Aside from the odd Ivy Leaguer drafted into the NFL, the Ancient Eight usually garners little national attention when it comes to big-market athletics.
It is, after all, a conference ineligible for postseason play in football (even in Division I-AA), and one that never sends more than its single guaranteed team to the NCAA Tournament in basketball.
But this fall, the announcement of a meeting of Ivy League athletic directors concerning the possibility of a postseason basketball tournament got people all over Ancient Eight athletics talking, and even caused national periodicals and blogs to stir a little bit.
The meeting that took place in early December generated differing opinions - it may not have been a step forward, but it was certainly a giant step taken.
Since then, little has developed about the decision on whether or not to implement the tournament - publicly, at least - but it is somewhere in the back of the minds of coaches across the Ivy League.
"For a lot of players it would be exciting," Penn coach Glen Miller said. "I would just want to make sure it's exciting for all the teams and all the players."
Miller's doubts stem partially from the lack of a concrete vision of the format of the tournament: "It's not just a matter of 'Are you in favor of a postseason tournament or not?'" he said. "It also is 'What format would it be?' There's a lot of different factors involved."
With an implementation of a tournament of such magnitude, these questions come naturally, and are sure to be asked by those within the Ivy League.
At least those that are used to contending for the title.
Harvard coach Frank Sullivan, who has been at the helm of the Crimson for 15 years and never won an Ivy crown, firmly supports the idea of a tournament.
Similarly, Yale coach James Jones had nothing but positive things to say about the prospect of a postseason before March Madness begins.
"I think it would be great for the league," Jones added. "Any time you get more exposure it's better for the league."
This exposure would lift from the shoulders of the Ancient Eight the infamy of being the nation's only conference without a postseason tournament. At the same time, it carries questions about fairness - who is more deserving, the team who has played well all season, or the team that catches fire down the stretch?
But in the end, the idea's consideration will be a matter of whether or not it benefits the players, a fact that Miller is extremely aware of.
"You'd like to do what's right and best for the student-athlete and what's exciting for the student-athlete," Miller said. "Assuming they all want it, then that'd be interesting to see."
