Ivy League Men's Basketball Semifinals Tip Off Saturday

Ithaca, N.Y. – The Ivy League men's basketball tournament semifinals tip off Saturday at Newman Arena, pitting top-seeded Yale against fourth-seeded Cornell at 11 a.m. ET and second-seeded Harvard against fifth-seeded Pennsylvania at 2 p.m. ET. The winners will advance to Sunday's championship game, with the victor earning an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

Yale enters as the clear favorite after a dominant 23-5 regular season, including an 11-3 mark in Ivy League play that clinched the top seed. The Bulldogs boast the conference's best overall record and rank 81st nationally in KenPom's adjusted efficiency metrics. Their strength lies in elite three-point shooting, converting at 40.1 percent from beyond the arc, third-best in the nation. Five players average double-digit points, led by senior forward Nick Townsend with 16.5 points per game on 48.3 percent three-point shooting. Yale outscores opponents by 11.3 points on average, tallying 81.5 points per game while allowing 70.2.

Cornell, hosting the tournament at its home arena, finished 15-12 overall and 8-6 in conference play. The Big Red lead the Ivy League in scoring at 88.9 points per game, sixth nationally, and...