Tuesday offers up something for everyone with seven Ivy teams in action, and each of the games is important for one reason or another. Princeton, Dartmouth, and Yale all get the chance to take down a major conference opponent, while Cornell and Harvard will be carrying the league flag against Patriot League opponents. For Columbia and Penn, it’s about picking up a badly needed win against weak opposition. Join us in the chat room to follow all the action!
Princeton (2-1) vs. Arizona State (0-1) – 4:00 pm ET (ESPNU)
Princeton audio | Arizona State audio
Both teams will be looking for much better starts than they experienced last night. Princeton found itself down 31-4 against Duke, while Arizona State dug itself a 22-2 hole right out of the gate. Interestingly, Sydney Johnson and Herb Sendek run versions of the traditional Princeton offense, so this one could take on a surreal look with some of the same sets being run at each end of the floor. These are two programs that struggled offensively last season and are looking to improve in that department this season.
Army (1-2) at Cornell (1-1) – 7:00 pm ET
Live stats | Cornell video | Lehigh audio | Cornell audio
The Big Red needs to play much better defense than it has to date this season, and it will get the chance to do so beginning tonight with Army. Cornell has won eight straight in the series, and it is catching the Black Knights coming off a very disappointing home loss to Long Island. Army star Jarell Brown has run hot and cold in the first three games, so Steve Donahue will be hoping his team escapes an offensive explosion from the talented scorer. Both teams are averaging over 70 possessions per 40 minutes, so this could turn out to be a fast-paced affair.
Columbia (1-3) at Long Island (1-1) – 7:00 pm ET
Live stats | Columbia audio | Long Island audio
It’s safe to assume this game couldn’t come quickly enough for Columbia after the terrible performance at Albany this past weekend. Long Island hasn’t fielded a decent team in a decade, so the Blackbirds are much more likely to resemble the team that lost by 32 to Notre Dame than the won that won by 10 at Army over the weekend. Kyle Johnson (12.5 points per game, 5.5 rebounds per game) appears to be the most dangerous offensive threat for Long Island. The Lions may be most concerned about their own offense, which has been trending downward ever since a mediocre showing in the opener.
Dartmouth (1-2) at Rutgers (3-1) – 7:30 pm ET
Gametracker | Rutgers audio
The Big Green ventures into one of the tougher road venues in the country in the RAC to take on a Rutgers team that is off to a good start in Fred Hill’s second season. The Scarlet Knights won their first three games before falling at Florida on Saturday by an 88-63 margin. Rutgers has excelled at keeping opponents off the free throw line, which is bad news for a Dartmouth team that isn’t exactly adept at drawing fouls. The Big Green will need to find a way to slow down inside-outside threat J.R. Inman (20.0 points per game, 8.0 rebounds per game).
Harvard (2-2) at Holy Cross (3-0) – 8:00 pm ET
Holy Cross audio
Harvard is playing very good basketball these days, but they’ll face a stern test tonight when they travel west to face regional rival Holy Cross. The preseason Patriot League favorites have won all three of their games so far, though the Crusaders have been short of dominating in those performances. Harvard thrives on guard penetration offensively, and they might have success against a slower Holy Cross backcourt. However, the Crimson is going to have trouble running and gunning against Ralph Willard, who likes to see his team slow it down and grind out wins defensively. If Harvard’s big men can get Holy Cross center Tim Clifford in foul trouble, it will bode well for the Ivy Leaguers.
The Citadel (1-2) at Penn (0-3) – 8:00 pm ET
GameWatcher | Penn video | Citadel audio | Penn audio
The Quakers are dying for a win after Saturday’s Howard debacle, and they’ll get another golden opportunity with The Citadel coming to town. The Bulldogs have a roster than contains an unbelievable 14 freshmen and only one sophomore, junior, and senior. So far, The Citadel has a blowout win over Daniel Webster College and two lopsided defeats against major conference opponents to show for its season. In past years this would be a contest with possible cheesesteak implications, but given Penn’s struggles this year, it would settle simply for win.
Yale (1-1) at Stanford (4-1) – 10:00 pm ET (FOX Sports Bay Area)
Gametracker | Yale audio | Stanford audio
Yale’s wild November road trip takes it out to the Bay Area for a game at Stanford, near Eric Flato’s hometown of Piedmont. The Cardinal is coming off of a surprise upset at Siena on Saturday, so the Bulldogs could find themselves facing an angry opponent. One thing that might give James Jones and his charges cause for optimism is the fact Stanford really hasn’t forced a lot of turnovers defensively (19.4 percent). If Yale can knock down its shots, keep the hosts off the offensive glass, and limit the open looks on defense, an upset could be brewing in Palo Alto.
