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2019-20 Ivy League preview: Will it be Penn and Princeton again for the title?

By Matt Ward

PHILADELPHIA, PA - MARCH 11: Bella Alarie #31 (C) of the Princeton Tigers elates with her teammates with the win over the Harvard Crimson during an Ivy League semifinal matchup at The Palestra on March 11, 2017 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Princeton won 68-47. (Photo by Corey Perrine/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - MARCH 11: Bella Alarie #31 (C) of the Princeton Tigers elates with her teammates with the win over the Harvard Crimson during an Ivy League semifinal matchup at The Palestra on March 11, 2017 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Princeton won 68-47. (Photo by Corey Perrine/Getty Images) /
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The Bulldogs take a giant step forward

Yale

Last season: 16-13 overall (6-8 in Ivy League)

Predicted finish: 3rd

Key Returners (Last season’s stats)

G- Roxy Barahman, 5’8, Sr- 18.6 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 39% FG, 32% 3FG, 35.7 MPG

F- Camilla Emsbo, 6’5, So- 11.0 PPG, 7.9 RPG, 49% FG, 27% 3FG, 29.6 MPG

F- Ellen Margaret Andrews, 5’10, Jr- Injured last season

G- Tori Andrew, 5’10, Jr- 8.8 PPG, 2/1 RPG, 29% FG, 28% 3FG, 30.9 MPG

Biggest Losses (Last season’s stats)

F- Alexandra Maund, 5’11- 5.8 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 52% FG, 18.3 MPG

Newcomers

G- Jenna Clark, 5’7, Fr

G- Klara Astrom, 5’9, Fr

F- Ayla Elam, 6’1, Fr

Head Coach- Allison Guth (5th season)

Key Non-Conference Games

Nov 5- vs. Providence

Nov 13- vs. Quinnipiac

Nov 26- @ UCLA

Dec 27- @ North Carolina

Outlook

Yale returns all five starters from a team that finished tied for fourth in the conference last season. Yale lost out to Cornell on a three-way tiebreaker, that also included Dartmouth. While missing out on Ivy Madness will always hurt, it was especially difficult for the Bulldogs last season, as they were the host.

Head coach Allison Guth, who is entering her fifth season with Yale, will look to get her team back to Ivy Madness for the first time since 2018. Returning five starters, as well as her top six scorers from last season, should out the Bulldogs in a great place to do just that. While the departure of forward, Alexandra Maund, will be difficult to replace, especially on the glass, outside of five starters, Yale will also get Ellen Margaret Andrews back. Andrews tore both her ACL and her meniscus early in the season after playing in just one game. The sophomore played 33 minutes and scored nine points in the game.

The biggest return for Coach Guth comes in All Ivy League First Team selection, Roxy Barahman. She was second in the conference in scoring last season at 18.6 PPG, while averaged 35.7 MPG. Joining Barahman, are returning starters Camille Emsbo, Tori Andrew, Alex Cade, and Megan Gorman. Gorman and Barahman are the only seniors in this group.

The Bulldogs have a very challenging non-conference schedule, including a season-opening game against Providence, while also hosting Quinnipiac and traveling to UCLA and UNC. Yale finished in the middle of the league in both scoring offense (sixth) and scoring defense (fourth) last season, but finished second in FG% defense. They will need to improve in two main areas this year: turnover margin and offensive production from the 3-point line. They were dead last in the league in turnover margin last season, and seventh in both 3-point shots made and 3-point FG%.

What Will Happen?

Not only do I think the Bulldogs will improve in those two main areas, I think they will get even better defensively this year. Coach Guth runs the Pack Line defense, and the more players are around that defense and become used to its concepts, the better they are at running it.

Barahman and Emsbo could be a lethal one-two offensive punch for Yale, and the return of Andrews might give Yale their own “Big Three.” We are unsure as to how healthy Andrews will be upon her return, but her importance to this team can’t be understated.

I believe Yale will get better, make Ivy Madness, and compete for an NCAA Tournament berth. They will make the biggest leap in the league this season.

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