Ivy League Basketball Preview

Last season's champion: Harvard (26-5 overall, 12-2 Ivy).

Top returning players: Ian Hummer (Princeton, 6-7 senior forward, 16.1 ppg., 7.3 rpg.); Brian Barbour (Columbia, 6-1 senior guard, 15.5 ppg., 4.4 apg.); Shonn Miller (Cornell, 6-7 sophomore forward , 8.9 ppg., 6.1 rpg.); Miles Cartwright (Penn, 6-3 junior guard, 10.8 ppg.); Austin Morgan (Yale, 5-11 senior guard, 11.8 ppg.); Sean McGonagill (Brown, 6-1 junior guard , 13.5 ppg.); Gabas Maldunas (Dartmouth, 6-8 sophomore forward, 9.1 ppg., 7.2 rpg.); Laurent Rivard (Harvard, 6-5 junior guard, 10.1 ppg.).

Top newcomers: Tony Hicks (Penn, 6-2 freshman guard); Julian Harrell (Penn, 6-5 freshman guard); Darien Nelson-Henry (Penn, 6-11 freshman center); Jamal Lewis (Penn, 6-0 freshman guard); Michael Hall (Harvard, 6-10 freshman forward-center ) Agunwa Okolie (Harvard, 6-8 freshman guard-forward); Cedric Kuakumensah (Brown, 6-8 freshman forward).

Outlook: Princeton (20-12 overall in 2011-12) received 16 of 17 first-place votes in the preseason poll. In addition to Hummer, Mack Darrow (7.0 ppg., 3.6 rpg.) gives the Tigers a strong forward tandem. . . . Defending champion Harvard (26-5) should contend, despite having a young team. Rivard will be the leader, and a strong freshman class should bolster Tommy Amaker's team. . . . Columbia (15-15) has one of the top inside-outside combinations in center Mark Cisco (10.0 ppg., 7.2 rpg.) and Barbour. The Lions were picked third in the preseason. . . . Cornell (12-16) is expected to improve, led by Miller, the Ivy League rookie of the year last season. . . . Penn (20-13) was selected fifth, but with a strong freshman class led by Hicks, the Quakers look to surprise. . . . Yale (19-10) was hit hard by graduation and will depend on a guard-oriented attack led by Morgan. . . . Former Penn assistant Mike Martin takes over as coach of his alma mater at Brown (8-23) and has a strong backcourt trio of McGonagill, Stephen Albrecht (10.2 ppg.), and Matt Sullivan (9.8 ppg.). . . . Dartmouth (5-25) is expected to struggle again with a young team.

- Marc Narducci

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