M. Hoops picked to repeat as Ivy champs
In the preseason Ivy League men's basketball media poll that was released yesterday, Penn was selected as the top team.
The Quakers, the 2004-05 conference champions with a record of 13-1, were a unanimous selection among the 16 voters -- two from each school. It is the first unanimous selection since 2000.
Harvard, which has never won an Ivy League title in men's basketball, was second, followed by Princeton, Cornell, Yale, Brown, Dartmouth and Columbia.
The Crimson were 7-7 in league play last year, and bring back all-Ivy big men Matt Stehle and Brian Cusworth.
The closest overall race was for fourth place, and saw Cornell edge out Yale by just three points.
But Quakers fans should not rest easy -- last season's preseason pick, Princeton, finished 6-8 in the league.
On the women's side, defending Ivy League champion Dartmouth was also a unanimous top pick.
The nucleus of the Big Green team that made it to the NCAA Tournament last year returns this season, with Elise Morrison, Jeannie Cullen and Angie Soriaga all coming back.
Penn placed fifth, behind Harvard -- which lost to the Big Green in a playoff to decide the league title last year, -- Princeton and Brown.
The Quakers were selected ahead of Yale, Columbia and Cornell.
The Tigers are a surprise pick, finishing just two points behind Harvard after finishing in fifth place in the league last season.
However, Princeton returns 12 players from 2004-05.
Penn finished 8-6 in Ancient Eight play last year but graduated five seniors.
It will fall on the shoulders of senior center Jennifer Fleischer to carry the Quakers.
-- Josh Hirsch Jaaber the only Ivy rep on mid-major team
Penn junior guard Ibrahim Jaaber was selected as one of 25 players on collegeinsider.com's preseason Mid-Major All-American team. He is the only Ivy Leaguer on the team.
Jaaber averaged 11.5 points and 4.6 rebounds per game last season.
Bucknell center Chris McNaughton is the only player from a team Penn played last season to make the list.
No one from the Quakers' opponents for 2005-06 was selected.
Teams in the following conferences are considered mid-majors: America East, Atlantic Sun, Big Sky, Big South, Big West, Colonial, Horizon, Independents, Ivy, Mid America, Metro Atlantic, Mid-Continent, Mid-Eastern, Missouri Valley, Northeast, Ohio Valley, Patriot, Southern, Southland, Southwest, Sun Belt and West Coast.
-- J.H.
