The Ivy League basketball tournament is finally here. ... So what exactly does that mean? Ever since the Ivy League was formed in 1955, it has always stood apart.

As a professional sports fan, it does not make sense to me why so many people who are passionate about professional sports are not passionate about Penn’s teams.

Last week, Penn Athletics announced the elevation of assistant squash coach Gilly Lane to head men’s coach.

The vote by the eight Ivy League football coaches to end tackling at in-season practices is Penn Athletics' philosophy in action.

This year was supposed to be a step backwards for Penn baseball. After a program-record 14 Ivy League wins a season ago, the Red and Blue graduated a cavalcade of veteran standouts; a total of ten seniors played their final games in 2015, two of whom — Austin Bossart and Ronnie Glenn — were talented enough to take their skills to the professional level. And accordingly, the team has not been as dominant as it was a year ago.

It was a strange moment. As I walked into the press room at the University of Maryland, I came across a fellow reporter quickly putting on his tie and grabbing his belongings to head down to press row. “The tip was moved up to 3:43.” Now, a full day removed from the game and that moment it’s strange to look back.

Penn women’s basketball clinched its second Ivy title in three years with its win over Princeton Tuesday night. And the ride isn’t over yet.

The more things change, the more they stay the same. This was supposed to be the year in which Penn women’s basketball broke what has become the standard in the Ivy League.

Over the weekend, students from across the Ivy League gathered on Penn’s campus to participate in panel discussions and workshops as part of the Unmasking the Ivy League Conference.

Penn isn’t going to win the Ivy title. It was fairly apparent from before the season even started, and halfway through the Ivy slate it’s even more apparent.

When I, a freshman associate sports editor, was asked to pack my bags and travel to New Hampshire to cover the presidential primary, I was taken aback.

Penn basketball was handed 23- and 6-point losses by Yale and Brown this weekend. And I was still excited by what I saw.

Vince Lombardi once said, “Winning isn’t everything. It’s the only thing.” But I have to disagree with the football legend on this one — at least in the context of Penn basketball. On Tuesday night, Penn women’s basketball lost to Villanova, 66-46, in what undoubtedly was its worst performance of an otherwise stellar season.

"Don't mistake activity for achievement." There are quite a few John Wooden-isms that I have come across throughout my life, but few have spoken to me quite as loudly as that one.

For me, it’s a no-brainer. The Ivy League needs a conference tournament for basketball. When you look at Ivy Athletics as a whole, there’s something left to be desired for those students who are fans of NCAA athletics as a whole.

On Wednesday night, Penn men’s basketball was beaten by a much better team. The Red and Blue were routed by Saint Joseph’s, a well-oiled juggernaut of a squad that sits as the nation’s 30th-best team by RPI.

Their names might not be in the paper or in the record books, but their contributions to this school are no less mighty.