A Rivalry on Hold

Last night, my Princeton Tigers played for the Ivy League championship.  With a chance to capture the outright league title with a win at Harvard (in a game "televised" nationally on ESPN3.com), the Tigers fell to the Crimson in a tough, well-played game by both teams.  As a result, Harvard clinched at least a share of the Ivy League title for the first time ever, and Princeton can remain tied for first - and force a one-game, neutral-site playoff for the NCAA automatic bid - with a victory in their last game of the season on Tuesday.

Normally, I'd have been going absolutely nuts while watching this game.  While I was in college, the end of season game for the Ivy League title was almost an annual ritual, and each one of those battles would be the highlight on the entire college athletic calendar.  The difference between yesterday's tilt and those "good ole' days" was that we weren't playing Penn this time around.  Any game for the title is obviously huge, but the event feels so much more significant when you're playing your rival for the right to advance.  For years, Penn and Princeton closed the season with a Tuesday night game to determine who went to the NCAAs.  Now, Princeton needs to win at Penn on Tuesday to stay alive, but it's Harvard that they'll have to play again if they want a chance at the big boys.

Duke and UNC fans can probably understand what I'm saying - those two college hoops titans played for the ACC regular season title last night too, and all seemed right in the world.  On the flip side, though, it's been odd watching Ohio State football dominate Big Ten competition over the past five years (for example) while rival Michigan flounders.  Instead of the Buckeye-Wolverine game determining the Rose Bowl bid (as it should), Michigan has recently been just another small speedbump on Ohio State's road to the BCS, while other Big Ten contenders such as Wisconsin and Michigan State vie for the league title.  While it's still fun to watch, it just isn't the same.  That's how I feel about this year's Ivy League basketball race.

Don't get me wrong - I was invested in last night's game versus Harvard, checking in with friends who were there in person and watching on the computer.  Had it been against Penn at the Palestra, however, I would have been on the edge of my seat for two straight hours.  Even though the Tigers have lost the chance to be outright league champions and face a difficult road to the NCAAs (they'll have to win at Penn and against Harvard within a three-day span), I am ecstatic for their trip to the Palestra.  While the Quakers may be down this season, nothing beats watching your favorite college team take on their most hated rival.