Postseason basketball takes the Ivy League by storm this week, as five teams from the Ancient Eight compete in tournaments large and small.
In the NCAA Tournament, the Cornell men were named the No. 12 seed in the East Region and will square off against No. 5 seed Temple on Friday at 12:30 p.m. in Jacksonville, Fla.
Cornell finished the regular season with a 27-4 record and led the nation in three-point shooting at 43.4 percent, but the No. 17 Atlantic-10 champion Owls could be a tough matchup, finishing the season with a 29-5 record after winning their last ten games and placing fourth in the nation in defending threes. The winner will face Wisconsin or Wofford on Sunday.
On the women's side, Princeton was named a No. 11 seed, the highest-ever NCAA seed an Ivy League team has received. The Tigers (26-2) will face No. 6 seed St. John's (24-6 and ranked No. 15) on Saturday in Tallahassee, Fla. The winner will face Florida State or Louisiana Tech on Monday.
The Princeton men have also found their way to the postseason, but not to the bright lights of the Big Dance. The Tigers beat Duquesne, 65-51, on their home court to advance to the quarterfinals of the College Basketball Invitational against Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis on Monday.
Harvard was not so lucky, falling to Appalachian State, 93-71, in the opening round of the CollegeInsider.com Tournament. This is the first time the Ivy League has sent three teams to the postseason since 2002.
The Harvard women will hope to avoid a similar result in first round Women's National Invitational Tournament action. The Crimson (20-8) square off against Syracuse (22-10) on Thursday evening in upstate New York.
Providence hosts NCAA games
Rhode Island also has a big week of postseason basketball. Providence hosts six first- and second-round NCAA Tournament men's games this week at the Dunkin' Donuts Center.
On Thursday, No. 2 seed Villanova (24-7) faces No. 15 at Robert Morris (23-11) at 12:30, followed by No. 7 Richmond (26-8) against No. 10 St. Mary's of California (26-5) at 2:50.
In the evening session, No. 3 Georgetown (23-10) takes on No. 14 Ohio (21-14) at 7:25, followed by No. 6 Tennessee (25-8) against No. 11 San Diego State (25-8) at 9:45.
On Saturday, second-round games will pit first the afternoon winners and then the evening winners.
Meanwhile, the University of Rhode Island is moving on to the second round of the National Invitational Tournament after a 76-64 victory over Northwestern Wednesday evening. The No. 2 seed Rams will host No. 6 Nevada in second-round action.
Cornell w. hockey heads to Frozen Four
The Cornell women's hockey team is headed to the Frozen Four. After overpowering No. 4 seed Harvard, 6-2, last Friday, the Big Red (20-8-6) will face No. 1 Mercyhurst (30-2-3) Friday evening in Minneapolis.
The winner will play the winner of Friday night's contest pitting No. 2 Minnesota Duluth (29-8-2) against the No. 3 Minnesota Golden Gophers (26-8-5) for the National Championship. Minnesota eliminated ECAC Hockey's third representative, Clarkson.
M. hockey enters final rounds of ECAC tournament
ECAC Hockey will crown a men's champion this weekend, with the semifinals on Friday and the finals on Saturday at the Times Union Center in Albany, N.Y.
No. 2 seed Cornell will face No. 11 Brown at 4 p.m., while No. 3 seed Union squares off against No. 5 seed St. Lawrence at 7 p.m.
