Yale dominated the Ivy League this season on their way to earning the school's first conference championship and NCAA Tournament berth since 1962, snapping rival Harvard's five-year run at the top of the conference. But, are they capable of making any noise in the Big Dance? Here's everything you need to know about the Bulldogs.
Resume:
Record - 22-6 (13-1 in Ivy)
RPI - 43
Strength of Schedule - 170
Starting Lineup:
G Makai Mason (So.) – 15.8 ppg, 3.7 apg
G Anthony Dallier (Jr.) – 4.7 ppg, 3.1 rpg
G Nick Victor (Sr.) – 7.0 ppg, 7.3 rpg
F Brandon Sherrod (Sr.) – 12.5 ppg, 7.1 rpg
F Justin Sears (Sr.) – 15.8 ppg, 7.5 rpg
Key Player:
Brandon Sherrod
Sherrod is the best athlete on Yale's team and is able to dominate on the inside despite being just 6'6" due to his strength (240 lbs). He doesn't do anything outside the paint offensively - he only has two career three-point attempts - but he's incredibly efficient around the basket, shooting 56.1 percent from the field. However, he is most important on the defense end, where he is Yale's most versatile defender, and they're going to need him to shut down some of the best players in the country in the tournament if they're going to be successful.
Biggest Strength:
Defense
Like most good teams, Yale makes their money on the defensive end of the court. They aren't the most athletic or overpowering team on that end of the floor, they just play extremely sound team defense that forces opponents to routinely take tough shots. They rank 14th in the country in points allowed per game (63.1), but more impressively, rank 18th in KenPom.com's adjusted defensive efficiency, which is adjusted for the strength of a team's opponent.
Biggest Weakness:
Size
Yale has just one player taller than 6'7", and he's a whopping 6'8". That's a non-issue playing against similar teams in the Ivy League, but that will undoubtly be a major disadvantage for them when they play a major conference team in the tournament.
Outlook:
Yale winning the Ivy League for the first time in 54 years is an excellent story, but it's really hard to see them advancing past the first round. Except them to put up a fight before ultimately being overpowered by a bigger team.