Goofy Ivy Leaguers Celebrating

Back in early February I wrote a blog post in response to Cornell Basketball’s ascension into the top 25 in the coaches’ poll. The gist of the argument was that while Cornell may have been enjoying temporary success the glory of their program it couldn’t hold a candle to the historically decorated Princeton Tigers.

Fast forward to yesterday, when Cornell absolutely demolished the Wisconsin Badgers in the second round of the NCAA tournament. This was a different win entirely than their first round victory over Temple (considering Temple’s head coach, former Penn coach Fran Dunphy, has made in to the NCAA tournament 12 times and been knocked in out of the first round 11 times). This was a game Cornell was not meant to win. But it wasn’t even close; Cornell was up by 12 at half and won by 18.

This is the first time an Ivy League team has been to the Sweet Sixteen since Penn in 1979. And watching Cornell’s historic run has made me reconsider my earlier blog post. Traveling back to Princeton this past weekend, I noticed people gathered in bubbles outside the bars and restaurants in airports and train stations, trying to watch the tournament. Normal people cared about an Ivy League sports team.

For the first time in my life, I was jealous of Cornell.I’d gladly give up the storied past for a chance at present relevance. I’d love to watch my team on national television rather than search for streaming video of the CBI (where it looks like we won’t pull it out against the mighty Jaguars of IUPUI).

What makes Ivy League basketball so different from football is that at the end of the season, our best basketball team gets to play against the other best teams in the country. It’s fun to be an underdog. And it’s even more fun when you win as an underdog. Cornell has done that twice already, and word on the street is that they’ll give Kentucky a game.

So good luck Cornell. Enjoy it while it lasts. Because while we might have an offense named after us, I’d rather see a Princeton team running a Cornell offense into the Sweet Sixteen any day.

Keep the faith Pat Forde!

Pat Forde, ESPN.com columnist, actually mentioned Princeton in his most recent edition of the men’s basketball column “Forde Minutes”! Not only that, he thinks we could go undefeated this year!

Well, only kinda sorta. He thinks we could go undefeated in Ivy League play, since, at 4-0, it’s still technically possible. But we’d have to beat Cornell twice, who’s also undefeated in the Ivy League.

How does PF Flier (Pat Forde needs a nickname!) handicap the odds? Umm, well, he gives Cornell an 80% chance of going undefeated and Princeton, err, a 1% chance.

Jim Carrey, bring it on home!

(image source: http://assets.espn.go.com/media/motion/2008/1201/dm_081201_cfb_forde_bmoc.jpg)

Enjoy it, Cornell. We've been here before.

After the boys from Ithaca crushed their Crimson cousins Saturday night by a score of 86-50, Cornell moved into the top 25 in the ESPN/USA Today coaches’ poll for the top teams in college basketball.

This is a big deal for Ivy League basketball. The Ancient Eight haven’t had a ranked team since back when I was in the second grade, otherwise known as the 1997-1998 season.

(And who was that team? The Princeton Tigers of course.)

It’s been a good run for Cornell basketball. They’ve made the NCAA tournament the last two years, and it looks like they’ll be headed back to the big dance.

We’re actually  a little intimidated. Basketball used to be our thing, our defining sport. Cornell has now officially seized that mantle. And we can’t even take comfort in our new(er) sport of dominance, lacrosse, because Cornell bounced us from the NCAA tournament last year.

So instead we’ll do what we always do in these situations: hearken back to our glorious past, and remind the young up and comers who still stands dominant in the annals of Ivy League Basketball history (other than Penn).

(This also gives us the opportunity to make fun of Harvard’s impressive ZERO men’s basketball Ivy League titles. And making fun of Harvard always makes us feel better.)

Full feel-good historical standings after the jump!

Without further ado, the list of Ivy League champions in men’s basketball.

(Hat tip to stormingthefloor.net for putting these numbers together and enabling this moment of bittersweet nostalgia.)

Penn: 37 (1906, 1908, 1916, 1918-21, 1928-29, 1934-35, 1937, 1945, 1953, 1966, 1970-75, 1978-80, 1982, 1985, 1987, 1993-95, 1999-2000, 2002 (shared), 2003, 2005-07)

Princeton: 28 (1922, 1925, 1932, 1950, 1952, 1955, 1960-61, 1963-65, 1967, 1969, 1976-77, 1981, 1983-84, 1989-92, 1996-98, 2001, 2002 (shared), 2004)

Columbia: 13 (1904-05, 1911-12, 1914 (shared), 1926, 1930-31, 1936, 1947-48, 1951, 1968)

Dartmouth: 12 (1927, 1938-44, 1946, 1956, 1958-59)

Yale: 11 (1902-03, 1907, 1915, 1917, 1923, 1933, 1949, 1957, 1962, 2002 (shared))

Cornell: 7 (1913, 1914 (shared), 1924, 1954, 1988, 2008-09)

Brown: 1 (1986)

Harvard: 0

And there you have it. You may be enjoying your success now, Cornell, but it’s going to take at least four times as many championships before you can hang with us in the record books. And, as always, better luck next year, Harvard.

(image source: ivy-style.com)