*1.Power will be back at Penn. Any other talk is silly.
*
I’m not surprised by this, but it’s still gratifying to hear. I’m sure there will be many big money offers for him, but there is something to be said for one’s personal happiness. I think that’s one thing we don’t hear enough about in this day and age.
Having said that, I’m sure TJ is making a respectable number in DONTCALLITNIL at Penn. Surely not as much as others may offer, but more than enough so he’s not doing work-study to pay for pizza.
Well, I guess that means at least that the 2028 and 2029 tournaments will be at the Palestra and Jadwin, so there will be 2 years where the tournament can thrive. Next year’s is likely to be mostly empty though. Unless the idea is to have it at the regular season winner’s gym and separate the men from the women.
On the Tournament’s future, I thought the options were a neutral site or
the regular season champ’s court. I thought continuing the rotation was
off the table, but maybe I am just reading the negative commentary here.
Also, didn’t Yale and then Harvard come before Princeton the first time
through.
On ther incoming recruits, I am surprised Harvard is not mentioned.
I thought they had a big get at point guard and a potential true center,
which are their needs.
FWIW, the DP’s Conor Smith notes on his x/Twitter feed that, although Zanoni changed his status from senior to junior, this does not automatically mean that he will be returning to Penn.
Attendance was pretty sad this year, penn yale anywhere between new haven and philly would have drawn a crowd
There were maybe 200 non band spectators at womens final
I bent Robyn Harris’s ear how it showed such lack of support for womens programs, i said that home team hosting would get rid if this issue and gave the young girls who play the opportunity to attend
For next year Penn wants to host as part of Palestra 100 national celebration, she said its up to the athletic directors.
Attendance for the men’s game can be decent in most places, even if the home team does not play. But the difference in women is insane. Comparing the Levien ILT final to any of the two recent ones (and probably next year) makes me sad.
There were maybe 1500 people at mens finals vs 4 to 5 thousand is at yale or palestra or jadwin or close to capacity at levien
I hear the final had 500 thousand viewers which is strong for mid major ive been told and they could get more next year with momentum and palestra pr
I told robin harris to offer dartmouth something to pass
Women s game was a frigging disgrace, i was hanging out before the hockey playoff next door, which was awesome, and just went back in to grab some food from hospitality
I’m a bit baffled at the lack of support from the Columbia side. The attendance for women’s games at Levien has been excellent for big games in recent years vs Princeton and Harvard. Ditto for their WNIT run a few years ago if I’m not mistaken.
The team chartered at least one bus to/from Ithaca for any fans or students who wanted to attend. I doubt they filled one bus. Were the students on Spring Break?
When Ivy Madness was held at Jadwin in 2023, the turnout was pretty good. The rows behind the Columbia bench were full and the crowd was loud. I recall seeing some players from the men’s team there too. Yes, Princeton is a much shorter road trip, but still surprising at the lack of support in Ithaca (and Providence last year).
Jasmer: I was referring to attendance at Ivy Madness.
I tend to agree there wouldn’t be much interest to travel for the WBIT unless maybe for the semi-final or final. And that’s in Wichita this year, so wouldn’t expect any students to travel that far.
I’m a huge supporter of the women’s program… traveled from CA for the last 4 Ivy Madness tournaments and even caught a game in Cancun this year, but don’t have any interest in traveling to Kansas.
I went to Providence last year. I couldn’t go to Ithaca this year, and it’s not a travel I would happily do. And I doubt I will go to Hanover next year. Any other place I would probably go.
What is the formula for Ivy League success in the NCAA tournament? They need to slow the game down and make opponents play 30 seconds of defense on every possession (shorten the game). They also need to make three point shots and layups. If they try to play up tempo as Penn did last night, they will lose by 30 points. Yale beat Auburn but they had Danny Wolf, which is the exception not the rule.
While that makes analytical sense in general, Penn did very well in transition. They got destroyed in the half court. The announcers were saying how Penn needed to run more. Of course, they had to get rebounds to get out in transition. It was pretty obvious what Penn really had to do. They needed to spread the floor and take a lot of 3s. With Roberts out and Power a shadow of his normal condition, that resulted in a lot of 3s by guys who can’t shoot. Illinois is not your typical Power school in style. They won’t run anyone to death.