The Yale Bulldogs ended their NCAA Tournament drought Saturday night, clinching their first NCAA bid since 1962 with their 71-55 victory over Colombia.
Yale shared the championship with Harvard last season but fell short in a playoff game, which sent the Crimson to the NCAA Tournament. The Bulldogs didn't fall short on Saturday, though, as head coach James Jones has his program playing their best basketball late in the season.
Yale has won five straight after Saturday's win, and sophomore guard Makai Mason stepped up big against the Lions, scoring a team-high 22 points and recording three steals. The 6-foot-1 sophomore has been leading the Bulldogs all season, as he leads the team in minutes and assists while averaging 15.8 points per game.
Mason and senior forward Justin Sears have been the high scorers for the Bulldogs this season, and Sears and senior forward Brandon Sherrod have been huge on the boards for the Bulldogs all year. Sherrod recorded 13 points, six rebounds and a block Saturday, and he is a big reason for why Yale is headed to the NCAA tournament.
Jones has his players playing unselfish basketball, and multiple players stepped up for the Bulldogs throughout the season. "It's amazing," Sherrod said following the game. "You look up in the gym and see the last time we got to the 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."
Yale's win ended the second longest NCAA drought of any program, as only Dartmouth has gone longer since they have not made the tournament since 1959. Yale finished the season strong despite losing captain Jack Montague, who has not been with the team for the past month. Montague's father, Jim, has said that his son was expelled from the university but wouldn't reveal more about what had happened.
The Bulldogs enter the tournament with a 22-6 record and a 13-1 conference record, and they will now have to wait and see what bracket they lined up in as they get ready to take part in March Madness.
