2009-10 Conference Primers: #28 – Ivy League
Posted by rtmsf on October 8th, 2009
Dave Zeitlin is the RTC correspondent for the Ivy League and a featured columnist. Click here for all of our 2009-10 Season Preview materials..
Predicted Order of Finish (with projected records in parentheses):
- Cornell (14-0)
- Princeton (9-5)
- Penn (8-6)
- Columbia (7-7)
- Harvard (7-7)
- Yale (6-8)
- Brown (3-11)
- Dartmouth (2-12)
All-Conference Team:
- Louis Dale (G), Sr., Cornell
- Jeremy Lin (G), Sr. Harvard
- Ryan Wittman (F), Sr., Cornell
- Matt Mullery (F), Sr., Brown
- Jeff Foote (C), Sr., Cornell
6th Man. Tyler Bernardini (G), Jr., Penn
Impact Newcomer. Brian Grimes (F), Jr., Columbia
What You Need to Know. Fueled by three star seniors (Louis Dale, Ryan Wittman and Jeff Foote), the reigning Ivy League rookie of the year (Chris Wrobleski), and two major transfers (Mark Coury from Kentucky and Max Groebe from UMass), Cornell is coming into the 2009-10 season as the heavy favorite to capture its third straight conference crown — and perhaps win a game or two in the NCAA tournament. Head coach Steve Donahue’s squad is so deep and talented (they also boast a pair of experienced seniors in Geoff Reeves and Alex Tyler), their toughest challenge may be finding significant minutes for all their heavy hitters. Penn and Princeton, the powerhouses that owned the Ivy League for two decades until Cornell rose to the top, are both trying to return to their glory days but might have to wait a year to make a serious run at the crown. Princeton should improve on its 8-6 league mark with the continued development of point guard Doug Davis, who averaged 12.3 points per game as a rookie last season, and the addition of Ian Hummer, who may be the best freshman in the league. This is an important year for rebuilding Penn, which clears out some mediocre seniors and hands the keys of the team to junior guard Tyler Benardini and sophomore point guard Zack Rosen, the last two Big 5 rookies of the year. Columbia has some nice incoming talent with Brian Grimes, who sat out last season with an ACL tear after transferring in from La Salle, and Loyola Marymount import Max Craig, who is 7 feet tall and not a stiff. Harvard coach Tommy Amaker has one of the best players in the league in Jeremy Lin and a couple of good recent recruiting classes, but the Crimson are coming off a 6-8 conference season. Yale has been a consistent threat under longtime coach James Jones, finishing above .500 for nine straight seasons. The Bulldogs will need to put a lot of the burden on senior guard Alex Zampier (13.2 ppg) to keep that streak alive. Matt Mullery shot a ridiculous 60 percent for Brown last year, but the Bears will be hard-pressed to significantly improve their 3-11 league record. And finally, after an impressive 7-7 Ivy season by its standards, Dartmouth should tumble back down the league standings with the loss of Alex Barnett and his 19.4 points per game.
