Despite the dominance of Princeton, Harvard, and Penn in recent years, this season more than any in the recent past shows just how much anyone in the league can pull an upset on a given night. Add this to the fact that one of the most dominant classes in Ivy League history—yes in Ivy League history—is graduating from Princeton in May and you realize a conference tournament might just be what the Ivy League needed.
I mean really, there’s no reason why a Cornell squad that finished the season 6-8 should have beat a Penn squad that was undefeated and that had beat a Princeton squad that went undefeated a year ago and returned four of its five starters from last years historic season—but they did.
It’s because of wins like Cornell’s and frankly because Harvard hasn’t been able to get over the hump for the past few years why coach Delaney-Smith’s squad and even the league as a whole should be pretty excited to have a conference tournament decide the league champion. The departure of Princeton’s seniors certainly helps my case, but barring WNIT appearances, the last time Harvard played postseason basketball was in 2007.
Had the conference tournament existed the Crimson would’ve played in every one since. Let that sink in for a minute.
Add this to the fact the last time the Crimson posted a losing record was in 1994 and you realize Harvard could’ve been and might continue to be a perennial attendee at the Ivy tournament.
All things considered, and even if Harvard had lost every one of these conference tournaments, just the chance to play beyond a pretty definitive 14 games is something that the league needs. When you really think about it, Michigan State’s loss to Middle Tennessee State was just the Blue Raiders trying to be like Cornell women’s basketball. I know it seems like I’m a bit obsessed with Cornell’s upset, but the real issue with Cornell’s big win is that it didn’t matter—Penn still won the conference. Had the upset come in the conference tournament maybe it just wouldn’t be just me talking about it then.
I’ll leave you with this: eighteen years ago Harvard became the first (and still the only) No. 16 seed to upset a No. 1 seed in NCAA basketball history. Let’s just say coach Delaney-Smith is no stranger to high stakes playoff basketball.
—Staff writer Troy Boccelli can be reached at troy.boccelli@thecrimson.com