Yale Basketball: Back to the Dance

While hosting the third Ivy League tournament, Yale captured the men's basketball championship in New Haven with a handy win over Harvard (YWAA photos).

Yale men's basketball reached an apex Sunday afternoon Mar. 17, as the college basketball season heads toward March Madness. Yale hosted the third annual Ivy League tournament at the John L. Lee Amphitheatre at Payne Whitney Gym, treating house guests and League fanatics to a weekend basketball festival in an arena that looks more church-like than athletic venue. (The tournament included the top four teams in both the men's and women's leagues.)

While basking in host glory, the men's team grabbed the tournament trophy and an Ivy berth in the 2019 NCAA tournament. The Bulldogs surrendered leads to Princeton during the Saturday semi-final, but managed to squeak out an 83-77 win.  After Harvard's 66-58 win over last year's tourney winner Penn, Yale and Harvard faced off for the Ivy championship in front of a mostly jammed Payne Whitney. 

Sunday's championship was the third meeting between the rivals.  Harvard had won the previous two, most recently with a buzzer-beater from guard Bryce Aiken on Yale's home floor. 

In the third game, the Bulldogs and Cantabs traded leads--thanks to stop-and-pop jumpers from Yale's Alex Copeland '19 and thanks to Harvard's Aiken scoring just about anytime he wanted to and ending the game with 38 points.  

Yale eased ahead late in the game and coasted to a 97-85 win--thanks mostly to Copeland's 25 points and thanks to four off-the-bench jumpers from Azar Swain '21 (who finished with 15). Yale fans didn't storm the court, because, well, students were still getting back to New Haven from spring break.  Yale's Miye Oni '20, the Ivy League's men's player of the year and the focus of whispers about his NBA-level talent, had spent much of the game on the bench in foul trouble

So for the second time in four seasons, Coach James Jones and crew head to the Dance, the Final 64. Four hours after the win, the team found out it will play SEC power LSU in Jacksonville in the Round of 64.  

Yale athletic officials embraced their roles as hosts. Payne Whitney was spruced up with banners celebrating the Ivy schools. Attendants urged out-of-town guests to taste the best of New Haven.  

During intermissions at the tournament, the League paid tribute to Yale players John L. Lee '59 '59 Eng and Barbara Liebowitz Bettigole '78, both one-time Westchester residents, and welcomed them into the club of Ivy legends.  

Harvard's band toots the Crimson as the team defeated Penn in the first round. (YWAA photos)

During an intermission of the Yale-Princeton game, the League paid tribute to one-time Yale scoring leader and Larchmont resident John L. Lee '58 '59 Eng. His no. 22 jersey above appears in a trophy case at Payne Whitney. His family accepted a plaque in his honor. (YWAA photo)