Brown

Last weekend's trip to upper New England ended twice in heartbreak for the Bears as in both games Brown fell by four points to Dartmouth and Harvard.

Junior guard Damon Huffman led the way for Brown, scoring eight points against the Big Green and a game-high 26 points the next day against the Crimson. Fellow junior Mark McAndrew has also made significant contributions to the team, and it finally appears that head coach Craig Robinson has two legitimate scoring threats for the rest of Ivy play.

This weekend doesn't get any easier when the Bears return to Providence as they face the Killer Ps. A split at home would be a positive result from this weekend.

Cornell

After finishing off the sweep of Columbia at home last weekend, the Big Red travel to New England to face Harvard and a rejuvenated Dartmouth team.
In the first game against the Lions, freshman Ryan Wittman had trouble hitting his jump shots, but a week later he led the team in scoring with 15 points and earned Ivy Rookie of the Week honors. Senior center Andrew Naeve is having a stellar final Ivy campaign as he continues to be a force in the paint for the Big Red.
Should Cornell find more consistent offensive production, a sweep of the Crimson and Big Green is a distinct possibility.

Dartmouth

With its split against Brown and Yale last weekend at home, Dartmouth continues its home stand as the Cs from New York invade Leede Arena.

Senior guard Leon Pattman continues to be the primary scoring threat for Dartmouth, averaging 16.6 points per game and hitting from beyond the arc at a 45.8 percent clip. Sophomore swingman Alex Barnett is the only other Big Green player averaging double digit points and is the team leader in rebounds per contest.

Dartmouth will certainly have its hands full this weekend as both its opponents sport interior presences, something the Big Green currently lacks.

Harvard

After Brian Cusworth had two of the best games of his career last weekend-in addition to receiving Ivy Player of the Week honors-the Crimson re-enter Ivy play against Cornell and Columbia without its biggest offensive threat.

Cusworth's graduation leaves a hole in the middle that junior Brian Darcy and sophomore Evan Harris must fill. Sophomore guard Drew Housman still hasn't lived up the potential that he showed last year and senior Jim Goffredo will most likely carry the burden for the rest of the season.

Harvard must find a way to compensate for Cusworth's departure if it is to remain out of the Ivy cellar.

Penn

After finishing with a 2-2 record in the Big 5, Penn comes back to Ivy League play in lower New England against Brown and Yale.

Mark Zoller has taken a surprising role as Penn's leading scorer, at 19.5 points per game, but it is the consistent and dominant play of Ibrahim Jaaber that makes the Quakers tick. Jaaber has 93 assists on the season and with an assist-to-turnover ratio of nearly two, he tops the Ancient Eight in yet another statistical category.

Saturday's contest against at John Lee Amphitheater against Yale will be an early matchup of the Ivy League's best teams, and a Bulldog upset could severely damage Penn's chances at an Ivy crown.

Princeton

The last time the Tigers played was nearly three weeks ago against Columbia and Cornell and the bitter taste of the New York sweep has lingered for too long.

Things for Princeton don't get any easier, as junior forward Kyle Koncz is out with an injury, leaving much of the scoring burden to freshmen Michael Strittmatter and Lincoln Gunn. Senior Justin Conway has solidified himself as a strong offensive and defensive player in the paint for the Tigers, despite being significantly shorter than his counterparts at 6 feet 4 inches.

Princeton desperately needs a victory this weekend to right the ship and stay out of the bottom of the Ancient Eight.

Yale

The Bulldogs' sweep of rivals Harvard and Dartmouth last weekend has positioned them into second-place in the Ivy League as they return to New Haven for alumni weekend.

Yale junior Caleb Holmes has taken a significant step forward in his level of play recently, recording a career-high of 19 points against the Crimson and 16 points against Dartmouth. Fellow junior Eric Flato leads the Bulldogs in scoring at over 14 a game and has an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.5.

Yale stunned Penn at home two years ago, and, with the stakes this high early in the season, the Elis will certainly need some luck if they are to tie the Quakers at the top of the standings.

Game of the Week

This week's premier matchup is certainly Saturday evening's contest between the Quakers and Bulldogs. The game features the two teams at the top of the Ivy standings right now, and, looking at the rest of Penn's schedule, this game figures to be one of its toughest road tests in its quest for another Ivy crown.

The Elis are riding a two-game win streak, and, although their record may not reflect the current level of play, the difficult non-conference schedule certainly prepared them well for Ivy competition. Penn, on the other hand, is coming off a 10-point defeat at the hands of St. Joseph's in its final Big 5 game of the season. The Quakers, who began their Ivy season in impressive fashion with a road sweep of Columbia and Cornell in week one, know that ball control and a lack of turnovers will be key against a scrappy Yale team.

Expect a fast-paced game with lots of scoring and an eventual Quaker victory.