Yale Earns 1st NCAA Tournament Appearance Since 1962 with Win over Columbia

Yale is going dancing for the first time in 54 years. 

The Bulldogs qualified for the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1962 by taking the Ivy League championship with Saturday’s 71-55 victory over Columbia in New York. 

Because the Ivy League does not hold a postseason tournament, Yale qualified for the Big Dance by winning the regular-season title.

Chris Cirillo of ZagsBlog.com shared a video of the final seconds and ensuing celebration:

Yale coach James Jones wasn’t even born the last time the Bulldogs went to the tournament. He talked about how rewarding it is to see his team be a part of March Madness after narrowly missing it last year:

Brandon Sherrod, who had 13 points in the win, echoed his coach’s sentiment, per the Associated Press (h/t ESPN.com):

"

It's amazing. You look up in the gym and see the last time we got to tournament was 1962, it really motivates you to win. Every college basketball player wants to go to the Big Dance. It's unbelievable, great time for our school, great opportunity for our team. It's surreal.

"

He’s also unsure how he’ll reach out to players from the 1962 team, per Cirillo:

The Bulldogs shared the Ivy League title with Harvard last year but missed the tournament after losing the playoff game against the Crimson. Harvard was a No. 13 seed but narrowly lost to fourth-seeded North Carolina, 67-65, in its first game.

At 22-6 and with the momentum to turn into a Cinderella, perhaps the Bulldogs can make some noise in a few weeks.

They'll likely be a low seed, as most Ivy League schools are, and they could be hindered without former captain Jack Montague, who was reportedly expelled in February, according to Chip Malafronte of the New Haven Register. Yale has played well without Montague, but Yale's tourney opponent will likely exploit his absence.