Two-bid Ivy and Kathy Delaney-Smith's last stand in play
CAMBRIDGE, MASS. — Let’s get one thing straight: Tickets for the Ivy League women’s basketball tournament are an absolute bargain.$40 for three games, to watch conference Player of the Year Abby Meyersdazzle in the mid-rangefor Princeton? Sold. To watch Columbia’s Kaitlyn Davis show why her head coach calls her a “unicorn”? Absolutely. To see how Yale’s Camilla Emsbo follows up her 20-point, 14-rebound, 3-block performance from last weekend? And see Rookie of the Year Harmoni Turner try to spark a Cinderella run for Harvard on its home court? Yes and yes.
The tournament features the Ancient Eight’s top four teams playing on back-to-back days, March 11 and 12, at Lavietes Pavilion in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The winner gets the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, which would be the first Division I tournament appearance for either Columbia or Yale.
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“This is why you coach and play,” Columbia head coach Megan Griffith told reporters on March 3. “You coach and play so that you can play in March. So this is where every program wants to be.”
Top-seeded Princeton and fourth-seeded Harvard will start things off on Friday at 4:30pm ET, followed by second-seeded Columbia and third-seeded Yale at 7:30pm. The winners will play Saturday at 5pm. The semifinals will be streamed on ESPN+, and the final will be on ESPNews.
But looking at the matchups seemingly produces more questions than answers, as there will be plenty of storylines packed inside the 1,636-seat Lavietes Pavilion. Here are the top ones to watch:
Does The Streak continue?
Princeton enters the tournament 14-0 in conference play for the second straight season and riding a 40-game conference winning streak. It is the defending champion from 2019—the last time this tournament was contested due to the COVID-19 pandemic—and just this week entered the AP Poll at No. 24. Any way you look at it, the Tigers are the clear favorite, and three challengers have their eyes on dethroning them.
“[It] kind of puts the nation on notice,” junior guard Julia Cunninghamsaidof the national ranking on Princeton’s weekly podcast. “And it’s great timing right before NCAA Tournament time, right before seeding and things like that. … We have the target on our backs going into the Ivy League Tournament, and this just kind of amps up the stakes. So it’s exciting. Yeah, it was a really good feeling [on Monday] when we saw that.”
Cunningham added that the Tigers are confident because they know they can rely on their defense and preparation every night, regardless of whether shots are falling. That defenseis holdingopponents to just 72.7 points per 100 possessions—the second-best mark in the country. In the Ivy League, that number is even stingier, 65.4 points per 100 possessions, which has helped Princeton outscore conference foes by an average of 27.0 points per game.
| Opponent | Princeton’s Average Margin of Victory |
| Columbia | 19.0 |
| Yale | 25.0 |
| Harvard | 19.0 |
Of the other Ivy Tournament teams, Harvard and Columbia have played Princeton equally “close” in the regular season, each losing by 18 and 20 points. Yale’s average margin of defeat is larger due to a 38-point blowout in mid-February, but the Bulldogs might be the team that could challenge Princeton most. On Jan. 28, Yale led Princeton with less than seven minutes remaining but ultimately lost by 12—Princeton’s slimmest margin in conference play.
Will we get a two-bid Ivy?
If someone does upset the Tigers, the Ivy League is poised to receive two bids to the NCAA Tournament: the tournament champion plus Princeton as an at-large team. ESPN’s Charlie Creme currentlyprojectsPrinceton to be a 10-seed, which gives the Tigers lots of room for error that they hope not to need.
| Team | Record Against Princeton | Record Against the Rest of the Ivy Tournament Field |
| Columbia | 0-2 | 4-0 |
| Yale | 0-2 | 1-3 |
| Harvard | 0-2 | 1-3 |
Columbia, led by a former Princeton assistant coach in Griffith, hopes to assume the role of Princeton’s foil, which has so often been played by Penn throughout the last decade. But Penn narrowly missed the Ivy League Tournament this year, and Griffith is confident that her team is prepared to seize the moment. The Lions’ only two conference losses have been to Princeton, and theylead the conferencein assists and blocked shots.
“Everybody always says, ‘Oh, it’s hard to beat somebody three times,’” Griffith said. “And I’m like, ‘Yeah, I guess it is.’ But to me, it’s all about how you match up … I like our matchup with anybody in this league. To me, [the Ivy Tournament is] an opportunity for us to show that this isn’t a fluke, that we’ve earned the spot that we are in and that we are going to play for a championship.”
Just as Columbia is eyeing revenge against Princeton, Yale is looking to flip the script after going 0-4 against Columbia and Princeton this season (and 9-1 against everyone else). Freshman guard Christen McCanntold theYale Daily Newsthat her team has “a chip on our shoulders” from the two losses to Columbia this season, which came by an average of nine points and cost Yale the No. 2 seed in the conference tournament.
With Emsbo, a unanimous First Team All-Ivy selection who stands 6’5, Yale has a height advantage of at least four inches over any of the other teams’ usual starters. Can the Bulldogs play through Emsbo all the way to the NCAA Tournament?
Or perhaps Harvard, which was only 7-7 in conference play in the regular season but claimed the final tournament spot in a tiebreaker, can learn from a home loss to Princeton just last weekend and bust the tournament wide open. Adding to the sense of urgency for Harvard, Yale and Columbia is that none of them are considered candidates for at-large bids, so they each would need to win the Ivy Tournament to give the conference two NCAA Tournament bids.
Is this Kathy Delaney-Smith’s last stand?
Harvard head coach Kathy Delaney-Smithwill retireafter this season, which is her 40that Harvard and51stin coaching overall. She has been rightfully celebrated all season for her longevity and success at Harvard on and off the court, but most people outside the conference know her name because of one game.
The year was 1998, and the final score was 16-seed Harvard 71, 1-seed Stanford 67 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Upsetting Princeton in the Ivy Tournament wouldn’t register as high on the Richter scale, but it would be historic because it would snap two streaks: Princeton’s conference win streak and Harvard’s NCAA Tournament drought. Under Delaney-Smith, Harvard made the NCAA Tournament six times between 1996 and 2007 but zero times since then. Can she make one last run and hear Harvard’s name called as a conference champion on Selection Sunday?
One person who isn’t overlooking the Crimson is the opposing coach, Princeton’s Carla Berube.
“I’m guessing they’re going to play at their very best, the highest level they could play,” Berubesaid on Princeton’s weekly podcast. “And we’re expecting that. … At this point in the season, for most, it’s survive and advance, and if you don’t win, your season’s over. So you’re leaving it all out there, and maybe even more for Harvard on Friday with it being, could be, Kathy’s final game.”
Who are the players to watch?
The obvious answer is to watch Meyers, the conference’s Player of the Year, and the entire 2022 First Team All-Ivy. Here are the members ofthe All-Ivy teamswho will take the court in Cambridge:
| First Team | Second Team | Honorable Mention |
| Abby Meyers, Princeton* | Abbey Hsu, Columbia | Grace Stone, Princeton |
| Camilla Emsbo, Yale | Harmoni Turner, Harvard** | Lola Mullaney, Harvard |
| Kaitlyn Davis, Columbia | McKenzie Forbes, Harvard | |
| Julia Cunningham, Princeton | Jenna Clark, Yale |
But let’s highlight a few snubs who could be difference-makers in the tournament.
The all-Ivy teams were voted on by the head coaches, but if I’d had a vote, I would’ve putAbbey Hsuon the first team. Hsu—or “Downtown Abbey,” as I call her—is a sophomore guard whohas made91 3-pointers this season at a 38.4% clip. In contrast, Cornell made just 110 3-pointers all season.
Along with her 16.3 points per game, whichranksthird in the Ancient Eight, Hsuhas contributed4.6 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.0 steals and 0.8 blocks per game. And she has been one of the more efficient offensive players in the country, ranking in the 91stpercentile nationally in points per play (0.95). Her season high in points is 27, and she’s made six threes in a game twice this season. If she gets rolling early, it could be a long night for the opponent.
(One player who could cancel out Hsu’s shooting, though, might be McCann, the Yale freshman. There are two reasons for that: she has hit a team-high 44 3-pointers this season, and she will likely guard Hsu in the semifinals as one of Yale’s top perimeter defenders.)
Princeton sophomore point guardKaitlyn Chenand sophomore forwardEllie Mitchellcould likewise be pivotal for Princeton if opponents lock down Meyers and Cunningham. Take Princeton’s win at Columbia on Feb. 23, for example: Columbia defended Meyers and Cunningham well, but Chen scored 21 points in the decisive first half. Chen would have been my runner-up for Rookie of the Year behind Harvard’s Turner (Chen was enrolled in classes last year, but the Ivy League did not play), and thatChen-Turner matchupwill be fun to watch for a third time this season in the semifinals.
Mitchell was the conference’s Defensive Player of the Year, yet she didn’t make an all-Ivy team. Sheis averagingjust 6.3 points per game but isthe conference’s leaderin total rebounds (10.1 per game) and offensive rebounds (3.9). She also averages 2.3 steals per game, which ranks fourth in the conference behind three guards. One of those big defensive plays—or offensive putbacks—could be just what Princeton needs if it finds itself in a close game.
FAQs
Who won the Ivy League tournament? ›
Penn Wins Second Consecutive Ivy League Title, Columbia Secures Fourth Tournament Spot - Ivy League.
Where is the 2023 Ivy League tournament? ›The 2023 Ivy League tournament gets underway on Friday, May 5 with the semifinals. The championship game will be on Sunday, May 6. Cornell is the top seed. The tournament is being hosted by non-men's lacrosse playing Columbia.
Does the Ivy League get an automatic bid? ›If two or more teams are tied for first place at the end of the season the league title is shared. Prior to 2017, the league champion received the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament. In the event of a shared title a playoff would be held to determine the league's automatic bid.
How does the Ivy League tournament work? ›The top four finishers from the round-robin regular season participate in a double elimination tournament held at the site of the regular season champion, with the winner earning the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Division I Baseball Championship. Penn won the inaugural Ivy League tournament in 2023.
What is the hardest Ivy League? ›Harvard University
The most challenging Ivy League school to get into is Harvard, established in 1636 and based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. According to Harvard Admissions, only 2,008 out of 43,330 candidates were accepted to the college. These figures translate into an acceptance rate of 4.6%.
Harvard is the oldest institution of higher education in the US and consistently ranks #1 hardest Ivy League to get into. Founded in 1636, Harvard offers students a world-class education from some of the most brilliant professors in the world.
What are the big three Ivy League? ›“The Big Three” rank among the top Ivy League schools on nearly every list. Historically, “The Big Three”—Harvard, Yale, and Princeton—have comprised the top three institutions across the board. However, more recently, Columbia and Brown have also made appearances in the top 3.
Can you get into all Ivy Leagues? ›Only a few students can say that they have been accepted into every Ivy League school in the United States: Harvard, Yale, Brown, Columbia, the University of Pennsylvania, Dartmouth, Princeton and Cornell. Among those who can call themselves members of this exclusive club are Augusta Uwamanzu-Nna and Kelly Hyles.
How to impress Ivy Leagues? ›- Start early.
- Do thoughtful college research.
- Take time to write strong essays.
- Answer optional supplemental questions.
- Submit supplemental materials.
- Emphasize uniqueness, leadership, and impact.
- Submit test scores strategically.
If you're aiming for a top university such as one in the Ivy League, Stanford, MIT, or others of the same caliber, a 4.0 GPA — or close to it — is expected.
Can you get into Ivy League without honors? ›
Grades for Ivy League Schools. No, your child does not need to be valedictorian or receive a perfect 4.0 GPA or 1600 on their SAT for admission into Ivy League colleges.
Do Ivy Leagues look at class rank? ›For Ivy League and other top tier schools, a class rank in the top 10% or 5% is a good goal to aim for. Remember though, that colleges take many factors into consideration when they look at college applications, and your class rank is just one piece of the puzzle.
Does going to an Ivy League give you an advantage? ›In addition to serving as an entry point to the alumni network, an Ivy League school listed at the top of their resume can help your child land their first job out of college, as well as internships and other opportunities while he's in college.
What are the chances of getting into one ivy? ›What are the Ivy Leagues' acceptance rates? As we discussed in the article above, the overall Ivy League acceptance rates are: Brown – 6.3%, Columbia – 5.1%, Cornell – 10.6%, Dartmouth – 7.9%, Harvard – 4.5%, UPenn – 7.4%, Princeton – 5.8%, and Yale – 5.9%.
Which Ivy gets the least applicants? ›Dartmouth University is the Ivy League school that receives the least amount of applications. On average, they receive nearly 23,000 applications each year, and this year they received 28,841 applications.
What is the lowest GPA ever accepted Ivy League? ›And maybe, you can get into a top tier college with a low GPA. We've always stated that the lowest GPA student we've ever helped get into an Ivy League school had a 3.3 unweighted GPA. And we're not saying that we could get anyone in with a 3.3 GPA. But it has happened before – and the student was Asian American too.
What is the lowest GPA to get into Harvard? ›You should also have a 4.18 GPA or higher. If your GPA is lower than this, you need to compensate with a higher SAT/ACT score. For a school as selective as Harvard, you'll also need to impress them with the rest of your application. We'll cover those details next.
What is a hidden Ivy school? ›The Hidden Ivies are colleges and universities considered to rival the eight Ivy League schools without being part of that prestigious group. These schools offer similar academic opportunities to students but might get overlooked because of their lack of popularity when compared to the famous Ivies.
What is the #1 hardest school to get into? ›Niche, a ranking and review site, recently published its list of the “2023 Hardest Colleges to Get Into.” Using data from the U.S. Department of Education on various colleges' acceptance rates and SAT/ACT scores, they found, unsurprisingly, Harvard University to be the most difficult college to get into.
What is the 2nd easiest Ivy League to get into? ›Dartmouth College
The second-easiest Ivy League school to get into, Dartmouth College was founded in 1769.
What is the least snobby Ivy League? ›
The correct answer is almost certainly Cornell. It's a much bigger school in terms of number of students, and includes a number of schools -- not just the core arts & science school.
What is the hardest non Ivy League school to get into? ›Claremont McKenna College
Claremont McKenna College, in Claremont, California, has a 13% acceptance rate.
"Harvard and Yale generally duke it out in the academic arena", but geographic proximity, the history of Yale's founding and social competition between the respective student and alumni bodies animate the athletic rivalry.
What is the most social ivy? ›University of Pennsylvania
More commonly known as Penn, it is located in Philadelphia. Pennsylvania is known as the Social Ivy, and it is most commonly known for business.
The Ivy League universities vary in size, with each institution enrolling between 4,500 and 15,500 undergraduates. Dartmouth is the smallest Ivy, with a total enrollment of about 7,000 students. Meanwhile, Columbia and Harvard enroll the most students of any Ivy, with over 30,000 undergraduate and graduate students.
Who was the girl that got into every Ivy League school? ›She started an organization to help young women
Ashley Adirika also founded Our Story Our Worth, an organization that provides mentorship, confidence-building and sisterhood to young women of color. “When I was in elementary school, I had the privilege of being a part of a mentorship program for girls.
The acceptance rate for Ivy League schools is typically around 5-10%, which means that only a small percentage of applicants are admitted. Factors that are considered in the admissions process include academic achievements, extracurricular activities, test scores, essays, and letters of recommendation.
What kind of people do Ivy Leagues look for? ›Ivy League schools expect you to have outstanding grades, and it's practically a prerequisite to applying. Unless you've experienced an extreme illness or a life-changing experience, Ivy League schools expect you to have a good GPA of at least 4.0.
What is the most fun ivy? ›Campus happiness: Brown is widely known as the happiest Ivy, perhaps because of students' freedom to choose courses with almost complete autonomy. Students report feeling less competition amongst themselves and an overall sense of campus community.
Can I get into Harvard with 2 B's? ›Does Harvard Accept B Students? Yes, just like I mentioned above, it's completely possible to get admitted into Harvard University with B grades.
What is the easiest Cornell college to get into? ›
Cornell Acceptance Rate by College
The Hotel School in the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business is the least competitive with an acceptance rate of 30% The School of Human Ecology has a 23 % acceptance rate, the second-highest acceptance rate of all the schools at Cornell.
Average GPA: 4.18
(Most schools use a weighted GPA out of 4.0, though some report an unweighted GPA. With a GPA of 4.18, Harvard requires you to be at the top of your class. You'll need nearly straight A's in all your classes to compete with other applicants.
How Many AP Classes Should You Take for Ivy Leagues and Other Top US Universities? For students aiming for the Ivy League and Top 20 schools in the United States, a good target is to take (and pass) 10-14 AP classes throughout your high school career — or 3-4 each year.
Can you get into Yale with B's? ›For example, at Yale a whopping 96% of students graduated in the top 10% of their high school class. If you have a few B's and are still at the top of your class, you remain in a strong position!
Is AP or honors harder? ›AP classes also tend to be more challenging than honors classes. For AP classes, you should have the ability to manage difficult coursework while preparing for AP exams.
Where is the AAC tournament in 2023? ›IRVING, Texas – The bracket is set for the 2023 American Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Championship, to be held March 9-12 at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas.
Where is first round NCAA tournament in 2023? ›Experience March Madness® in Sacramento March 16 & 18, 2023 at the Golden 1 Center! Sacramento State University hosts the First and Second Rounds of the NCAA® Division I Men's Basketball Championship. TICKETS ON SALE NOW!
Where will NCAA 2023 be held? › Where is the 2023 mens ncaa tournament sites? ›The 2023 Final Four is scheduled for April 1 and April 3 at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas. First- and second-round March Madness cities for 2023 include Birmingham, Alabama; Des Moines, Iowa; Orlando, Florida; Sacramento, California; Albany, New York; Columbus, Ohio; Denver, Colorado; and Greensboro, North Carolina.
Where is the ACC tournament 2024? ›The excitement of the 2024 ACC Tournament is coming to Washington DC this March, and this website can help you find amazing tickets for every game of the excitement!
Who will be in the AAC in 2023? ›
The AAC is adding six teams from Conference USA, a huge loss for that conference. Charlotte, Florida Atlantic, North Texas, Rice, UAB, and UTSA are joining the AAC for the 2023 season.
Who will host the AAC championship? ›The 2022 American Athletic Conference Football Championship Game is a college football game played on December 3, 2022, at Yulman Stadium in New Orleans. It was the eighth American Athletic Conference Football Championship Game and determined the champion of the American Athletic Conference (AAC) for the 2022 season.
How do you get tickets to the 2023 NCAA Tournament? ›How do I get tickets for March Madness? Get tickets to the 2023 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship at Ticketmaster, the world's largest ticket marketplace here.
Who won 2023 March Madness Men? ›No. 4 seed UConn collected its fifth national championship in 2023 after trouncing San Diego State 76-59. Forward Adama Sanogo and guard Jordan Hawkins helped the Huskies win by an average margin of 20 points per game. The 2023 March Madness men's tournament saw plenty of upsets.
What does first four mean in the NCAA tournament? ›When selecting the teams for the NCAA tournament, the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Committee ranks every team from No. 1 through No. 68. In its current format, the First Four consists of eight teams — the four lowest-seeded automatic qualifiers, and the four lowest-seeded at-large teams.
Is NCAA football 2023 out yet? ›The company had originally planned for the release sometime in the summer of 2023 but pushed back the date in an effort to ensure that the game would be of the highest quality. The official time frame for the release is now set for the summer of 2024.
Are they releasing a college football game in 2023? ›EA Sports' college football video game series will return in the summer of 2024, EA Sports' VP and GM told @mikerothstein.
Where will the college football playoffs be held 2023? ›INGLEWOOD, California - The No.
Where are the first round NCAA tournament sites? ›| ROUND | CITY | HOST |
|---|---|---|
| First Four | Dayton, Ohio | University of Dayton |
| First/Second | Brooklyn. N.Y. | Atlantic 10 Conference |
| First/Second | Charlotte, N.C. | University of North Carolina at Charlotte |
| First/Second | Indianapolis | IUPUI / Horizon League |
NCAA Tournament East Region Location
The NCAA Tournament East Region will be played in New York, NY at Madison Square Garden.