harvard (12-16 SU, 7-9 ATS) had a strange season, starting off good, then falling apart, losing 12 of their final 17. The Crimson went 5-9 in Ivy League play under former coach Frank Sullivan, who was fired March 5. Sullivan guided Harvard to a 178-245 record over the last 16
seasons. So coach Tommy Amaker takes over. Under Amaker, Michigan won the 2004 National Invitation Tournament and reached the championship game in 2006 before losing to South Carolina.
However, despite eclipsing the 20-win mark three times in the last four seasons, Michigan never regained its status as a national power. The Wolverines went 22-13 this past season but struggled to an
8-8 record in the Big Ten Conference. Harvard loses its best player, 7-foot, 255-lb senior center Brian Cusworth (17 ppg, 9 rpg), the leading scorer and rebounder. Two senior starters are gone, so it's a bit of a rebuilding campaign for the new coach.
Harvard still could have a decent frontcourt with 6-8 role player junior Evan Harris (10 ppg) and 6-8, 245-lb senior Brad Unger. The backcourt lost its top player in Jim Goffredo (15 ppg), so they will be looking for some new players to step up. Junior guard Drew Housman (13 ppg) is very good, but needs some help among junior Andrew Pusar and sophomore Jeremy Lin.
They like to push the ball up the court, at 11-5 "over" the total in each of the last two seasons. Harvard was only 6-7 SU, 3-4 ATS at home and just 13-13 SU, 4-10 ATS at home the last two years. A .500 season will be difficult with so many losses plus so little defense.
Brown
Brown (11-18) slowed the pace down last season, averaging just 61 ppg. They have a relatively new coach in Craig Robinson, who begins his second season. He was a six-year assistant coach at Northwestern and a former two-time Ivy League Player of the Year. The second-year coach has three seniors back, and all were the leading scorers as juniors.
Brown is led by a former Freshman of the Year in Damon Huffman (14.7 ppg), who is now a senior guard. He teams with 6'-6" senior guard Keenan Jeppesen, who only played in 7 games. The two give Brown a good backcourt. The two were the team.5?s leading scorers two years ago. 6'-2" senior guard Mark McAndrew (15.8 ppg, 5.3 rpg) is back after leading the Bears in scoring and rebounding.
They have just average frontcourt players with 6-5 junior Chris Skrelja, 6-9 senior Mark MacDonald and 6'-6" junior Scott Friske (5 ppg), the latter who started as a freshman. Oddly, Brown has not been a team with an important home court edge. Last season they were 6-4 at home, 5-13 SU/9-4 ATS on the road. Two years ago they were only 4-9 at home but a solid 6-8 on the road! That is highly unusual in college hoops. Don't look for a winning season.
Princeton
Slow down Princeton (11-17 SU, 7-17 ATS) plays great defense in a slow down style, scoring 50 ppg and allowing 52 ppg. But coach Joe Scott, the head coach at Princeton for the past three seasons, was named the head men's basketball coach at the University of Denver. Scott, who was named Princeton's head coach in April 2004 after four seasons as the head coach at Air Force, had a 38-45 record in three seasons at Princeton. The new coach is Sydney Johnson, a former star player.
They were a young team, so perhaps experience will help for this season. 6'-5" senior Noah Savage (5 ppg) and 6'-7" senior Kyle Koncz (8 ppg) lead this young team. The Tigers backcourt has sophomores Marcus Schroeder (6.5 ppg) and Lincoln Gunn lead the way. The duo was the top two scorers in the backcourt last season as freshmen. Princeton was 2-12 SU, 1-11 ATS in the Ivy!
Princeton started three freshmen (Marcus Schroeder, Lincoln Gunn, Zach Finley) in each of its last 14 games. Schroeder and Gunn have started every game last season. Guard Marcus Schroeder led NCAA Division I in minutes played per game (38.9) as a freshman. Princeton was a poor 4-9 SU, 3-9 ATS on the road last season. With only three seniors on last year.5?s roster, Princeton could be better, but it all depends on how they respond to the new coach.
Dartmouth
Dartmouth (9-18 SU, 8-10 ATS) only averaged 59 ppg with a lack of frontcourt height and muscle. Dartmouth has a backcourt punch senior guard Michael Giovacchini and junior DeVon Mosley. The offense shot just 41.8% from the field while allowing over 46% shooting.
But they lack rebounding bulk and defense, giving up 67 ppg. 6-5 junior Alex Barnett (11.8 ppg, 6.0 rpg) was the leading rebounder and second leading scorer. 6-4 senior Johnathan Ball and 6-8 junior Dan Biber add depth to the frontcourt, but little height. They will hope for more from sophomores 6-9 Elgin Fitzgerald and 6-9 Kurt Graeber.
Fitzgerald averaged 24 points and 12 rebounds for highly-ranked Palmer High School two years ago. He earned All-State Class 5-A and All Conference Metro honors. Graeber is from Palos Verdes Peninsula High School/Rolling Hills Estates, Calif. Graeber averaged 17 points and 10 rebounds per game for Palos Verdes Peninsula, and was a redshirt freshman at Arizona State in 2004-05. Guard Robbie Pride was an All-State and All-Conference player. Dartmouth is 2-14 and 3-11 on the road the last two years, so don.5?t look for a winning season this year.
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