LWOS continues its conference previews with the 2020-21 Ivy League Basketball Preview. The Ivy League continues to be one of the better mid-major leagues in the country. The league champion is almost always a threat to pull an upset in the NCAA Tournament. Yale seemed poised for that last season until the cancellation of March Madness. The Bulldogs have enough to repeat this season, though they will be tested. However, the bigger question coming into the 2020-21 season is whether the Ivy League will play at all.
2020-21 Ivy League Basketball Preview
8. Columbia Lions
Key Returners: Ike Nweke, Randy Brumant
Key Losses: Mike Smith, Jack Forrest, Jake Killingsworth
Key Newcomers: None
Columbia loses just about every key contributor from the backcourt from last season. That hurts even more when you consider that the Lions finished in last place. None of those losses is bigger than Mike Smith, who was forced to transfer due to the league’s graduate transfer rule. The balance of power shifts to the frontcourt, who will be expected to carry the load. Columbia might show some improvement, but they are a long way off from competing for titles.
7. Cornell Big Red
Key Returners: Jimmy Boeheim, Terrance McBride, Bryan Knapp
Key Losses: Josh Warren
Key Newcomers: Sarju Patel (VMI)
Cornell has a decent number of pieces returning and also has a good mix of young and old on the roster. The senior trio of Boeheim, McBride, and Knapp are the starting point for this team. However, the younger players are the future of this program. The experience that returns in both the backcourt and the frontcourt should mean that the Big Red take a step forward this season. Cornell should be competitive enough to fight for a spot in the Ivy League Tournament.
6. Dartmouth Big Green
Key Returners: Chris Knight, Aaryn Rai, Taurus Samuels
Key Losses: James Foye, Ian Sistare
Key Newcomers: Robert McRae III, Jaren Johnson
Dartmouth showed vast improvement a season ago, staying in the mix for the final Ivy League Tournament berth deep into February. Knight is the star of this team, averaging 14.8 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks per game on his way to a second-team recognition. Rai and Samuels are a formidable duo in the backcourt. The Big Green’s biggest question mark is the depth behind the starters. Still, Dartmouth should be in contention for the last seed once again.
5. Brown Bears
Key Returners: Tamenang Choh, Jaylan Gainey
Key Losses: Brandon Anderson, Zach Hunsaker
Key Newcomers: Tyler Brown (JUCO), Noah Meren (D-III)
Brown was another improved team in the league, tying for fourth place, but losing the tiebreaker for the conference tournament berth. The backcourt takes some hits due to graduation heading into 2020-21. Luckily, Choh and Gainey are forces on the block. Choh was a second-teamer, averaging 13.2 points and 8.1 rebounds last season. Meanwhile, Gainey is a defensive star, earning co-defensive player of the year, in large part due to averaging 2.2 blocks per game. The Bears have enough to repeat last year’s finishing position, and possibly climb a little higher.
4. Penn Quakers
Key Returners: Jordan Dingle, Max Martz
Key Losses: A.J. Brodeur, Devon Goodman, Ryan Betley
Key Newcomers: Andrew Laczkowski
Penn was a sleeper to capture the Ivy League Tournament before it became the first conference tournament to cancel due to the outbreak of COVID-19. Now, the program will have to adjust to life without Brodeur, who was one of the best players in program history. Dingle seems primed to take his place, winning rookie of the year while averaging 13.5 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game a season ago. The Quakers are younger heading into 2020-21, but they will reload rather than rebuild, pushing for a top-four finish once more.
3. Harvard Crimson
Key Returners: Noah Kirkwood, Chris Ledlum
Key Losses: Bryce Aiken, Chris Lewis, Robert Baker, Seth Towns
Key Newcomers: Justice Ajogbor
Harvard loses Aiken, who was one of the best to ever come through the program. However, due to his numerous injuries, the Crimson have learned how to play without him over the years. Kirkwood had a fantastic sophomore campaign and is a candidate for the player of the year award this season. Head Coach Tommy Amaker also brought in a talented big man in Ajogbor. Depth will be a concern for this team, but they will still be a threat to push for a league title.
2. Princeton Tigers
Key Returners: Jaelin Llewellyn, Ryan Schwieger, Drew Friberg
Key Losses: Richmond Aririguzoh
Key Newcomers: None
Princeton is set to compete for the top spot in the Ivy League for at least the next two seasons. Llewellyn is the unquestioned leader of this team and can do it all for the Tigers. He averaged 15.3 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 2.3 assists on his way to a second-team honor last season. The frontcourt is loaded with talent as well. Princeton had a nine-man rotation last season, of which seven are returning. The Tigers should end up in the Ivy League Tournament and will compete for a title and potentially more.
1. Yale Bulldogs
Key Returners: Paul Atkinson, Azar Swain, Jalen Gabbidon
Key Losses: Jordan Bruner, Eric Monroe
Key Newcomers: None
Yale has almost every key player from last season’s squad that was more than capable of winning at least a game in the NCAA Tournament. Atkinson was the co-player of the year last season, and Swain could have been just as deserving of a similar recognition. Furthermore, Gabbidon is this team’s defensive star, taking home co-defensive player of the year honors. The only real concern is the depth behind Atkinson should he get injured or run into foul trouble. Otherwise, the Bulldogs are dangerous not only on a league level, but on a national scale as well.
2020-21 Ivy League Basketball Preview Award Projections
Player of the Year: Paul Atkinson, Yale
Atkinson was the best player on the best team in the Ivy League last season. He averaged 17.6 points and 7.3 rebounds per game while also shooting 63 percent from the field in 2019-20. He shared this honor with A.J. Brodeur from Penn, who was worthy in his own right. However, this should be Atkinson’s to have all by himself this season.
Defensive Player of the Year: Jaylan Gainey, Brown
Gainey’s ability to block shots was already touched on above. He is the type of player that can make teams think twice about trying to drive into the lane. That is a huge asset to have when trying to force teams to take low-percentage shots. Jalen Gabbidon of Yale is certainly capable of winning this award as well, as he split it with Gainey a season ago. However, the edge goes to the Brown junior heading into 2020-21.
Rookie of the Year: Justice Ajogbor, Harvard
Ajogbor, a native of Nigeria, played prep ball in North Carolina, and is rated as three-star recruit by 247 Sports. He should find his way into the rotation immediately, and a starting spot is not out of the question. Ajogbor is a solid defender, and that will be his strength as he improves his offensive game. There is no reason why he cannot be the most impactful freshman this season in the league.
Coach of the Year: James Jones, Yale
Jones would be more than deserving of repeating this honor if he can get Yale to repeat in the league. Unfortunately, given the expectation that the Ivy League will not play any non-conference games at minimum, it appears he will not get the chance to pick up big non-league wins before the NCAA Tournament. Still, that does not diminish the expectations, and Jones is the guy to get the team to live up to them.
All-Conference First-Team Projection: Azar Swain (Yale), Noah Kirkwood (Harvard), Jaelin Llewellyn (Princeton), Paul Atkinson (Yale), Tamenang Choh (Brown)
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