Yale favored to win 2023 Ivy League Conference Tournament
Though the Ivy League Conference Tournament started back in 2017, this will only be the fifth version. The 2020 one was canceled because of COVID and the entire 2021-22 season was canceled because of ongoing COVID concerns. So, this is just the second Ivy League tournament since 2019. Yale is the defending champ and the top seed this year.
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Only four of the eight teams in the Ivy League qualify in the “Shaughnessy playoff” format. The host venue for the conference tournament rotates throughout the conference and it just so happens to be No. 2 seed Princeton’s turn to host.
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Ivy League Tournament Bracket
How to Watch the Ivy League Conference Tournament
When: March 11-12
Where: Jadwin Gymnasium in Princeton, N.J.
Format: Semifinals, then finals
Watch: ESPNU, ESPN 2; Championship Game on ESPN 2 on Mar. 12 at 12 p.m. ET
Ivy League Conference Tournament Seeds, Teams and Odds
1. Yale (+115)
2. Princeton (+155)
3. Penn (+650)
4. Cornell (+1000)
Favorite To Win Ivy League Conference Tournament
Yale is, and has been, the top team in this league all season, but Princeton has home-court advantage. The Tigers did lose both regular season meetings to the Bulldogs, as Yale won by 22 at home and by 10 in overtime on the road. Princeton did beat Penn twice, with the second win coming in overtime in the regular season finale.
Yale did split with Cornell, losing by 12 on the road and winning by 18 at home, so those could not have been more contrasting outcomes.
Ivy League Conference Tournament Darkhorse
You don’t really have a darkhorse in a four-team tournament, but this allows me to talk more about Cornell. The Big Red were an excellent offensive team and one of three to really push the tempo in this conference. When the Ivy League wrapped up the regular season, Cornell was fifth in the nation in 2P%. However, they were also 355th in eFG% on defense and 359th in 2P% defense to counterfeit the things that they did well. They are ultra aggressive on defense and ranked in the top 25 in TO%, but it also burned them when they didn’t take the ball away.
Penn was actually the best 3-point shooting team in this league and second to Cornell in offensive efficiency. The Quakers were better on defense than the efficiency metrics suggest. They just had one of the lowest TO% in the nation. Princeton was actually lower, but a better defensive team from the field.
Players to Watch in Ivy League Conference Tournament
Penn’s Jordan Dingle was the nation’s second-leading scorer with 23.6 points per game. He was far and away the best player in this league, but Yale had four guys in the top 10 per Bart Torvik’s “PORPAGATU!” stat, which is Points Over Replacement Player Per Adjusted Game At That Usage. Matt Knowling (14.5 PPG) led the way in scoring, but August Mahoney is one of the conference’s top defensive players.
Tosan Evbuomwan is a do-it-all guy for Princeton with 14.5 PPG, 6.2 RPG and 4.9 APG to lead the conference as a 6-foot-8 wing player and the Tigers’ best inside threat. Because of Cornell’s breakneck defensive pace, they rotate in a lot of guys, but Greg Dolan (13.5 PPG) and Nazir Williams (13.1 PPG) were the top scoring threats.
Betting Pick to Win The Ivy League Conference Tournament
Yale is the best team, but I like Princeton here with home-court advantage. The Tigers led by as many as 19 in the second half of their home game to Yale and somehow managed to lose the game. They led by 14 with five minutes left. Princeton took a 3 on 42.7% of shot attempts in conference play and shot just 30.4% on the road, but 35.3% at home.
It would not be shocking to see Cornell beat Yale. Of course, it wouldn’t be shocking to see Penn beat Princeton either. But, I think it will be Princeton that prevails in the Ivy.
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