Men's basketball dominates Cornell

As the members of the men's basketball team dragged themselves onto the team bus late last Fri., Feb. 23, they faced a grueling six-hour drive to frigid Ithaca, N.Y., having to deal with the stark reality that a loss to Cornell the next evening would end their miracle run towards an Ivy League crown. The Fri., Feb. 23 loss to Columbia, 62-59, was particularly troubling because it hearkened back to the Bulldogs' early-season inability to win close games on the road.

REBECCA ROSENTHAL/YH Men's basketball split the weekend but is still in the Ivy race for the Dance.

Yet if the Columbia loss represented the pre-New Year's version of the team, the victorious response in Ithaca the next night exemplified the stellar play and courageous effort that has characterized the Elis during the Ivy League season. Remarkably, Coach James Jones' team—picked to finish last by his fellow coaches—could win the Ivy League and advance to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1962 if it beats both Penn and Princeton at home this weekend and defeats Brown in Providence next week.

After staging an epic double-overtime battle in New Haven two weeks earlier, Yale and Columbia excited fans again with another extremely close match in New York last Friday. Down by two with seconds remaining, the Bulldogs got the ball to center Neil Yanke, MC '01, for a lay-up. Unfortunately, Yanke's shot rimmed out of the cylinder, giving the Lions the victory. Despite the frustration of that one shot, many players agreed that the game was not lost on one miss.

"There are a ton of possessions in one game, so you cannot place [blame] on one of them," guard Chris Leanza, SY '03, who had 10 points and five assists, said. "We did not shoot well from the free throw line and that hurt us." Leanza's analysis was verified by the Elis' 54.2 percent accuracy from the stripe, including a dismal 8-for-18 in the second half. Compounding the Bulldogs' troubles at the line was the superb play of Columbia forward Craig Austin '02, who lit up Yale's previously impervious defense for 31 points, 12 of which came on free throws.

"Austin is one of the best players in the league, and he is difficult to stop regardless of the defense you try to play," Yanke said. "What hurt us the most was that we fouled him too much away from the basket, especially when they were already in the bonus."

Sensing that his team might be mentally and physically drained from the game and bus ride, Jones decided that his players needed some rest and reassurance. He allowed them to sleep in on Saturday morning and, instead of peppering them with memories of Friday night's frustrations, Jones reminded his players that they still had a great chance to win the league.

"At breakfast the next day, I sensed that our guys were a little down," Jones said. "[The assistants and] I let them know that we were right in the thick of things. We needed four wins and that night had to be the first."

Rested, refocused, and motivated to avenge their home loss to Cornell two weeks earlier, the Elis stormed the Big Red, jumping out to a 37-27 halftime lead en route to a 74-61 victory. Ime Archibong, TD '03, had his best game as a collegiate athlete, scoring 27 points on 9-of-13 shooting. Archibong's 11 points during an 18-8 first half run gave the Elis a lead that they would not relinquish.

"I did not change my approach at all," Archibong said. "I had some open looks and was able to knock them down." Yanke recovered from the Columbia disappointment with 21 points, eight rebounds, and two blocks. The Elis outshot the Big Red 54.3 to 38.2 percent and regained their touch from the free throw stripe, hitting on 79.2 percent of their attempts.

The Bulldogs' courageous effort on Saturday night has put them into contention for the league crown and the automatic bid to the NCAA tournament that comes with it. Coincidentally, the four teams that can win the league—Penn, Princeton, and Brown being the other three—all play each other once in the final three games. Although the various scenarios are as difficult to comprehend as the multiple possibilities of room draw, one principle is clear: each team controls its own destiny. If both Yale (7-4) and Brown (7-4) defeat Penn (8-3) and Princeton (8-3) at home this weekend, they will play in Providence next week for the title. Even if Brown loses against Penn or Princeton, Yale will be playing for a share of the title at Brown. Yale can also tie for the championship if it loses one game this weekend, Brown wins both, Yale beats Brown next week, and the winner of the Penn/Princeton game next week is the team that lost to Yale this weekend. Any tie would be broken with a tournament at a neutral site. Confusing? Of course. But Jones is trying to keep his team from consuming itself with the tantalizing thought of Yale's name being called on Selection Sunday.

"If you eye the tournament as your goal, you tend to lose sight of the games in front of you," Jones said. "We are just trying to take it one game at a time.

The last time that Yale qualified for the NCAA Tournament, President John Kennedy was working in the Oval Office to protect the United States from Russian missiles in Cuba. Thirty-nine years later, strong defense is still the key to victory. Unlike Brown or Columbia, both Penn and Princeton lack the explosive type of player who can take over games. The Elis will therefore stick to their normal game plan.

"We need to go out and play great team defense," Jones said. "We have done a good job holding teams under 40 percent in this last six games, and we will need to do that to win."

If the Elis can win the next three games (and a possible playoff), then the memories of that dreary bus ride will become nothing but faded recollections to be recounted on the comfortable plane flight to the first round NCAA Tournament game.

Back to Sports...