2014-15 Ivy League Basketball Power Rankings Week 4
As we approach mid-December, the college basketball season has been full of surprises and that extends to the Ivy League as well. The past week provided a few surprises and a few duds as well. The schedule has become sparse for the Ivy League due to finals, but we still had some great action. Let’s take a look back at week three’s power rankings before we get to the 2014-15 Ivy League Basketball Power Rankings Week 4.
| Week 3 (11/30 – 12/6) | |||
| Rank | Team | Record | Previous Week |
| 1 | Yale | 8-2 | 2 |
| 2 | Harvard | 6-1 | 1 |
| 3 | Columbia | 5-2 | 3 |
| 4 | Cornell | 5-4 | 4 |
| 5 | Princeton | 3-6 | 7 |
| 6 | Brown | 4-6 | 5 |
| 7 | Dartmouth | 2-4 | 6 |
| 8 | Penn | 2-5 | 8 |
As noted the last few weeks, the top four teams have been at or above .500 while the bottom four teams are still languishing below that .500 mark. That remains in effect in Week Four’s power rankings as well. It is also worth noting that there were only 8 games played by Ivy League teams this week. The Ivy League went 4-4 in those 5 games. As such, there was not a ton of movement in the Power Rankings. Here are the 2014-15 Ivy League Basketball Power Rankings Week 4.
1. Yale Bulldogs (8-3) – Yale played only one game and it was quite the dud. They went on the road to face the Florida Gators and got obliterated 85-47. Yale was expected to play much better, but the Gators were returning home after losing back-to-back games to North Carolina and Kansas. It was easily Yale’s worst performance, but it was exacerbated by Florida’s hot-shooting of 64% for the game. Yale hangs on to the top spot by virtue of their overall season performance thus far.
2. Harvard Crimson (7-1) – Harvard played only one game as well and they handled Boston University with a big second half from the free throw line. They knocked down 16 of 17 free throws to win 70-56. The Crimson did not do anything to harm their standing overall and continue to limit their turnovers.
3. Columbia Lions (5-3) – As with the top two teams, the Lions also played only one team. They lost, but their loss was impressive given it was on the road against the top ranked Kentucky Wildcats. They played their usual stingy defense and actually led 11-0 before Kentucky was able to score a point. They led at halftime 25-23, but the Wildcats’ talent would show through in the end. Maodo Lo played very well with 16 points and and 7 rebounds. It is clear who the top three teams in the Ivy League are.
4. Cornell Big Red (5-4) – Cornell did not play a game last week, which leaves them in the fourth spot.
5. Brown Bears (5-6) – The biggest win of the week for the Ivy League went to the Brown Bears with their 77-67 victory over Providence on the road. The Bears hit a season high 10 three pointers in the win and were impressive in repelling every run by Providence. The Bears are quickly finding their groove having won 4 of their last 5 games.
6. Dartmouth Big Green (3-4) – The Big Green played one game as well with a win over UMass Lowell, 69-48. They tied a season-high with 9 three pointers and Alex Mitola continued his streak of scoring at least 10 points in every game. He finished with 19 points on 7 of 12 shooting and 5 of 9 from beyond the arc.
7. Princeton Tigers (3-8) – Princeton was the only team to play two games and they lost both of them. The first game against St. Peter’s provided the lowest point total (46), the lowest field goal percentage (30.8%), and the lowest amount of field goals in a game (16) this season. The only reason they are not at the bottom is their game on Saturday evening at California. They looked excellent in the first half by shooting 61.9% and hitting 8 of 14 three pointers (57.1%) while holding a 37-28 lead at the break. They ultimately lost 67-57 after a poor second half, but it was a better performance than their midweek game. Nevertheless, the Tigers are in serious danger of dropping to the bottom if they continue to play poorly.
8. Penn Quakers (3-5) – Penn played one game and won against Marist 59-42. Sam Jones had a season-high 19 points off the bench on 7 of 10 shooting and made 5 of 6 three point shots. The Quakers had only 6 three pointers as a team. The Quakers collected a season-high 45 rebounds plus they had 16 assists. One area of concern for the Quakers is the turnover department. They had 20 turnovers against Marist and their season low is 14. However, the Quakers have a chance to move up if Princeton continues to struggle.
Here are the Week 4 Power Rankings:
| Week 4 (12/7 – 12/13) | |||
| Rank | Team | Record | Last Week |
| 1 | Yale | 8-3 | 1 |
| 2 | Harvard | 7-1 | 2 |
| 3 | Columbia | 5-3 | 3 |
| 4 | Cornell | 5-4 | 4 |
| 5 | Brown | 5-6 | 6 |
| 6 | Dartmouth | 3-4 | 7 |
| 7 | Princeton | 3-8 | 5 |
| 8 | Penn | 3-5 | 8 |
Finally, there is this sortable table that incorporates each team’s rankings by week.
| Team | Preseason | Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5 | Week 6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yale Bulldogs | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Harvard Crimson | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Columbia Lions | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Cornell Big Red | 8 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Brown Bears | 6 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Dartmouth Big Green | 4 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
| Princeton Tigers | 7 | 5 | 7 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 7 |
| Penn Quakers | 5 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 |
Feel free to comment below if you agree or disagree with the rankings and check back next Sunday for the Week 5 edition!