Yale basketball will have to rely on their backcourt to make it a 20-win season for the fifth time in six years.
The tradition continues! CBB Review is again ranking the top 100 teams heading into the new college basketball season. Each day, we will reveal the next team until we reach the team slotted at number one. Up next: Yale basketball.
The Bulldogs check in at 96th in our top 100 countdown after a 23-win season in 2023-24, which ended in the round of 32 in March Madness. It was the program’s most successful season since 2016 and they have a chance to build on the magic of March and make it consistent.
Although Yale basketball will lose a few cornerstone pieces, they return arguably the best backcourt in the Ivy League. That alone should keep them in contention to earn another automatic bid. Bez Mbeng and John Poulakidas are a tough tandem for any team to go up against.
Yale’s success will ultimately come down to how much some of the other pieces will be able to grow and improve in the offseason. Compared to some of the other teams close to their ranking in CBB Rank, Yale loses more important pieces. Danny Wolf likely would have been a leading candidate for Conference Player of the Year, Matt Knowling’s efficiency was out of this world, and August Mahoney was as knockdown of a three-point shooter as they get.
Yale has a lot of talent to run it back, but it will come down to which inexperienced players are able to step into roles as fast as possible.
Click here to learn more about our preseason top 100 teams heading into the 2024-25 college basketball season.
Head coach: James Jones (26th season, all at Yale)
2023-24 record: 23-10 (11-3)
2024 postseason finish: Lost to San Diego State (85-57) in second round of NCAA Tournament
Notable departures:
- Danny Wolf (14.1 PPG, 9.7 RPG, 2.4 APG, 1.3 BPG, 1.0 SPG, 34.5 3P%)
- Matt Knowling (11.6 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 2.6 APG, 56.7 FG%)
- August Mahoney (10.3 PPG, 2.5 RPG, 1.3 APG, 45.3 3P%)
Notable non-conference games:
- at Purdue
- at Minnesota
Projected Rotation
PG: Bez Mbeng (6-4, 185, Sr.)
2023-24 stats: 11.1 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 4.1 APG, 1.9 SPG
SG: John Poulakidas (6-6, 205, Sr.)
2023-24 stats: 13.4 PPG, 2.3 RPG, 1.9 APG, 40.5 3P%)
SF: Casey Simmons (6-6, 180, Jr.)
2023-24 stats: 3.5 PPG, 2.0 RPG, 0.3 APG
PF: Nick Townsend (6-7, 250, Jr.)
2023-24 stats: 6.0 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 1.1 APG
C: Samson Aletan (6-10, 223, So.)
2023-24 stats: 2.2 PPG, 1.5 RPG, 0.2 APG, 63.0 FG% (17-27)
6: Yassine Gharram (6-3, 195, Sr.)
2023-24 stats: 2.5 PPG, 2.1 RPG, 1.3 APG
7: Jack Molloy (6-7, 245, Sr.)
2023-24 stats: 1.7 PPG, 1.4 RPG, 0.1 APG
Yale Basketball team MVP: John Poulakidas
While Mbeng will equally be just as important to Yale’s success, Poulakidas comes with a bigger load on his shoulders. Mbeng will need to facilitate, while Poulakidas will need to lead this team offensively.
With the loss of a few of Yale’s most efficient players, Poulakidas will be tasked with scoring tough buckets night in and night out and doing so at a good rate.
For the past two seasons, Poulakidas has played as consistently as they come, but 2024-25 will stretch his limits to see if he can really be the go-to player in Yale’s offensive system.
Yale Basketball make-or-break player: Nick Townsend
So many of Yale’s rotational pieces have been so far down on the depth chart in years past, Townsend is truly the only pick that makes sense here. With Danny Wolf transferring to Michigan, Townsend will have to anchor the frontcourt.
He had his moments as a sophomore, including 10 points against Gonzaga and a breakout performance of 22 against Stony Brook. The return of Wolf would’ve given Yale a fierce frontcourt, so now it puts a little more pressure on Townsend, but the floor is open for him to take that and run with it.
Key analytic: Turnovers
While Yale had a very balanced roster full of scorers and defenders, it was their ball-handling and ability to not fold under pressure that set them apart from practically the rest of college basketball. Only 36 teams averaged fewer than 10 turnovers per game and Yale was on that list, averaging just 9.6.
Clearly, the smarts with the textbooks carried over onto the court and I’m expected the same, or even better, with such a talented returning backcourt.
Yale Basketball 2024-25 projections
Projected conference finish: 2nd in Ivy League
Projected postseason ceiling: NCAA Tournament appearance