One more year, another Ivy League Preseason ranking for women’s basketball.

Familiar faces were back at the top of the Ivy League last year, with Princeton and Columbia sharing the regular season title heading into Ivy Madness. History continued to repeat itself as Princeton battled Columbia and Penn in the playoffs to earn a bid to March Madness, but with a little twist. Columbia also got a bid after being voted on by the committee. Since then, stars have left, new players have come in, and rookie stars have progressed – let’s look at where the Ivy League is now.

1. Princeton (25-5, 13-1 Ivy)

Five consecutive Ivy Madness titles and six consecutive regular season titles. The resume really speaks for itself. Every year, no matter their struggles, the Tigers have reigned supreme, and this year appears to be no different.

Despite the high ranking, this year’s team lost a lot until graduation last year. Princeton sees senior guard Kaitlyn Chen, 2023 Ivy League Player of the Year and 2024 First-Team All-Ivy selection, and Ellie Mitchell, three-time Ivy League Defensive Player of the Year, forced to leave the team due to Ivy. League rule prohibits graduate student athletes. These losses are as substantial as any, but the team has been able to retain standouts in 2023 Ivy League Rookie of the Year Madison St. Rose, along with sophomores Skye Belker and Ashley Chea.

With big spots to fill and plenty of young talent, only time will tell if the team can get back to the top, but if history tells us anything, Princeton will find its footing before long.

2.Colombia (23-7, 13-1)

The perennial number two has his best chance of moving up to the top spot this season.

Falling in Ivy Madness, but still being selected for March Madness, makes last season only the second time two Ivy women’s teams made the NCAA tournament in the last seven years. A great achievement that came thanks to Abbey Hsu, an honorable mention AP All-American and 2024 Ivy League Player of the Year, who graduated last spring. Looking to fill her spot are two returning juniors: Cecelia Collins and Kitty Henderson, last year’s second-team All-Ivy honorees.

Losing the league’s best player and a leader in the locker room, the pressure is on returning players and reigning Ivy League Coach of the Year Megan Griffith to rally the team. With a little luck and execution, Columbia can go from bridesmaid to bride in this upcoming campaign.

3.Harvard (16-12, 9-5)

Dark horses run faster when no one is looking.

A team that only received one first-place vote in the Ivy League preseason poll may have the strongest returning player in the Ivy League. Falling to Columbia in the first round of Ivy Madness, Harvard came within one game of competing for an Ivy title. Your best player? Harmoni Turner, who is one of only two returning members of last season’s First Team All-Ivy selections and the conference’s second-leading scorer.

Although the team is losing its second leading scorer in Lola Mullaney, the rest of the roster is poised to fill the gaps as junior Katie Krupa looks to build on a season in which she shot over 50% from the field and scored over 10 points per game. game.

A full roster, a returning star and no eyes on her: Harvard can surprise the league this season.

4. Penn (15-13, 7-7)

Red and blue have never looked better.

The Quakers, who round out a group of four top teams, have a similar story to Princeton and Columbia: losing a star player and having good young players to replace. First-team All-Ivy selection Jordan Obi left the program this summer after leading Penn to a close loss to Princeton in Ivy Madness, but plenty of talent remains in his wake. Senior guard Stina Almqvist and sophomore guard Mataya Gayle, a second-team All-Ivy selection and Ivy League Rookie of the Year respectively, look to boost a potent Penn offense with another bright spot in sophomore guard Ese Ogbevire, hoping to find a bigger role.

Defeating program great Kayla Padilla last year led to Obi finding greater success, and the Quaker faithful can expect to see the same leap from Almqvst this year as coach Mike McLaughlin steers the ship. The biggest concern for the team may be a lack of size with Obi and forward Floor Toonders leaving, but the sky is the limit as the top stars move forward.

5. brown (16-11, 7-7)

As for the teams left out of Ivy Madness, things seemed pretty normal for the 7-7 Bears. A team largely led by now-former guard Kyla Jones, the Bears will have to look internally to find new names to carry the offensive load.

Defensive standout Ada Anamekwe and second-leading scorer Grace Arnolie return for their junior seasons, but will they be enough to help the team stay afloat?

Anamekwe was in the top five in blocks, while Arnolie was in the top five in steals, and many of the people above them in the rankings left the Ivy League.

Brown will likely rely on a very intense defense next season, as he will have to rely on it to make up for the lack of cohesion on offense.

6.Yale (8-19, 5-9)

Look, another team with a senior top scorer is leaving! Guard Jenna Clark stands outside the door as the Bulldogs are left searching for straws. Falling from its record of .500 in 2022, Yale appears to be on a true downward spiral.

One bright spot to watch is Kiley Kapstraw, who ranked 15th in the Ivy League in scoring and will likely be tasked with replacing Clark’s production.

Yale ranked as the league’s worst defense last season, shockingly trailing 1-13 conference teams in Cornell and Dartmouth. Without their leading scorer, expect the Bulldogs to drop in the standings if they can’t bounce back on both ends of the floor.

7. Cornell (7-19, 1-13)

Just one Ivy League win in an entire season is a step back for Cornell, who ranked in the bottom two in virtually every major category while also being the worst three-point shooting team in the league.

There’s not much hope, as those like Emily Pape who were given bigger roles last season crumbled under the weight of higher expectations. It’s hard to imagine a season where the Big Red will have a better season unless their new wave of freshmen hits the ground running under coach Emily Garner. Since the teams above them also look vulnerable, it depends on which team can build chemistry the fastest to see who ends up on top.

8. Dartmouth (7-19, 1-13)

Would you be surprised if I said their 1-13 conference record was actually an improvement over last season’s record?

As a perennial last-place team in the group, Dartmouth will need to come out of the gates strong if they want to move up the standings this year. Their best player, center Clare Meyer, only averaged eight points per game last season while leading the team in field goal attempts and percentage. Coach Linda Cimino, heading into her second year, needs to attack this season with wit, as it appears this program needs a top-down evaluation before it can be taken seriously.