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There's been a lot of talk about favorites Cornell and Harvard in the early stages of Ivy League play and with good reason; the Big Red are two-time defending champs and Harvard has one of the best players in the country (Jeremy Lin) and a solid non-conference profile to boot. But who's in second place? None other than the Princeton Tigers, who will take their 2-0 league mark on the road this weekend in games at Harvard and Dartmouth.

While this game may not have equal ramifications in regards to the standings for both teams, make no mistake about the importance of tomorrow night's matchup between Iona and Siena. The Saints have won thirteen straight games and 32 in a row at home while the Gaels haven't lost since January 4th at Canisius (eight straight wins). Both are hot and outside of Siena reserve point guard Kyle Downey both teams have all hands on deck for this one, which could be the second of three meetings should they meet in the MAAC Tournament.

Thursday marks the beginning of "Rivalry Week" a concept the NEC has adopted this season with all six games matching familiar foes, and the games will be repeated at the opposite site on Saturday. While LIU/St. Francis (NY) and Monmouth/FDU could be the most competitive matchups (Quinnipiac/Sacred Heart shouldn't disappoint either) on paper, there's also the matter of the league's hottest team (Robert Morris) taking its seven-game win streak on the road.

In a conference where the best race is the one for second place the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference will receive a welcome diversion (for some) in the form of the ESPNU BracketBusters event on February 19-20. The top two teams, Siena and Iona, will take part in the eleven-game event with the Gaels hosting William & Mary on the 19th while the Saints receive the headline game of the weekend.

Weekly Honors 

Atlantic 10: Fordham forward Chris Gaston won his third Rookie of the Week award, sharing the honor this week with La Salle's Aaric Murray. In the Rams' loss to La Salle last week Gaston scored 21 points and grabbed 15 rebounds, posting his thirteenth double-double of the season.