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You know we’re getting close to Selection Sunday when it’s Ivy Madness time. The 14 regular season games are complete, and we’ve known the matchups for the men’s semifinals for nearly two weeks at this point, but it’s finally time to get underway in Ithaca and determine the autobid.
Here’s everything you need to know ahead of Ivy Madness
Ivy Madness Brackets
Schedule
All games at Newman Arena, Ithaca, N.Y.
Women’s
Semifinals | Friday, March 13
Game 1: No. 1 Princeton vs No. 4 Brown, 4:30 p.m., ESPN+
Game 2: No. 2 Columbia vs No. 3 Harvard, 7:30 p.m., ESPN+
Championship Game | Saturday, March 14
Game 3: Game 1 Winner vs Game 2 Winner, 5:30 p.m., ESPNU
Men’s
Semifinals | Saturday, March 14
Game 1: No. 1 Yale vs No. 4 Cornell, 11 a.m., ESPNU
Game 2: No. 2 Harvard vs No. 3 Penn, 2 p.m., ESPNEWS
Championship Game | Sunday, March 15
Game 3: Game 1 Winner vs Game 2 Winner, noon, ESPN2
Teams
Women’s
1. Princeton (24-3, 12-2 Ivy)
Carla Berube has led Princeton to the NCAA Tournament in every season that the Ivy League held a championship in during her time as a head coach. This season will be no different as the Tigers are projected to be on the 9 line by HerHoopStats Bracketology. Madison St. Rose, Fadima Tall, and Skye Belker make up a formidable big three.
2. Columbia (20-7, 11-3 Ivy)
Columbia is not in line to get an at-large, but the Lions are just as good as Princeton in most of the predictive metrics. Megan Griffith’s team is led by Riley Weiss and Perri Page, two of the best players in the conference, and finished second in both offense and defense in the league. Columbia is the best rebounding team on both ends in the conference, and they play with pace on both ends.
3. Harvard (17-10, 10-4 Ivy)
While not quite as good as last year’s championship team with Harmoni Turner, Harvard is still right in the mix for an Ivy Madness championship. Carrie Moore’s team has a dominant interior defense, holding teams to 39% inside the arc and forcing turnovers on 28.5% of possessions in conference play. The two matchups with Columbia were decided by a combined seven points this season.
4. Brown (16-10, 8-6 Ivy)
While clearly well behind the top three in the conference, Brown had a strong year, finishing 8-6 in Ivy play. The Bears have the third-best defense in the conference during league play, but have lost three of four games entering Ivy Madness, and are just 1-5 against the other three programs that qualified.
Men’s
1. Yale (23-5, 11-3 Ivy)
The Ivy’s best team all year long once again, Yale even losing three regular season games was pretty surprising. Nick Townsend won Ivy Player of the Year for his all-around masterclass of a season, while Isaac Celiscar has blossomed into a terrific two-way piece as a sophomore. Samson Aletan and Casey Simmons bring the defensive punch in the frontcourt with efficient scoring. Townsend’s impressive floor game means that they don’t need as much ball handling from their guards, but Trevor Mullin, Jordan Brathwaite, and Devon Arlington have all had their moments throughout the year. Riley Fox’s hot shooting is important as well.
2. Harvard (17-11, 10-4 Ivy)
Harvard will play a postseason basketball game for the first time since 2019. The Crimson’s sophomore duo of superstar Rob Hinton and sharpshooter Tey Barbour has been one of the best combinations in the conference. Upperclassmen Chandler Pigge and Thomas Batties have been excellent as well. Harvard finished with the No. 2 defense in the Ivy League, but were tops in effective field goal percentage defense thanks to length and strength on the perimeter and high-level shot blocking.
3. Penn (16-11, 9-5 Ivy)
Welcome back to Ivy Madness, Penn Quakers. For the first time since 2023, the conference’s joint-leader in all-time championships will have a chance to play for the crown. In year one for alumnus Fran McCaffery at the helm, Penn won seven of its last eight regular-season games, with the only loss coming by four at Yale, to secure the spot. The scoring duo of Ethan Roberts (who won’t compete, unfortunately, for Penn) and TJ Power is potent, while Michael Zanoni is one of the most electric shooters in the conference. In the backcourt, AJ Levine has grown throughout the year, while Jay Jones has stepped into a bigger role as the season progressed.
4. Cornell (15-12, 8-6 Ivy)
Also for the first time since 2023, the hosts of Ivy Madness will be a factor in the men’s tournament. Princeton won the tournament on its home floor three years ago, and now Cornell gets the game on its home floor. Two weeks ago, the Big Red knocked off Yale in that building, and will get the chance to do it again. Cooper Noard and Jake Fiegen are two of the best shooters in the conference, while Josh Baldwin’s emergence late in the season as a key offensive piece has buoyed the group a tad. After an 0-3 Ivy start allowing 100 points in each game, the sharpshooting Big Red didn’t allow more than 91 again the rest of the way, and finished with the league’s top offense, winning 8 of the last 11.
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