DATA: Yale Men’s Basketball, by the numbers
As the Yale men’s basketball team wraps up the 2024–25 season, explore the metrics behind their success.
Christina Lee, Head Photography Editor
The Yale men’s basketball team had a spectacular 2024–25 season, tying Yale’s best conference record of 13–1 and securing the program’s first-ever back-to-back Ivy Madness victories. Curious about what makes Yale basketball so good? Dive into the data below.
Editor’s Note: This data was calculated prior to the Bulldogs’ first-round appearance at the NCAA-DI March Madness tournament in Denver, Colorado.
Yale nearly swept the Ivy League regular season this year, dropping only one conference game to Harvard in a 74–69 nail-biting away matchup.
During the postseason, the Bulldogs bested the Cornell Big Red and the Princeton Tigers in the Ivy Madness tournament to secure their first-ever consecutive March Madness appearances. With a 22–7 overall record, Yale boasts a 75.9 percent win rate, the 28th-highest in the NCAA-DI.
These wins — including a 13-game win streak in January and February — were hard-earned, and the Bulldogs’ persistence is evident on the stat sheet.
On average, Yale beat out Ivy and non-conference opponents in every statistical category. Led by Nick Townsend ’26 — who had 7.2 rebounds per game on average — the Elis dominated the glass, securing nine more off the board per game than Ivy opponents. Notably, they ranked 18th in the NCAA-DI for defensive rebounds and 26th for total rebounds.
Bez Mbeng ’25, two-time Ivy League Defensive Player of the Year, anchored Yale’s defense and led the roster in assists and steals. Backed by center Samson Aletan ’27, who averaged 1.6 blocks, the Bulldogs held opponents to only 69.7 points per game.
The team’s hustle also translated to the other end of the court. Led by John Poulakidas ’25, Townsend and Mbeng, each of whom averaged double-digit points, the Bulldogs scored an average of 81.7 points per game. In the 2024–25 season, Yale had the 17th-highest point differential — defined as (points scored) – (points allowed) — in the NCAA-DI.
Yale’s style of play is focused on scoring inside the arc. Contrary to the popular philosophy of the “3-point revolution,” the Bulldogs get most of their points — 57.7 percent — via layups and midrange shots. They take 19.7 3-point shots and 41.4 2-point shots on average per game, ranking 310th and 18th in these respective categories.
As shown below, this strategy is successful for the squad and results in a highly efficient offense.
Yale is notably more efficient than its opponents, converting 53.9 percent of 2-point shots and 38.8 percent of 3-point shots. Despite not taking as many 3-pointers, the Bulldogs rank 8th in the NCAA-DI for 3-point percentage. Moreover, the team’s field goal percentage, which takes 2-pointers and 3-pointers into consideration, is the 11th-highest in the nation.
Yale won the Ivy League men’s basketball tournament in 2019, 2022, 2024 and 2025. Their season ultimately concluded in a hard-fought battle versus Texas A&M, losing 80–71 in the first round of March Madness.