Ivy Update: Week 18

March 10, 2026 0 By Neill White

Strongest Offensive Trends

Dartmouth, Off Reb Pct, Down, Trend Strength: -0.03 – Dartmouth’s struggles with securing rebounds on both ends of the court and maintaining possession are contributing to their scoring issues, as evident in the team’s inability to capitalize on opportunities following turnovers and missed defensive assignments.
Cornell, Off Reb Pct, Down, Trend Strength: -0.021 – Cornell’s struggles to secure rebounds are a notable problem contributing to their difficulty in establishing a consistent offense.
Brown, Off Reb Pct, Down, Trend Strength: -0.019 – Brown’s defensive rebounding struggles are contributing to problems with shooting efficiency, as they’ve struggled to maintain accuracy and consistency from three-point attempts and have seen a widening gap between points scored and allowed due to their inability to secure rebounds.
Brown, Turnovers, Up, Trend Strength: 0.017 – Brown’s inability to control the ball is a significant problem that hinders their ability to execute plays effectively, contributing to their struggles on offense and negatively impacting their overall performance.
Dartmouth, Shooting, Down, Trend Strength: -0.014 – Dartmouth’s shooting struggles have been a problem throughout their season, characterized by inconsistent field goal attempts and a lack of scoring reliability.

Strongest Defensive Trends

Dartmouth, Opp Shooting, Up, Trend Strength: 0.033 – Dartmouth’s consistently impressive defense has been limiting their opponents’ scoring opportunities, presenting a challenge for the team to efficiently convert their own chances into goals.
Penn, Opp Turnovers, Up, Trend Strength: 0.024 – Penn’s defensive strategy has led to a significant struggle with turnover margin, forcing opponents into turnovers through the team’s pressuring tactics.
Brown, Opp Shooting, Up, Trend Strength: 0.017 – Brown’s opponents are struggling to convert their shots into points as a result of the team stifling their scoring efforts.
Harvard, Opp Shooting, Down, Trend Strength: -0.014 – Harvard’s strong defensive zone has been a challenge for opponents to navigate effectively, stifling their shooting attempts against the Crimson.
Columbia, Opp Turnovers, Up, Trend Strength: 0.011 – Columbia’s defense has struggled to limit turnovers, failing to address a significant issue that negatively impacts their overall performance.

Figure 1: Efficiency margin trends for Ivy teams throughout the season. Teams trending upward show improving performance, while downward trends indicate struggles.

Conference Snapshot

Week Dates: March 02 – March 08, 2026
Trending Up (Efficiency): Brown, Cornell, Princeton
Trending Down (Efficiency): Columbia, Dartmouth, Harvard, Penn, Yale

Team-by-Team Analysis

Brown

Record: 9-18 | Elo: 1419.4 (ranked 280 of 365) | Efficiency Margin: -11.99 (ranked 271 of 365)

Offensive Trends:

Turnovers (Turnovers): Currently ranked 340 of 365 in D1. Trending up strongly 🔴.
Off Reb Pct (Offensive Rebounding): Currently ranked 250 of 365 in D1. Trending down strongly 🔴.

Defensive Trends:

Opp Shooting (Opp Shooting): Currently ranked 188 of 365 in D1. Trending up strongly 🔴.
Opp Turnovers (Opp Turnovers): Currently ranked 68 of 365 in D1. Trending up moderately 🟢.

Columbia

Record: 16-12 | Elo: 1458.2 (ranked 240 of 365) | Efficiency Margin: -3.06 (ranked 187 of 365)

Offensive Trends:

Shooting (Shooting): Currently ranked 82 of 365 in D1. Trending down moderately 🔴.
Off Reb Pct (Offensive Rebounding): Currently ranked 48 of 365 in D1. Trending down moderately 🔴.

Defensive Trends:

Opp Turnovers (Opp Turnovers): Currently ranked 260 of 365 in D1. Trending up strongly 🟢.
Opp Shooting (Opp Shooting): Currently ranked 175 of 365 in D1. Trending up weakly 🔴.

Cornell

Record: 15-12 | Elo: 1566.8 (ranked 100 of 365) | Efficiency Margin: +2.78 (ranked 133 of 365)

Offensive Trends:

Off Reb Pct (Offensive Rebounding): Currently ranked 206 of 365 in D1. Trending down strongly 🔴.
Shooting (Shooting): Currently ranked 9 of 365 in D1. Trending up weakly 🟢.

Defensive Trends:

Opp Shooting (Opp Shooting): Currently ranked 339 of 365 in D1. Trending down moderately 🟢.
Opp Turnovers (Opp Turnovers): Currently ranked 271 of 365 in D1. Trending down weakly 🔴.

Dartmouth

Record: 11-16 | Elo: 1430.2 (ranked 264 of 365) | Efficiency Margin: -9.98 (ranked 254 of 365)

Offensive Trends:

Shooting (Shooting): Currently ranked 157 of 365 in D1. Trending down strongly 🔴.
Off Reb Pct (Offensive Rebounding): Currently ranked 344 of 365 in D1. Trending down strongly 🔴.

Defensive Trends:

Opp Shooting (Opp Shooting): Currently ranked 271 of 365 in D1. Trending up strongly 🔴.
Opp Turnovers (Opp Turnovers): Currently ranked 342 of 365 in D1. Trending up moderately 🟢.

Harvard

Record: 17-11 | Elo: 1551.7 (ranked 114 of 365) | Efficiency Margin: +3.55 (ranked 127 of 365)

Offensive Trends:

Shooting (Shooting): Currently ranked 89 of 365 in D1. Trending down weakly 🔴.
Turnovers (Turnovers): Currently ranked 219 of 365 in D1. Trending up weakly 🔴.

Defensive Trends:

Opp Shooting (Opp Shooting): Currently ranked 147 of 365 in D1. Trending down strongly 🟢.
Def Reb Pct (Defensive Rebounding): Currently ranked 97 of 365 in D1. Trending up moderately 🟢.

Penn

Record: 16-11 | Elo: 1508.0 (ranked 174 of 365) | Efficiency Margin: +1.57 (ranked 145 of 365)

Offensive Trends:

Shooting (Shooting): Currently ranked 221 of 365 in D1. Trending down weakly 🔴.
Turnovers (Turnovers): Currently ranked 112 of 365 in D1. Trending down weakly 🟢.

Defensive Trends:

Opp Turnovers (Opp Turnovers): Currently ranked 129 of 365 in D1. Trending up strongly 🟢.
Opp Shooting (Opp Shooting): Currently ranked 213 of 365 in D1. Trending down moderately 🟢.

Princeton

Record: 9-20 | Elo: 1469.2 (ranked 226 of 365) | Efficiency Margin: -5.60 (ranked 218 of 365)

Offensive Trends:

Turnovers (Turnovers): Currently ranked 206 of 365 in D1. Trending up strongly 🔴.
Shooting (Shooting): Currently ranked 247 of 365 in D1. Trending up moderately 🟢.

Defensive Trends:

Opp Turnovers (Opp Turnovers): Currently ranked 331 of 365 in D1. Trending down strongly 🔴.
Def Reb Pct (Defensive Rebounding): Currently ranked 62 of 365 in D1. Trending down moderately 🔴.

Yale

Record: 23-5 | Elo: 1693.7 (ranked 28 of 365) | Efficiency Margin: +11.48 (ranked 77 of 365)

Offensive Trends:

Off Reb Pct (Offensive Rebounding): Currently ranked 116 of 365 in D1. Trending down strongly 🔴.
Shooting (Shooting): Currently ranked 22 of 365 in D1. Trending down moderately 🔴.

Defensive Trends:

Opp Turnovers (Opp Turnovers): Currently ranked 190 of 365 in D1. Trending up strongly 🟢.
Def Reb Pct (Defensive Rebounding): Currently ranked 90 of 365 in D1. Trending up strongly 🟢.

Figure 2: Offensive Four Factors comparison across Ivy teams. The radar chart shows each team’s shooting efficiency (eFG%), ball security (TOV%), offensive rebounding (OREB%), and free throw generation (FT Rate).

Figure 3: Defensive Four Factors comparison across Ivy teams. The radar chart shows each team’s opponent shooting defense (Opp eFG%), ball disruption (forcing TOV%), defensive rebounding (DREB%), and opponent free throw prevention (Opp FT Rate).

Figure 4: MACD trends heatmap showing which metrics are improving (green) or declining (red) for each team. Stronger colors indicate more pronounced trends.

Looking Ahead

Ivy League Teams Face Challenges in Key Areas

As the Ivy League season continues, several teams are experiencing difficulties in specific areas of their game. A closer look at the trends reveals which teams are struggling to address particular challenges.

Brown’s Turnover Struggles

Brown is facing a challenge in securing second-chance opportunities, with a trend that has weakened over time. The team is committing an average of 10 turnovers per game, marking a significant drop from their previous performance. This problem area will need to be addressed if Brown hopes to improve its chances in the Ivy League.

Rebounding Woes for Cornell and Dartmouth

Both Cornell and Dartmouth are experiencing difficulties on the glass with their offense rebounding percentage trending downward strongly over time. These challenges will need to be addressed if either team hopes to maintain its performance.

Harvard’s Defensive Improvement

In contrast, Harvard’s defense has shown improvement, with opponents’ shooting percentages trending upward over time. This suggests that the team’s defensive strategy is paying dividends, allowing them to limit their opponents’ scoring opportunities.

Columbia’s Defensive Strength

Columbia is experiencing an uptick in their ability to force turnovers, successfully applying pressure on opposing offenses and disrupting their rhythm.

Metrics Glossary

Four Factors (Dean Oliver’s framework for basketball success):

eFG% (Effective Field Goal %): Field goal percentage adjusted for 3-pointers being worth more (FGM + 0.5×3PM) / FGA. Higher is better offensively, lower is better defensively.
TOV% (Turnover Rate): Turnovers per 100 possessions. Lower is better offensively (taking care of the ball), higher is better defensively (forcing turnovers).
OREB% / DREB% (Offensive/Defensive Rebound Rate): Percentage of available rebounds grabbed. Offensive rebounds create second-chance points; defensive rebounds end opponent possessions.
FTR (Free Throw Rate): Free throws made per field goal attempt (FTM/FGA). Measures ability to get to the line AND convert. Higher is better offensively, lower is better defensively.

Other Metrics:

Elo Rating: Chess-style rating system that updates based on game results and opponent strength. Higher Elo indicates stronger team.
Efficiency Margin: Point differential per 100 possessions (Offensive Efficiency – Defensive Efficiency). Accounts for pace of play.
MACD (Moving Average Convergence Divergence): Trend indicator comparing 12-game and 26-game exponential moving averages. Positive MACD = improving trend, Negative MACD = declining trend.

Analysis powered by HoopSci’s advanced metrics and MACD trending indicators.

CategoryIVY

TagsIVY Ivy League