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Princeton University Athletics
Your Guide To The Ivy League Men's Basketball Race
February 17, 2002 | Men's Basketball
Feb. 17, 2002
The Ivy League men's basketball race has reached its most important weekend. Here are some answers to some questions:
Where do the teams stand now?
Yale is in first place at 9-1, with its only loss against Brown. Princeton is in second place at 7-2, followed by Penn at 6-3. Brown is 6-4, while Harvard is 5-5.
What games remain?
Yale and Brown are at Princeton and Penn this weekend, while Cornell and Columbia are at Harvard and Dartmouth. Yale and Brown host Harvard and Dartmouth March 1-2, while Princeton and Penn are at Cornell and Columbia that weekend. Penn then hosts Princeton March 5 in the final league game.
Can anyone win the championship simply by winning the remainder of its games?
Yes, Yale and Princeton. Should Yale win out, it would be the champion outright. Should Princeton win out, it would be assured no worse than a tie for the championship and would win the championship outright by winning its remaining games and having Yale lose to anyone else. How many teams are still alive?
The race is basically between Yale, Princeton and Penn. Cornell, Columbia and Dartmouth have all been mathematically eliminated. Harvard and Brown remain alive mathematically, though it will be very difficult for either of them to win the race. Harvard's only chance is for a tie at 9-5, which would require Yale to lose its remaining four games, Harvard to win its remaining four games, Princeton to go 2-3 (though it would have to defeat Yale), Penn to go 3-2 (though it too would have to defeat Yale) and Brown to go 3-1 or worse. Brown's only hope is for a tie at 10-4, which would require Brown to go 4-0, Yale to go 1-3 (or worse), Princeton to go 3-2 (or worse) and Penn to 4-1 (or worse). Keep in mind, however, that Brown's chances are hurt by two facts: 1) that somebody has to win the games between Princeton, Penn and Yale, and 2) that if Brown gets swept by Penn and Princeton this weekend OR Yale wins its two remaining home games next weekend, then Brown is eliminated, regardless of whatever else happens.
What's at stake this weekend?
Yale is at Princeton Friday night and Penn Saturday night. By the end of the weekend, Yale could have done anything from clinching the championship (by winning both and having Brown sweep Princeton and Penn as well) or be in tied for second place, no longer able to win simply by winning out. Princeton, on the other hand, can finish the weekend alone in first place or be mathematically eliminated. As for Penn, the Quakers can end the weekend tied with Yale in the loss column for first place, tied with Princeton for first place or in a three-way tie for first place with Princeton and Yale (in the loss column) - or be mathematically eliminated.
What are some of the other scenarios?
Yale would win the championship by defeating Princeton, losing to Penn and sweeping Harvard and Dartmouth next weekend, regardless of the outcome of any other game. Princeton would win the championship by winning each of its next four games, having Penn beat Yale, having Brown beat Penn and having Yale lose to either Harvard or Dartmouth. Should all that happen, the outcome of the Princeton-Penn game would not matter.
What happens if there is a tie?
If there is a tie, the teams would be declared Ivy League co-champions and there would be a playoff to determine the league's representative to the NCAA tournament. The playoff game between two teams would be held at a neutral site.
Can there be a three-way tie, and if so, what happens?
Yes, though it has never happened in the history of the Ivy League. The most probable scenario to having a three-way tie would have Princeton and Penn both beat Yale, have the three teams win their other games and then have Penn beat Princeton in the final game. Should that happen, then Princeton, Penn and Yale would all be 11-3. In that event, the teams would be seeded 1-3 based on how they did head-to-head, and No. 2 would play No. 3, with the winner to play No. 1. If the teams were 2-2 in head-to-head, then the tiebreaker would be how they did against the fourth place team, then the fifth place team and so on until the tie was broken. In the above scenario, Penn would be the No. 1 team (the Quakers would be 3-1 against the other two), followed by Yale (2-2) and Princeton (1-3). Yale would therefore play Princeton, with the winner to play Penn for the NCAA berth.