However, the fate of the Ivy League will ultimately come down to the Lions and Quakers. If the Ivy League can have five legitimate teams that each have nonconference wins against big-time opponents, the idea of a two-bid Ivy may not seem too far fetched. However, the conference has a long way to go. Currently, Princeton is widely seen as the conference’s best team this season despite its signature nonconference win coming against Bucknell.

Is Columbia’s ceiling a third place finish in the conference? Is Donahue capable of making people want to toast to dear old Penn once again? Ten, 15, 20 years from now, will we look at the past decade as the pinnacle of Ivy League basketball or will it have been just the beginning of the Ancient Eight’s emergence as a legitimate mid-major conference? The answer may come down to Jim Engles and Steve Donahue.

Now to the picks:

HARVARD AT CORNELL

The first thought that comes to mind with this matchup is its outcome just a year ago. In that showdown, Harvard played catch-up throughout the second half until a late floater from then-freshman Tommy McCarthy gave the Crimson the win. It would be among the lone bright spots in a lackluster season for Harvard.

Nearly a year later the two teams couldn’t be more unrecognizable. Harvard comes in led by a squad of freshmen that have led the Crimson to nine wins in its past ten games while the Big Red relies on a trio of sophomores in Matt Morgan and Stone Gettings. The second-year duo and senior Robert Hatter combine to average over 43 of Cornell’s season average of 73 points per game.

To make sense of this matchup, one only needs to look at the team’s matchups with Houston. The Cougars handed the Big Red a 30-point loss while Harvard took down Houston on the road in January.

Pick: Harvard

DARTMOUTH AT COLUMBIA

You could make the argument that Dartmouth needs to win at some point.

I, for one, will not. This is a team that lost its first nine games of the season. Sure, it has the reigning Ivy League Rookie of the Year in Evan Boudreaux, but sometimes teamwork really does make the dream work.

Before Big Green fans take up arms, let me say Columbia hasn’t had a particularly stellar season either. They come into Friday having split games against Cornell and more than anything the Lions are a team that only wins games that they’re supposed to win. Prime example: Dartmouth.

Pick: Columbia

BROWN AT YALE

Where to begin with this one. A week ago it would’ve been easy to call a runaway Yale win, but after beating the Bears by a only single point in Providence the Bulldogs don’t look like the favorites they once were.