2010–11 Ivy League men's basketball season
Encyclopedia
The 2010–11 Ivy League men's basketball season marks the continuation of the annual tradition of competitive basketball
among Ivy League
members that began when the league was formed during the 1956–57 season
, continuing from the predecessor Eastern Intercollegiate Basketball League
, which was formed in 1902. Following the annual 14-game round robin home & home schedule, Harvard
and Princeton
tied as co-champion. Princeton earned the conference's automatic bid to the 2011 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
in a one-game playoff
. As conference regular season co-champion, Harvard was invited to the 2011 National Invitation Tournament
. Both team's lost their first tournament games.
, four of the eight teams had coaches entering their first full season as head coach
: Columbia's
Kyle Smith
, Cornell's
Bill Courtney
, Dartmouth's Paul Cormier
and Penn's Jerome Allen (previously interim). Most preseason publications predicted Princeton
would finish in first place and Harvard
would finish in second place, although the Sporting News projected that would finish in first followed by Princeton and Harvard. Breaking a three-year streak by Cornell
, the Ivy League media poll selected Princeton as the top team with twelve first place votes, Harvard second with four first place votes and Cornell third with one first place vote. It was the first Princeton team to be the preseason selection since the .
, for a few weeks during the season Harvard received a vote in the AP Poll
. When Harvard earned its 20th win on February 19, against Columbia, it marked the eighth time that two Ivy League teams totalled 20 wins. On March 7, Harvard received a vote in both the AP Poll and the Coaches' Poll. Then, in the final regular season poll on March 13, Princeton received 3 points in the Coaches' Poll.
The conference had two players recognized as Academic All-Americans: senior guard Garrett Leffelman and junior guard Chris Wroblewski.
Harvard's Oliver McNally concluded his season with a 100 for 108 (92.6%) Free throw percentage mark second to Chris Warren
of the Ole Miss Rebels
led with a 168 for 181 (92.8%) mark.
On March 5, Harvard clinched a share of the league championship for the first time since the Ivy League was formed. On March 8, Princeton defeated Penn to force a one-game playoff at the Payne Whitney Gymnasium
at Yale University
in New Haven, Connecticut
. The matchup was widely anticipated in the press.
for being the regular season champion. The 2011 one-game playoff was the eighth in Ivy League history. Princeton appeared for the eighth time, and have won at least a share of twenty-six league titles.
Entering selection Sunday (March 13), Harvard ranked 35th in the Ratings Percentage Index
(RPI) and Princeton ranked 40th. Princeton was a #13 Seed in the 2011 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament, while Harvard was not selected. Unfortunately, neither of Harvard's quality wins (against Colorado
and Boston College
) helped them because both teams were left out of the NCAA tournament and relegated to number one seed status in the NIT tournament. As a regular season champion not invited to the NCAA tournament, Harvard earned an automatic selection for the 2011 National Invitation Tournament
, where they were seeded #6. On March 15, Harvard was defeated by by a 71–54 margin in the first round. It was the school's first appearance in the National Invitation Tournament
. Princeton lost its opening game against the Kentucky Wildcats by a 59–57 margin on a last second layup.
Player of the Year: Keith Wright, Harvard (Jr., F, Suffolk, VA)
Defensive Player of the Year: Kareem Maddox, Princeton (Sr., F, Oak Park, CA)
Rookie of the Year: Sean McGonagill, Brown (Fr., G, Brookfield, IL)
All-Ivy League (ALL CAPS: Unanimous)
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
among Ivy League
Ivy League
The Ivy League is an athletic conference comprising eight private institutions of higher education in the Northeastern United States. The conference name is also commonly used to refer to those eight schools as a group...
members that began when the league was formed during the 1956–57 season
1956–57 NCAA University Division men's basketball season
-Season headlines:* This was the first year where NCAA basketball was split into two levels of play – the University and College divisions.-Major rule changes:Beginning in 1956–57, the following rules changes were implemented:...
, continuing from the predecessor Eastern Intercollegiate Basketball League
Eastern Intercollegiate Basketball League
The Eastern Intercollegiate Basketball League is a defunct athletic conference comprising the predecessor institutions of higher education in the Northeastern United States that subsequently formed the Ivy League. Its membership ranged between five and eight institutions...
, which was formed in 1902. Following the annual 14-game round robin home & home schedule, Harvard
2010–11 Harvard Crimson men's basketball team
The 2010–11 Harvard Crimson men's basketball team represented Harvard University in the Ivy League athletic conference during the 2010–11 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team played its home games in Cambridge, Massachusetts at the Lavietes Pavilion, which has a capacity of 2,195. The...
and Princeton
2010–11 Princeton Tigers men's basketball team
The 2010–11 Princeton Tigers men's basketball team represented Princeton University in intercollegiate college basketball during the 2010–11 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The head coach was Sydney Johnson, who was in his fourth season. The team's tri-captains were senior Kareem Maddox,...
tied as co-champion. Princeton earned the conference's automatic bid to the 2011 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
2011 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The following sites were selected to host each round of the 2011 tournament:First Four*March 15 and 16**University of Dayton Arena, Dayton, OhioSecond and third rounds*March 17 and 19**Verizon Center, Washington, D.C....
in a one-game playoff
One-game playoff
A one-game playoff, sometimes known as a pennant playoff or play-in game, is a tiebreaker in certain sports—usually but not always professional—to determine which of two teams, tied in the final standings, will qualify for a post-season tournament...
. As conference regular season co-champion, Harvard was invited to the 2011 National Invitation Tournament
2011 National Invitation Tournament
-Colorado bracket:-Boston College bracket:-Virginia Tech bracket:-NIT Final Four - NIT Semifinals and NIT Championship Game:Played at Madison Square Garden in New York City-See also:* 2011 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament...
. Both team's lost their first tournament games.
Preseason
Entering the 2010–11 NCAA Division I men's basketball season2010–11 NCAA Division I men's basketball season
The 2010–11 NCAA Division I men's basketball season began on November 8, 2010 with the preliminary games of the 2010 Coaches Vs. Cancer Classic, and ended with the 2011 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament's championship game on April 4, 2011 at Reliant Stadium in Houston...
, four of the eight teams had coaches entering their first full season as head coach
Head coach
A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches...
: Columbia's
Columbia Lions men's basketball
The Columbia Lions Basketball team is the basketball team that represents Columbia University in New York City, New York, United States. The school's team currently competes in the Ivy League. The team's last appearance in the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament was in 1968...
Kyle Smith
Kyle Smith (basketball)
Kyle Smith is an American college basketball coach and the current men's basketball head coach at Columbia University. Prior to joining the Lions, Smith was associate head coach at Saint Mary's, where he was responsible for running the offense and heading up the recruiting activities...
, Cornell's
Cornell Big Red men's basketball
The Cornell Big Red men's basketball team represents Cornell University , located in Ithaca, New York, in NCAA Division I men's competition. The Big Red's appearance in the 2008 NCAA Tournament was their first trip to "The Big Dance" since 1988...
Bill Courtney
Bill Courtney
Bill Courtney is an American college basketball coach and the current head men's basketball coach of the Cornell University Big Red.-Head coach:...
, Dartmouth's Paul Cormier
Paul Cormier
Paul Cormier is the head men's basketball coach at Dartmouth College. Recently, Cormier was an advance pro scout for the Golden State Warriors during the 2009-2010 season and New Jersey Nets during the 2007-08 and 2008-09 NBA seasons. Previously, he was an assistant coach for the Memphis...
and Penn's Jerome Allen (previously interim). Most preseason publications predicted Princeton
2010–11 Princeton Tigers men's basketball team
The 2010–11 Princeton Tigers men's basketball team represented Princeton University in intercollegiate college basketball during the 2010–11 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The head coach was Sydney Johnson, who was in his fourth season. The team's tri-captains were senior Kareem Maddox,...
would finish in first place and Harvard
2010–11 Harvard Crimson men's basketball team
The 2010–11 Harvard Crimson men's basketball team represented Harvard University in the Ivy League athletic conference during the 2010–11 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team played its home games in Cambridge, Massachusetts at the Lavietes Pavilion, which has a capacity of 2,195. The...
would finish in second place, although the Sporting News projected that would finish in first followed by Princeton and Harvard. Breaking a three-year streak by Cornell
Cornell Big Red men's basketball
The Cornell Big Red men's basketball team represents Cornell University , located in Ithaca, New York, in NCAA Division I men's competition. The Big Red's appearance in the 2008 NCAA Tournament was their first trip to "The Big Dance" since 1988...
, the Ivy League media poll selected Princeton as the top team with twelve first place votes, Harvard second with four first place votes and Cornell third with one first place vote. It was the first Princeton team to be the preseason selection since the .
Season
Non-conference play began on November 12, 2010. The first conference game took place on January 8, 2011. Although no Ivy League teams appeared in the 2010–11 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings2010–11 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings
Two human polls make up the 2010–11 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings, the AP Poll and the Coaches Poll, in addition to various publications' preseason polls.-Legend:-AP poll:...
, for a few weeks during the season Harvard received a vote in the AP Poll
AP Poll
The Associated Press College Poll refers to weekly rankings of the top 25 NCAA teams in one of three Division I college sports: football, men's basketball and women's basketball. The rankings are compiled by polling sportswriters across the nation...
. When Harvard earned its 20th win on February 19, against Columbia, it marked the eighth time that two Ivy League teams totalled 20 wins. On March 7, Harvard received a vote in both the AP Poll and the Coaches' Poll. Then, in the final regular season poll on March 13, Princeton received 3 points in the Coaches' Poll.
The conference had two players recognized as Academic All-Americans: senior guard Garrett Leffelman and junior guard Chris Wroblewski.
Harvard's Oliver McNally concluded his season with a 100 for 108 (92.6%) Free throw percentage mark second to Chris Warren
Chris Warren
Chris Warren may refer to:*Chris Warren , American football running back*Chris Warren American basketball player out of the University of Mississippi, currently playing for the Adelaide 36ers...
of the Ole Miss Rebels
2010–11 Ole Miss Rebels men's basketball team
The 2010–11 Ole Miss Rebels men's basketball team represented the University of Mississippi during the 2010–11 college basketball season. This was head coach Andy Kennedy's fifth season at Ole Miss. The Rebels competed in the Southeastern Conference and played their home games at Tad Smith...
led with a 168 for 181 (92.8%) mark.
On March 5, Harvard clinched a share of the league championship for the first time since the Ivy League was formed. On March 8, Princeton defeated Penn to force a one-game playoff at the Payne Whitney Gymnasium
Payne Whitney Gymnasium
The Payne Whitney Gymnasium is the gymnasium of Yale University. Built in the prevailing Gothic architecture style of the campus in 1932, it is a remarkable building, possessing a Gothic tower, a third-floor swimming pool, a polo practice room, and a rooftop running track. It is the second-largest...
at Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
in New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven is the second-largest city in Connecticut and the sixth-largest in New England. According to the 2010 Census, New Haven's population increased by 5.0% between 2000 and 2010, a rate higher than that of the State of Connecticut, and higher than that of the state's five largest cities, and...
. The matchup was widely anticipated in the press.
Postseason
Prior to the game both teams received championship trophies. Princeton prevailed in the playoff with a final score of 63–62, on a last-second jump shot from Douglas Davis. This earned them the conference's automatic bid to the 2011 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament2011 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The following sites were selected to host each round of the 2011 tournament:First Four*March 15 and 16**University of Dayton Arena, Dayton, OhioSecond and third rounds*March 17 and 19**Verizon Center, Washington, D.C....
for being the regular season champion. The 2011 one-game playoff was the eighth in Ivy League history. Princeton appeared for the eighth time, and have won at least a share of twenty-six league titles.
Entering selection Sunday (March 13), Harvard ranked 35th in the Ratings Percentage Index
Ratings Percentage Index
The Rating Percentage Index, commonly known as the RPI, is a quantity used to rank sports teams based upon a team's wins and losses and its strength of schedule. It is one of the systems by which NCAA basketball and baseball teams are ranked...
(RPI) and Princeton ranked 40th. Princeton was a #13 Seed in the 2011 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament, while Harvard was not selected. Unfortunately, neither of Harvard's quality wins (against Colorado
2010–11 Colorado Buffaloes men's basketball team
The 2010–11 Colorado Buffaloes men's basketball team represents the University of Colorado in the 2010–11 college basketball season. Head coach Tad Boyle is in his first season at Colorado. The Buffaloes compete in the Big 12 Conference and played their home games at the Coors Events Center...
and Boston College
2010–11 Boston College Eagles men's basketball team
The 2010–11 Boston College Eagles men's basketball team represents Boston College in the 2010–2011 NCAA college basketball season. New head coach Steve Donahue, formerly of Cornell, takes over the Eagles from former coach Al Skinner. The team plays its home games at Conte Forum in Chestnut Hill,...
) helped them because both teams were left out of the NCAA tournament and relegated to number one seed status in the NIT tournament. As a regular season champion not invited to the NCAA tournament, Harvard earned an automatic selection for the 2011 National Invitation Tournament
2011 National Invitation Tournament
-Colorado bracket:-Boston College bracket:-Virginia Tech bracket:-NIT Final Four - NIT Semifinals and NIT Championship Game:Played at Madison Square Garden in New York City-See also:* 2011 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament...
, where they were seeded #6. On March 15, Harvard was defeated by by a 71–54 margin in the first round. It was the school's first appearance in the National Invitation Tournament
National Invitation Tournament
The National Invitation Tournament is a men's college basketball tournament operated by the National Collegiate Athletic Association. There are two NIT events each season. The first, played in November and known as the Dick's Sporting Goods NIT Season Tip-Off , was founded in 1985...
. Princeton lost its opening game against the Kentucky Wildcats by a 59–57 margin on a last second layup.
In season
Each week the Ivy League selects a player of the week and a rookie of the week.| Player of the Week | Rookie of the Week | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ' | Name | School | Class | Position | ' | Name | School | Position |
| November 15, 2010 | Keith Wright | Harvard | Jr. | F | Miles Cartwright | Penn | G | |
| November 22, 2010 | Christian Webster | Harvard | So. | G | Sean McGonagill | Brown | G | |
| Austin Morgan | Yale | So. | G | |||||
| November 29, 2010 | Keith Wright | Harvard | Jr. | F | Miles Cartwright | Penn | G | |
| December 6, 2010 | Ian Hummer | Princeton | So. | F | Laurent Rivard | Harvard | G | |
| December 13, 2010 | Noruwa Agho | Columbia | Jr. | G | Steve Fankoski | Columbia | G | |
| Kareem Maddox | Princeton | Sr. | F | |||||
| December 20, 2010 | Kareem Maddox | Princeton | Sr. | F | Gediminas Bertasius | Dartmouth | F | |
| December 27, 2010 | Zack Rosen | Penn | Jr. | G | Miles Cartwright | Penn | G | |
| January 3, 2011 | Chris Wroblewski | Cornell | Jr. | G | Laurent Rivard | Harvard | G | |
| January 10, 2011 | Noruwa Agho | Columbia | Jr. | G | Dockery Walker | Brown | G | |
| Greg Mangano | Yale | Jr. | C | |||||
| January 17, 2011 | Noruwa Agho | Columbia | Jr. | G | Laurent Rivard | Harvard | G | |
| Greg Mangano | Yale | Jr. | C | |||||
| January 24, 2011 | Greg Mangano | Yale | Jr. | C | Jeremiah Kreisberg | Yale | F | |
| January 31, 2011 | Kyle Casey | Harvard | So. | F | Miles Cartwright | Penn | G | |
| Jack Eggleston | Penn | Sr. | F | |||||
| February 7, 2011 | Sean McGonagill | Brown | G | Sean McGonagill | Brown | G | ||
| February 14, 2011 | Keith Wright | Harvard | Jr. | F | Sean McGonagill | Brown | G | |
| Greg Mangano | Yale | Jr. | C | |||||
| February 21, 2011 | Peter Sullivan | Brown | Sr. | F | Sean McGonagill | Brown | G | |
| Tyler Bernardini | Penn | Sr. | F | |||||
| February 28, 2011 | Kareem Maddox | Princeton | Sr. | F | Jeremiah Kreisberg | Yale | F | |
| March 7, 2011 | Brandyn Curry | Harvard | So. | G | Meiko Lyles | Columbia | G | |
Postseason honors
The league selected its postseason awards on March 9.Player of the Year: Keith Wright, Harvard (Jr., F, Suffolk, VA)
Defensive Player of the Year: Kareem Maddox, Princeton (Sr., F, Oak Park, CA)
Rookie of the Year: Sean McGonagill, Brown (Fr., G, Brookfield, IL)
All-Ivy League (ALL CAPS: Unanimous)
- First Team All-Ivy: Noruwa Agho, Columbia (Jr., G, New City, NY); KEITH WRIGHT, Harvard (Jr., F, Suffolk, VA); Zack Rosen, Penn (Jr., G, Colonia, NJ); KAREEM MADDOX, Princeton (Sr., F, Oak Park, CA); GREG MANGANO, Yale (Jr., C, Orange, CT)
- Second Team All-Ivy: Chris Wroblewski, Cornell (Jr., G, Highland Park, IL); Kyle Casey, Harvard (So., F, Medway, MA); Brandyn Curry, Harvard (So., G, Huntersville, NC); Ian Hummer, Princeton (So., F, Vienna, VA); Dan Mavraides, Princeton (Sr., G, San Mateo, CA)
- Honorable Mention: Tucker Halpern, Brown (So., F, Brookline, MA); Brian Barbour, Columbia (So., G, Alamo, CA); Christian Webster, Harvard (So., G, Washington, DC); Jack Eggleston, Penn (Sr., F, Noblesville, IN)
External links
- Ivy League website
- Expanded Ivy Standings @ ESPNESPNEntertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....