MEN’S BASKETBALL: Bulldogs headed to March Madness
The Yale men’s basketball team is headed to the NCAA Tournament after beating Cornell in the Ivy Championship.
Christina Lee
PROVIDENCE, R.I —- The Bulldogs are going dancing.
Yale (22–7, 13–1 Ivy) defeated Cornell (18–11, 9–5 Ivy) 90–84 in the Ivy League Championship, officially securing their spot in March Madness for the third time in four years.
“Third time in four years. We are ready to take on anyone in March Madness,” Captain Teo Rice ‘25 told the News after the win.
It wasn’t an easy day for the Bulldogs, as they had to survive multiple offensive surges from the Big Red, but in the end, Yale’s star trio of First Team All-Ivy players was too much for the crew from Ithaca.
The Bulldogs trailed at the game’s beginning, only securing their first lead as the first half came to a close with an electric basket from Casey Simmons ’26.
The day started out shakey for the Bulldogs’ top scorer, John Poulakidas ’25. Nevertheless, fellow all-Ivy first-teamers Nick Townsend ’26 and Bez Mbeng ’25 were right there to back him up with strong performances on both ends of the floor.
As the half came to a close, the Bulldogs offense went on a 12-point run and held a 37-32 lead.
“It was a very physical game, especially in the first half,” former Yale President Peter Salovey told the News.
In the second half, the Bulldogs appeared to be running away with the game, getting out to a 16-point lead.
Much of this damage early in the half came from Poulakidas, who hit four-second half threes and finished with 25 points on 5-9 from three-point range.
But the Big Red stormed back, going on a 14-2 run and closing the lead to two points midway through the second half.
Clutch free throw shooting from Simmons and Poulakidas, along with some big buckets from Townsend, helped Yale pull away in the closing minutes.
While the story of the game was Yale’s stars, the depth of the Bulldogs’ bench played a critical role in the victory. There were important minutes on the court from players who might not typically see as much of the floor in such a big game.
Leading this was Trevor Mullin ’27, who came in and made two big threes when Yale needed them most on his way to an impressive eight points off the bench. Also chipping in was Jack Molloy ’25, a senior big man who came in and kept Yale afloat while Simmons and Samson Aletan ’27 struggled with foul trouble.
Tonight at 6:00 pm, the Bulldogs will learn who they go up against in the first round of March Madness when the official bracket is released.