We are now officially well underway in the college basketball season. To date, there has been 15 days of basketball completed. The Ivy League teams have been in some exciting games and a few upsets thus far. Before we get to the Ivy League Basketball Power Rankings for week 2, let’s look back at what we had for week 1.
| Week 1 (11/14 – 11/22) | |||
| Rank | Team | Record | Previous Week |
| 1 | Harvard | 2-1 | 1 |
| 2 | Yale | 3-1 | 3 |
| 3 | Columbia | 1-1 | 2 |
| 4 | Cornell | 2-3 | 8 |
| 5 | Princeton | 1-3 | 7 |
| 6 | Brown | 1-3 | 6 |
| 7 | Dartmouth | 0-2 | 4 |
| 8 | Penn | 0-3 | 5 |
Half the league is at .500 or better after two weeks while the other half is a combined 4-17. The only team without a win is Penn who sits at 0-5 and number eight in the Ivy League Basketball Power Rankings. Here are the power rankings for week two in the Ivy League.
1. Harvard Crimson (4-1) – Harvard went 2-0 last week with an easy win over Houston and a tough game against UMass. Wesley Saunders got going for the Crimson with 51 points combined in the two games. Harvard also had a season low 8 turnovers against UMass, which is a good sign after how many they had to start the season.
2. Yale Bulldogs (5-2) – Yale went 2-1 last week winning at Kent State to capture the Men Against Breast Cancer Classic. They also beat Lafayette before dropping the Black Friday game at Providence. The Bulldogs did not embarrass themselves in that game either. They played hard to the end and even though Justin Sears had a poor game, they had other players step up.
3. Columbia Lions (4-1) – Columbia went 3-0 last week and gave up an average of 44.7 points per game. The highest amount they gave up was 47 to Fairleigh Dickinson. If the Lions continue to play defense like this, they could see themselves push Yale for the second spot in the Ivy League Basketball Power Rankings.
4. Cornell Big Red (4-4) – The Big Red are in a precarious position. At this point in the season, they are clearly not as good as the top three teams, but are clearly better than the bottom four teams. They lost to Drexel to start the week but rebounded with two solid performances against Canisius and Binghamton. If they can finish out games in the Ivy League portion of their schedule, they may be able to break into the top three.
5. Brown Bears (2-5) – The Bears mark the dartboard portion of the Ivy League Basketball Power Rankings. The Bears started the week with an expected blowout loss to Illinois. Then they got crushed by 21 points in the Las Vegas Invitational against Austin Peay. They rebounded to beat Prairie View, but that was to be expected. The Bears will need to show more consistency if they want to hold on to the number 5 spot.
6. Dartmouth Big Green (1-2) – The Big Green played only one game and need a buzzer beater to win. Conner Boehm had the honors of the game winner that beat IPFW. Gabas Maldunas continues to get better (granted it has only been 3 games), which bodes well for Dartmouth. Still, they will need more than him to be competitive the rest of the year.
7. Princeton Tigers (1-5) – Princeton played two games in the Wooden Legacy and never really threatened to win either game. They lost to UTEP 62-56 and then followed that up with a 75-65 loss to San Diego. The Tigers continue to struggle from beyond the arc (less than 32% in their last three games). Unless Penn continues to lose, Princeton could find themselves in the cellar.
8. Penn Quakers (0-5) -The Quakers dropped two games in week 2 and are the only team in the Ivy League without a win. They lost at Temple in a good effort, but then lost to Wagner after hitting only 1 field goal in the final 10 minutes of the game. The Quakers continue to turn the ball over and struggle hitting three pointers.
Below is the table for week two’s Ivy League Basketball Power Rankings.
| Week 2 (11/23 – 11/29) | |||
| Rank | Team | Record | Last Week |
| 1 | Harvard | 4-1 | 1 |
| 2 | Yale | 5-2 | 2 |
| 3 | Columbia | 4-1 | 3 |
| 4 | Cornell | 4-4 | 4 |
| 5 | Brown | 2-5 | 6 |
| 6 | Dartmouth | 1-2 | 7 |
| 7 | Princeton | 1-5 | 5 |
| 8 | Penn | 0-5 | 8 |
Check back next Sunday for the week three edition of the Ivy League Basketball Power Rankings.