Last year, Penn men’s basketball couldn’t capitalize on a strong start to the season — including a win over then-No. 21 Villanova at the Palestra — and ended the season No. 7 in the Ivy League conference. This meant that for the first time in at least three years, the Quakers missed out on the annual Ivy League men's basketball tournament. Now, seeking to return to postseason play, here is how Penn ranks in the Ancient Eight based on Ivy League performance in the 2023-24 season with games beginning this week.
No. 1 Princeton (24-5, 12-2 Ivy)
Last year, the Tigers had a strong regular season before falling short at the Ivy League men's basketball tournament and failing to secure a bid to March Madness. They did this by combining a strong offense with a league-best defense, allowing just 66.1 points per game in conference play. Princeton returns the Ivy League’s two best scorers from a year ago with guard Xaivian Lee and forward Caden Pierce, so they should remain the class of the Ivy League this year as well.
No. 2 Yale (23-10, 11-3)
The Bulldogs shocked the nation with a win over Auburn in the first round of March Madness a season ago. This time, they should remain the biggest challengers for Princeton throughout the conference season. The loss of Danny Wolf — Yale’s top scorer and the conference’s best rebounder from last year — is the team’s biggest hurdle to overcome if it hopes to reach March Madness once again. But a backcourt duo of Bez Mbeng and John Poulakidas should be a strong point of coach James Jones’ squad.
No. 3 Brown (13-18, 8-6)
A season ago, Brown rode the dynamic duo of guard Kino Lilly Jr. and forward Nana Owusu-Anane’s combined 33 points per game to a winning record in conference play and a spot in the conference tournament. These two players both return and should remain key pieces for the Bears this season. Coach Mike Martin and this squad could very well take another leap and slot solidly into the second tier of teams behind the Tigers and Bulldogs.
No. 4 Cornell (22-8, 11-3)
The Big Red had the Ivy League’s best offense in the 2023-24 season, averaging 82.1 points per game against conference foes. But the team’s leading scorer — guard Chris Manon — is gone, so much of the offensive burden will fall on guard Nazir Williams, who averaged 14.1 points per game in Ivy play a season ago. Whether other players can step up to help Williams remains the key question for Cornell heading into the season as the Big Red seek to return to Ivy Madness.
No. 5 Penn (11-18, 3-11)
After losing key pieces to the transfer portal in back-to-back off seasons, coach Steve Donahue and the Quakers went on the offensive heading into this campaign, getting pieces such as junior guards Dylan Williams, Michael Zanoni, and Ethan Roberts from the transfer portal. While only time will tell how much these new players will contribute this season, they represent chances at improvement for a Quakers team, which suffered an unusually bad campaign last year. If all goes according to plan, the Quakers should be in contention for an Ivy Madness spot all the way through the season.
No. 6 Columbia (13-14, 4-10)
Last season, Columbia’s middle-of-the-pack offense was negated by a conference-worst defense, as the Lions gave up nearly 72.4 points per game. This will likely be a point of emphasis for them as the Lions hope to improve. On the offensive end, the loss of guard Zavian McLean means that someone new will have to step up to complement last year’s leading scorer, guard Geronimo Rubio de la Rosa.
No. 7 Harvard (14-13, 5-9)
The Crimson also lost important players via transfer this off season, as reigning Ivy League Rookie of the Year, guard Malik Mack, left for the Georgetown Hoyas and forward Chisom Okpara — the team’s leading scorer — went to the Stanford Cardinals via the transfer portal. Replacing them will be tough for Harvard, and players like guard Louis Lesmond will have to play a major role. With this, it’s hard to see Harvard finishing near the top half of the Ancient Eight standings this season.
No. 8 Dartmouth (6-21, 2-12)
Finally, there’s Dartmouth. The Big Green finished last in many statistical categories last season, including points per game, field goal percentage, and rebounds per game. Furthermore, their 13.4 point difference in Ivy games was a full eight points below the next lowest team on the list. With so much to change, don’t expect Dartmouth to improve substantially this season.
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