Great Expectations...

With all of the preseason publications picking Cornell to claim its third consecutive Ivy League title and NCAA Tournament bid, the Big Red are not the only team in the conference riding a wave of high expectations and pressure. At least four other Ivy programs have set high bars for themselves in '09-'10.

Princeton-The Tigers are coming off a solid 8-6 campaign in the conference a year ago. "Old Nassau" returns all five starters while adding several immediate impact freshmen, notably 6'6" forward, Ian Hummer. For Princeton fans, there is an expectation that the Tigers will win 10-plus Ivy games and compete with Cornell for the Ivy championship. This proud program expects nothing less. The Tigers also know they can beat the Big Red. A successful season would be: Nothing less than finishing in 2nd place and earning a trip to one of the postseason tournaments such as the NIT, CBI or the CollegeInsider.com. But winning the League remains the objective. Falling back to 3rd would not be a good sign.

Harvard-The Crimson may have suffered their second consecutive losing season in the conference under guidance of coach Tommy Amaker, but for most Harvard supporters, the expectations this season are for the Crimson to compete for a conference championship. Harvard adds several well publicized freshmen and benefits from the healthy return of several key veterans, including Andrew Van Nest, Pat Magnarelli, and Doug Miller, all of whom missed substantial time a year ago. After knocking off Cornell a year ago, this team is confident and believes it can make Harvard history. A successful season would be: A trip to the postseason, either the CBI or CollegeInsider.com. Harvard must finish in the league's "top 3" to build confidence that the program is headed in the right direction for '10-'11. A 4th place finish would signal that a lot more work needs to be done in Cambridge.

Penn-The Quakers suffered through a long 6-8 Ivy League season a year ago despite carrying a roster consisting of some of the Ivy League's most highly recruited players during the past three recruiting cycles. This result is inexcusable. As for the Penn faithful, they demand and expect excellence from this program. For the incumbent coaching staff, much blame last season was placed on inexperience and injuries. Now Penn is out of excuses. The Quakers have veteran experience and return their key wounded, namely Darren Smith and Andreas Schreiber. The pressure is on for Penn to produce a competitive finish this season. A successful season would be: A postseason invite would be nice to build on for '10-'11, but this program expects nothing less than a "top 3" finish this year and to involve itself meaningfully in the '09-'10 title hunt. Postseason this year is not out of the question.

Columbia-This team has been stuck in the middle of the standings for years. But now the Lions have a strong mix of size up front-- led by a pair of mid-major transfers in Brian Grimes (La Salle) and seven footer, Max Craig (Loyola Marymount)-- and backcourt depth in Noruwa Agho, Pat Foley, Nikko Scott and Steve Egee. The Lions faithful are tired of waiting. This program wants to win now and expects to be in the mix heading the final stretch of the Ivy season. A successful season would be: A surprise finish in the league's "top 3" as a mid pack finish would have that "more of the same feel."