Road to the Final Four

Penn Quakers, 1979

The last Ivy League squad to make it beyond the second round of the tournament was Penn in 1979. The Quakers made it all the way to the Final Four before falling to eventual champion Michigan State, which was led by future-NBA great Magic Johnson.

The tournament had only 40 teams then, so just seeds seven through 10 played in the first round—seeds one through six got a bye. As Penn was the No. 9 seed, it had to defeat No. 8 seed Iona before taking on North Carolina—the No. 1 seed. Penn pulled off the stunning upset, defeating the Tar Heels, 72-71, on a foul shot by James Salters and earning a spot in the Sweet Sixteen.

The Quakers beat Syracuse before defeating St. John’s, 64-62, to make it to the Final Four.

Though it lost to Michigan State, Penn still left its mark, as Quaker Tony Price was the tournament’s top scorer.

Cornell Big Red, 2010

No. 12 seed Cornell has busted brackets and made history with its impressive run. The Big Red’s first-round 78-65 victory over No. 5 seed Temple marked the first time an Ivy League team won a tournament game since 1998, when Princeton beat UNLV.

That wasn’t enough for Cornell, though, as it went on to dominate No. 4 seed Wisconsin, 87-69, becoming the first Ancient Eight squad to advance to the Sweet Sixteen since Penn’s storied 1979 team.

Up next for the Big Red is top seed Kentucky. It will definitely be an uphill battle, but Cornell can challenge the Wildcats if it remains hot on offense.

If the Big Red pulls off the upset, it will face the winner of Washington vs. West Virginia in the Elite Eight. Could Cornell be the next Ivy team to make it to the Final Four?

Other Ivy League teams that achieved tournament success

In the 1996 tournament, the Tigers, the No. 13 seed, upset No. 4 seed UCLA in the first round, earning legendary coach Pete Carril his last collegiate victory.

The 1972-1973 Penn Quakers made it to the Elite Eight after defeating Providence and Villanova. But in the regional final, Penn fell to North Carolina, 73-59.

The 1968 tournament featured the Lions’ most successful run in history, as they made it to the second round—then the round of sixteen—before falling to Davidson.

In 1965, Princeton made it all the way to the Final Four before falling to Michigan. However, the Tigers picked up a win over Wichita State in the consolation game.