2009–10 Ivy League men's basketball season
Encyclopedia
The 2009–10 Ivy League men's basketball season marks the 107th season of Ivy League
basketball
.
. The league's media unanimously voted Cornell
the preseason #1 for the second straight season. Cornell returned all five starters, three all-conference performers, and the Ivy League rookie and defensive players of the year from the 2009 Ivy League championship team.
Two Ivy League seniors were named preseason candidates for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award
. Columbia's
Patrick Foley and Brown's
Matthew Mullery were named to the 30-man preseason list.
Alabama Crimson Tide 71–67 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama
, behind Ryan Wittman's 23 points. It was Cornell's first win over a current SEC member school since the Big Red defeated Arkansas
(then a part of the Southwest Conference) during the 1972–73 season.
Harvard
also got off to a fast start. After winning their opener against Holy Cross
, the Crimson won a triple-overtime contest over the College of William & Mary
, 87–85 on a half-court shot by senior guard Jeremy Lin
. Lin also made headlines in early December as he scored 30 points in a close loss (79–73) at #14 Connecticut
, then came back to score 25 in the Crimson's very next game – a 74–67 upset of Boston College
. Lin started the New Year by being named to the Mid-season Wooden Award 30-man watch list and the Bob Cousy Award
.
The Ivy made news for some not-so positive reasons as the conference saw two coaches fired during the pre-conference slate. Penn fired coach Glen Miller
after an 0–7 start, while Dartmouth's Terry Dunn resigned after a 3–10 start.
But the biggest press of the non-conference season for the Ivy League came on January 6, as league favorite Cornell led #1 and undefeated Kansas
with under a minute remaining at Allen Fieldhouse
. Ultimately, the Big Red lost to KU 71–66, but the Ivy stalwarts proved that they could compete with the top teams
in Philadelphia. The win snapped an eight-game win streak by Cornell.
All-Ivy League first team
All-Ivy League second team
All-Ivy League honorable mention
Throughout the conference season, the Ivy League offices name a player and rookie of the week.
Ivy League
The Ivy League is an athletic conference comprising eight private institutions of higher education in the Northeastern United States. The conference name is also commonly used to refer to those eight schools as a group...
basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
.
Preseason
The Ivy League held its pre-season media day on October 28, 2009 in Princeton, New JerseyPrinceton, New Jersey
Princeton is a community located in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. It is best known as the location of Princeton University, which has been sited in the community since 1756...
. The league's media unanimously voted Cornell
Cornell Big Red men's basketball
The Cornell Big Red men's basketball team represents Cornell University , located in Ithaca, New York, in NCAA Division I men's competition. The Big Red's appearance in the 2008 NCAA Tournament was their first trip to "The Big Dance" since 1988...
the preseason #1 for the second straight season. Cornell returned all five starters, three all-conference performers, and the Ivy League rookie and defensive players of the year from the 2009 Ivy League championship team.
Two Ivy League seniors were named preseason candidates for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award
Lowe's Senior CLASS Award
The Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award is an annual college athletic award in the NCAA Division I. Qualified competitors must be seniors who have remained within their NCAA Division I college for a four-year commitment and achieved excellence in one of nine sports.....
. Columbia's
Columbia Lions
The Columbia University Lions are the collective athletic teams and their members from Columbia University, an Ivy League institution in New York City, United States. The current director of athletics is M...
Patrick Foley and Brown's
Brown Bears
The Brown Bears is a name shared by all sports teams at Brown University, a university located in Providence, Rhode Island in the United States. The Bears are part of the Ivy League conference. Brown's mascot is Bruno. Both the men's and women's teams share the name, competing in 37 National...
Matthew Mullery were named to the 30-man preseason list.
Ivy League Media Poll
| Rank | Team | Votes |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cornell (16) | 128 |
| 2 | Princeton | 96 |
| 3 | Penn | 92 |
| 4 | Harvard | 86 |
| 5 | Yale | 59 |
| 6 | Columbia | 55 |
| 7 | Brown | 41 |
| 8 | Dartmouth | 19 |
Non-conference
Preseason #1 Cornell lived up to its billing by scoring the first Ivy League win over one of the six major conferences as the Big Red beat the SEC'sSoutheastern Conference
The Southeastern Conference is an American college athletic conference that operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama...
Alabama Crimson Tide 71–67 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Tuscaloosa is a city in and the seat of Tuscaloosa County in west central Alabama . Located on the Black Warrior River, it is the fifth-largest city in Alabama, with a population of 90,468 in 2010...
, behind Ryan Wittman's 23 points. It was Cornell's first win over a current SEC member school since the Big Red defeated Arkansas
Arkansas Razorbacks men's basketball
The Arkansas Razorbacks basketball team represents the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, Arkansas in NCAA Division I men's basketball competition. The school's team currently competes in the Southeastern Conference. The team last played in the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament in 2008...
(then a part of the Southwest Conference) during the 1972–73 season.
Harvard
Harvard Crimson
The Harvard Crimson are the athletic teams of Harvard University. The school's teams compete in NCAA Division I. As of 2006, there were 41 Division I intercollegiate varsity sports teams for women and men at Harvard, more than at any other NCAA Division I college in the country...
also got off to a fast start. After winning their opener against Holy Cross
Holy Cross Crusaders men's basketball
The Holy Cross Crusaders men's basketball team represents the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts, in NCAA Division I competition. The team competes in the Patriot League and plays their home games in the Hart Center...
, the Crimson won a triple-overtime contest over the College of William & Mary
William & Mary Tribe men's basketball
The William & Mary Tribe men's basketball team represents The College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia in NCAA Division I competition. The school's team competes in the Colonial Athletic Association and play their home games in Kaplan Arena....
, 87–85 on a half-court shot by senior guard Jeremy Lin
Jeremy Lin
Jeremy Shu-How Lin is an American professional basketball player for the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association...
. Lin also made headlines in early December as he scored 30 points in a close loss (79–73) at #14 Connecticut
2009–10 Connecticut Huskies men's basketball team
The 2009–10 Connecticut Huskies men's basketball team represented the University of Connecticut in the 2009–2010 NCAA Division I basketball season. The Huskies were coached by Jim Calhoun and played their home games at the XL Center in Hartford, Connecticut, and on campus at the Harry A. Gampel...
, then came back to score 25 in the Crimson's very next game – a 74–67 upset of Boston College
Boston College Eagles men's basketball
The Boston College Eagles are a Division I college basketball program that represents Boston College in Chestnut Hill, MA. The team has competed in the ACC since 2005, having previously played in the Big East. Home games have been played at the Conte Forum since 1988, having previously been played...
. Lin started the New Year by being named to the Mid-season Wooden Award 30-man watch list and the Bob Cousy Award
Bob Cousy Award
The Bob Cousy Award presented by The Hartford is an annual basketball award given by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame to the top men's collegiate point guard. It is named after six-time National Basketball Association champion Bob Cousy, who played point guard for the Boston Celtics...
.
The Ivy made news for some not-so positive reasons as the conference saw two coaches fired during the pre-conference slate. Penn fired coach Glen Miller
Glen Miller (basketball coach)
Glen Miller is the former head men's basketball coach at the University of Pennsylvania and Brown University.-Head coaching record:-References:...
after an 0–7 start, while Dartmouth's Terry Dunn resigned after a 3–10 start.
But the biggest press of the non-conference season for the Ivy League came on January 6, as league favorite Cornell led #1 and undefeated Kansas
2009–10 Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball team
The 2009–10 Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball team represented the University of Kansas in the 2009-10 NCAA Division I men's basketball season, which was the Jayhawks' 112th basketball season. Their head coach was Bill Self, who was serving his 7th year. The team played its home games in Allen...
with under a minute remaining at Allen Fieldhouse
Allen Fieldhouse
Allen Fieldhouse is an indoor arena at the University of Kansas in Lawrence, Kansas. The arena, named in honor of Dr. Forrest C. "Phog" Allen, who coached the university's men's basketball team for 39 years, is one of college basketball's most historically significant and prestigious buildings...
. Ultimately, the Big Red lost to KU 71–66, but the Ivy stalwarts proved that they could compete with the top teams
Conference season
Cornell and Harvard were expected to compete for the league title, but the Big Red swept the Crimson. However, Penn stopped Cornell's bid for a perfect Ivy League season by beating the then 22nd ranked Big Red 79–64 at the PalestraPalestra
The Palestra, also known as the Cathedral of College Basketball, is a historic arena and the home gym of the University of Pennsylvania Quakers men's and women's basketball teams, volleyball teams, wrestling team, and Philadelphia Big 5 basketball. Located at 215 South 33rd St...
in Philadelphia. The win snapped an eight-game win streak by Cornell.
All-Conference teams
At the conclusion of the season, the Ivy League all-conference teams were selected. Cornell placed a trio of seniors – Ryan Wittman, Jeff Foote and Louis Dale – on the All-Ivy first team. The Big Red threesome were joined on the first team by Harvard's Jeremy Lin and Penn's Zack Rosen. Wittman and Foote were the Ivy League player and defensive players of the year, respectively.- Player of the Year: Ryan Wittman, Cornell (unanimous)
- Rookie of the Year: Kyle Casey, Harvard
- Defensive Player of the Year: Jeff Foote, Cornell
All-Ivy League first team
- Louis Dale, Cornell
- Jeff Foote, Cornell (unanimous)
- Ryan Wittman, Cornell (unanimous)
- Jeremy Lin, Harvard (unanimous)
- Zack Rosen, Penn (unanimous)
All-Ivy League second team
- Matt Mullery, Brown
- Noruwa Agho, Columbia
- Jack Eggleston, Penn
- Douglas Davis, Princeton
- Dan Mavraides, Princeton
- Alex Zampier, Yale
All-Ivy League honorable mention
- Chris Wroblewski, Cornell
- Kyle Casey, Harvard
- Michael Sands, Yale
Weekly awards
Ivy League Players of the WeekThroughout the conference season, the Ivy League offices name a player and rookie of the week.
| Week | Player of the week | Rookie of the week | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 16 | Jeremy Lin Jeremy Lin Jeremy Shu-How Lin is an American professional basketball player for the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association... , G, Harvard Harvard Crimson The Harvard Crimson are the athletic teams of Harvard University. The school's teams compete in NCAA Division I. As of 2006, there were 41 Division I intercollegiate varsity sports teams for women and men at Harvard, more than at any other NCAA Division I college in the country... |
Dee Giger, G, Harvard | ||
| Ryan Wittman Ryan Wittman Ryan Scott Wittman is an American basketball player currently playing in the Polish Basketball League for the Zastal Zielona Góra.-Early life and high school career:... , F, Cornell Cornell Big Red men's basketball The Cornell Big Red men's basketball team represents Cornell University , located in Ithaca, New York, in NCAA Division I men's competition. The Big Red's appearance in the 2008 NCAA Tournament was their first trip to "The Big Dance" since 1988... |
||||
| November 23 | Noruwa Agho, G, Columbia Columbia Lions The Columbia University Lions are the collective athletic teams and their members from Columbia University, an Ivy League institution in New York City, United States. The current director of athletics is M... |
Andrew McCarthy, F, Brown | ||
| Matt Mullery, C, Brown Brown Bears The Brown Bears is a name shared by all sports teams at Brown University, a university located in Providence, Rhode Island in the United States. The Bears are part of the Ivy League conference. Brown's mascot is Bruno. Both the men's and women's teams share the name, competing in 37 National... |
||||
| November 30 | Noruwa Agho, G, Columbia | Matt Sullivan, G, Brown | ||
| Ryan Wittman, F, Cornell | ||||
| December 7 | Jeremy Lin, G, Harvard | Errick Peck, F, Cornell | ||
| December 14 | Noruwa Agho, G, Columbia | Ian Hummer, F, Princeton Princeton Tigers The Princeton Tigers are the athletic teams of Princeton University. The school sponsors 31 varsity sports. The school has won several NCAA national championships, including one in men's fencing, six in men's lacrosse, three in women's lacrosse, and eight in men's golf... |
||
| Jeremy Lin, G, Harvard | ||||
| December 21 | Ryan Wittman, F, Cornell | Matt LaBove, C, Dartmouth | ||
| December 28 | Jeff Foote Jeff Foote Jeffrey Bernard Foote is an American professional basketball player. He is a 2.14 m Center. He currently plays for Zastal Zielona Góra in Poland.-High school:... , C, Cornell |
Mark Cisco, C, Columbia | ||
| Alex Zampier, G, Yale Yale Bulldogs The Yale Bulldogs are the athletic teams of the Yale University. The school sponsors 35 varsity sports. The school has won two NCAA national championships in women's fencing, four in men's swimming and diving, and twenty one in men's golf.-Men's baseball:... |
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| January 4 | Ryan Wittman, F, Cornell | Kyle Casey, F, Harvard | ||
| January 11 | Ryan Wittman, F, Cornell | Tucker Halpern, F, Brown | ||
| January 18 | Jeff Foote, C, Cornell | Andrew McCarthy, F, Brown | ||
| January 25 | Alex Zampier, G, Yale | Kyle Casey, F, Harvard | ||
| February 1 | Douglas Davis, G, Princeton | Ian Hummer, F, Princeton | ||
| February 8 | Jeff Foote, C, Cornell | Kyle Casey, F, Harvard | ||
| February 15 | Kyle Casey, F, Harvard | Kyle Casey, F, Harvard | ||
| February 22 | Ryan Wittman, F, Cornell | Tucker Halpern, F, Brown | ||
| March 1 | Jeremy Lin, G, Harvard | Brandyn Curry, G, Harvard | ||
| March 8 | Louis Dale, G, Cornell | Brandyn Curry, G, Harvard | ||