Princeton University Athletics
Players Mentioned
Women's Basketball Picked to Finish Atop Ivy League Standings
October 28, 2014 | Women's Basketball
IVY LEAGUE PRESEASON POLL
PRINCETON, N.J. – Coming off of a fifth consecutive 20-win season, the Princeton University women's basketball team has been picked to win the Ivy League for a record fifth straight year.
Garnering nine first-place votes, the Tigers tied with defending league champion Penn atop the conference's preseason poll with 123 points. The Quakers received seven first-place nods. It is the first tie in the history of the preseason voting, since the poll was instituted prior to the 1999-2000 season.
Rounding out the top three was Harvard (106), followed by Yale (90) and Cornell (61). Columbia and Dartmouth tied for sixth with 38 points apiece with Brown placing eighth (33).
“We know life and sport is about where you end up, not where you start,” said head coach Courtney Banghart, who enters her eighth season on the Princeton sideline. “We're grateful for the respect our alumni have worked so hard to earn, but this team is hungry and excited to create its own destiny.”
Losing just two players to graduation, the Tigers return 12 letterwinners from a team that posted a 21-9 overall record and 11-3 league ledger. Led by first-team All-Ivy selection Blake Dietrick and honorable mention selection Alex Wheatley, the Orange and Black ranked amongst the league's leaders in several team categories.
Topping the conference charts in scoring offense (75.7 ppg), scoring margin (+11.6), field goal percentage (.474), assists (16.1) and rebounding margin (+9.4), Princeton finished second in the Ivy in field goal percentage defense (.377), three-point shooting (.366), three-point defense (.310) and third in scoring defense (64.1).
“It's a great time of year for all basketball fans as all programs are hard at work to build their habits and foundation,” Banghart said. “We wish the entire Ivy League good luck as we embark on non-conference play."
Princeton opens its 2014-15 season at the University on Pittsburgh on Friday, Nov. 14 at 11 a.m. To view the Tigers' full schedule, click here.
IVY LEAGUE PRESEASON POLL
1. Princeton – 123 (9)
Penn – 123 (7)
3. Harvard – 106 (1)
4. Yale – 90
5. Cornell – 61
6. Columbia – 38
Dartmouth – 38
8. Brown – 33
* first-place votes in parenthesis