2024-25 Ivy Basketball Preview
Conference Overview
Join us for our 2024-25 Ivy Basketball Preview, where we dive into one of college basketball’s most historic conferences filled with tradition. Each year, the Ivy League Conference Tournament provides top-notch entertainment as only four teams qualify. In last season’s title game against Brown, Yale sunk a buzzer-beater game-winning shot scored by Matt Knowling to secure their spot in the NCAA Tournament. They made the most of that opportunity, upsetting #4 seed Auburn in the first round with an incredible performance. This season poses a fun challenge, as anything can happen in Ivy Madness.
Princeton returns to the top after being upset by Brown in the conference tournament last season, and they have something to prove following their March Madness run in 2023. The Tigers bring back two of the clear best players in the conference, both capable of claiming Player of the Year honors: Caden Pierce and Xaivian Lee. They also welcome impact freshman Malik Abdullahi and experienced returners who are high-level shooters.
Right on their heels is Yale, which returns two Player of the Year candidates of their own in backcourt duo Bez Mbeng and John Poulakidis. Mbeng is one of the best defensive players in the conference, while Poulakidis is a knock-down three-point shooter. The frontcourt has the most room for growth, with Samson Aletan and incoming freshman Isaac Celiscar expected to be major contributors. Both Princeton and Yale are widely considered the top two teams in the conference, but the teams behind them believe they can compete.
Cornell slots in behind and despite losing their head coach they return Nazir Williams to lead a team of experienced players poised for a breakout season. Penn had a rough year last year, but they return their top player in Nick Spinoso and have taken advantage of an uncommon practice in the Ivy League by acquiring talent via the transfer portal. They added new point guard Dylan Williams from the JUCO ranks, who has the potential to start, and secured Army transfer Ethan Roberts, who redshirted last season but has the ability to be an effective player.
Harvard could be a dark horse to secure a spot in Ivy Madness, bringing in one of the highest-rated recruits to the Ivy League, Robert Hinton, who should start immediately. They also pair him with key contributor Evan Nelson, who redshirted last season. Columbia returns a star of their own in Geronimo Rubio De La Rosa, and their projected starting lineup features five returning players, with many looking for breakout seasons.
It was heartbreak for Brown last season in the tournament final, and this preseason brought further disappointment as one of their star players, Nana Owusu-Anane, was announced to have a season-ending injury which severely impacted their frontcourt depth. They do return Kino Lilly Jr., one of the best scorers in the Ivy League, along with highly-rated recruit Jeremiah Jenkins, but they will now have concerns regarding the contributions of their frontcourt.
Dartmouth, on the other hand, has one of the longest streaks of not making the NCAA Tournament and has not qualified for Ivy Madness since it began in 2017, finishing in the bottom four every year. While they retain talent from last season, they lack a clear star to lead the team and will rely on multiple contributors for a breakout season.
This year, the theme will be two powerhouse teams against the field, as emphasized in our 2024-25 Ivy Basketball Preview, but in Ivy Madness, anything can truly happen. With heightened rivalries and unpredictable twists, the stage is set for a thrilling showdown in this historic conference.
Ivy Basketball Preview: Projected Standings
- Princeton
- Yale
- Cornell
- Penn
- Harvard
- Columbia
- Brown
- Dartmouth
Ivy Basketball Preview: Projected Award Winners
Player of the Year: Caden Pierce, Princeton
Defensive Player of the Year: Bez Mbeng, Yale
Newcomer of the Year: Robert Hinton, Harvard
Freshman of the Year: Robert Hinton, Harvard
Coach of the Year: Mitch Henderson, Princeton
Ivy Basketball Preview: Projected All-Conference First Team
Kino Lilly, Jr., Brown
Xaivian Lee, Princeton
Bez Mbeng, Yale
John Poulakidis, Yale
Caden Pierce, Princeton
Brown Bears
Projected Starters:
PG: Kino Lilly, Jr. (18.8 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 3.6 apg)
SG: Jeremiah Jenkins (FR)
SF: Alexander Lesburt, Jr. (5.6 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 0.6 apg)
PF: Aaron Cooley (6.9 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 1.0 apg)
C: Landon Lewis (2.3 ppg, 1.5 rpg, 0.5 apg)
6M: Lyndel Erold (1.6 ppg, 0.9 rpg, 0.2 apg)
Columbia Lions
Projected Starters:
PG: Avery Brown (9.9 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 2.6 apg)
SG: Kenny Noland (7.7 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 1.7 apg)
SF: Geronimo Rubio De La Rosa (14.4 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 2.7 apg)
PF: Blair Thompson (9.0 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 1.3 apg)
C: Zine Eddine Bedri (5.3 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 1.1 apg)
6M: Jaden Cooper (4.9 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 1.8 apg)
Cornell Big Red
Projected Starters:
PG: Nazir Williams (11.4 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 3.2 apg)
SG: Cooper Noard (8.8 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 0.7 apg)
SF: Jake Fiegen (3.8 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 0.5 apg)
PF: AK Okereke (7.1 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 1.5 apg)
C: Guy Ragland, Jr. (9.1 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 1.5 apg)
6M: Jacob Beccles (3.2 ppg, 0.5 rpg, 1.2 apg)
Dartmouth Big Green
Projected Starters:
PG: Connor Amundsen (FR)
SG: Ryan Cornish (6.9 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 2.1 apg)
SF: Jayden Williams (8.3 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 0.6 apg)
PF: Jackson Munro (6.3 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 2.4 apg)
C: Brandon Mitchell-Day (9.0 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 1.8 apg)
6M: Romeo Myrthil (5.7 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 0.8 apg)
Harvard Crimson
Projected Starters:
PG: Evan Nelson (8.4 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 3.4 apg) 2022-2023 Stats
SG: Robert Hinton (FR)
SF: Louis Lesmond (9.8 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 1.0 apg)
PF: Chandler Pigge (8.1 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 1.6 apg)
C: Thomas Batties II (6.8 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 0.8 apg)
6M: Luca Ace-Nasteski (2.2 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 0.3 apg)
Penn Quakers
Projected Starters:
PG: Dylan Williams (15.0 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 5.4 apg @ JUCO Triton)
SG: Sam Brown (10.9 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 1.9 apg)
SF: Ethan Roberts (12.4 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 1.2 apg @ Army) 2022-2023 Stats
PF: George Smith (4.7 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 1.4 apg)
C: Nick Spinoso (10.8 ppg, 7.9 rpg, 3.7 apg)
6M: Cam Thrower (5.0 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 1.0 apg)
Princeton Tigers
Projected Starters:
PG: Xaivian Lee (17.1 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 3.7 apg)
SG: Dalen Davis (6.6 ppg, 1.1 rpg, 0.9 apg)
SF: Blake Peters (7.8 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 0.8 apg)
PF: Malik Abdullahi (FR)
C: Caden Pierce (16.6 ppg, 9.2 rpg, 3.2 apg)
6M: Deven Austin (5.4 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 0.6 apg)
Yale Bulldogs
Projected Starters:
PG: Bez Mbeng (11.1 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 4.1 apg)
SG: John Poulakidis (13.4 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 1.9 apg)
SF: Isaac Celiscar (FR)
PF: Nick Townsend (6.0 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 1.1 apg)
C: Samson Aletan (2.2 ppg, 1.5 rpg, 0.2 apg)
6M: Casey Simmons (3.5 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 0.3 apg)
Coming Next
Thank you for reading the 2024-25 Ivy Basketball Preview. To view the conference preview release schedule, keep up to date with us on X @collegehoopsrpt. If you haven’t already, feel free to check out one of our other conference previews linked below! Next up is the MAAC. Thank you for reading, and we appreciate all the support!
- America East Conference Preview
- American Athletic Conference Preview
- ACC Conference Preview
- ASUN Conference Preview
- A10 Conference Preview
- Big East Conference Preview
- Big Sky Conference Preview
- Big South Conference Preview
- Big Ten Conference Preview
- Big 12 Conference Preview
- Big West Conference Preview
- CAA Conference Preview
- CUSA Conference Preview
- Horizon Conference Preview
Cover Image: Photo Credit: Ivy League
