6. Cornell

The Big Red fell way short of expectations last season. Picked to finish fourth in the Ivy last season, Cornell (10-17, 3-11) was the cellar dwellers throughout the year. New Coach Steve Donahue, a former Penn assistant, hopes to re-energize a deflated team.

A core group of players return from last season, as four of the five starters head back to Ithaca. With a transfer, a freshman and an inexperienced point guard as starters last year, the Big Red never really gelled on offense.

However, with the year of experience playing together, the Cornell starters should show marked improvements.

Senior forward Ray Mercedes, who led the Big Red in scoring for the third straight season (14.8 ppg), will once again figure in the offensive attack. A flexible player, Mercedes can score from the outside and on the low post. Joining Mercedes in the frontcourt, center Greg Barratt brings a team-high 7.7 rebounds per game average.

An experienced backcourt leads the way for the Big Red, as junior point guard Wallace Prather, who showed flashes of brilliance last season, returns for his third season as a starter. Sophomore David Muller and senior David Cuttica, who led Cornell off the bench last season, will complete a veteran backcourt trio.

7. Brown

The Bears' two leading scorers return for their sophomore seasons as Brown (8-19, 4-10) looks to improve dramatically from its lackluster performance last season.

Sophomores Alai Nuualiitia and Earl Hunt headline a promising Bears team that returns four starters from last season for second-year Coach Glenn Miller. Hunt's play should be the key, as the swingman finished the season first in scoring in Ivy League games (18.8 ppg) while registering four double-doubles. Nuualiitia posted the 10th-highest scoring average in the league (13.3 ppg).