Yale is 11-1 in men’s basketball. The last time anyone could say it, there were only eight teams and 48 states in the NCAA Tournament. It’s 1945 we’re talking about, making the first two months of this season a special one for the Bulldogs, and it’s time to meet the psychology expert in the middle of it.
Say hello to Nick Townsend, the Ivy League’s best offensive lineman. We could take his 16.9 points and 7.6 rebounds, fourth and third in the league. Or we can go straight to his average score. “It’s a 3.9,” he said. When it’s that good, maybe it doesn’t matter.
Most importantly, Yale is hanging with guys like Nick Townsend. Before 2016, the Bulldogs had gone 54 years without an NCAA tournament appearance. Not only have they been March cannon fodder, they’ve been in five since. They beat Baylor in 2016, Auburn in 2024 and pushed past Texas A&M last March. Under James Jones, Yale’s only coach of the century and the architect of this golden era, the Bulldogs beat California, Oregon State, Washington, Miami, Clemson, Rutgers and Penn State in the regular season. They stayed in the game until the end at Purdue and lost by three to Minnesota last year. They are 108-32 against the Ivy League over the last 10 seasons.
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The current version of Yale ranks in the top 10 nationally in field goals, free throws and 3-point percentage. They shot 64 percent and made all 21 of their free throws as the Bulldogs beat Akron 97-94 to win the Paradise Jam. They had 36 assists in another game.
So in a universe of fat NIL packages and sliding transfer portals, the Yales, Joneses and Townsends of the world are doing their best. On Monday, the Bulldogs will be at Alabama after a 19-day layoff — you know, the final test — and bring the kind of streak that Yale hasn’t seen since the months after World War II. A ranked SEC team that averaged 94 points in a game that hosted an Ivy League school in its first meeting. Sounds like a challenge for the Bulldogs, which may not be a match for most people.
To celebrate this occasion and opportunity, we can check out what life is like for the Yale team captain.
Townsend is in his fourth season as the Bulldogs’ senior captain. Some Ivy League stars have moved on late in their careers to spend some time in the spotlight. Not that. Yali until the end. “I think I always knew I wanted to end up at Yale. It’s basically the same coaches, it’s just a family feeling,” he said.
Since Townsend comes from an Ivy League family, the deep sense of connection is understandable. Wait a moment. From family… Harvard grads? His mother was a member of the track team at Harvard, his sister was a member of the track team at Harvard, his grandfather played football and baseball at Harvard, and an uncle played baseball at Harvard.
What is clothing turnover? Not only him, but his brother Matt, who played basketball at arch-rival Yale. “Everyone always asks if I’m putting me and my brother in trouble, but I really don’t,” Nick said. “Everyone is very supportive. A few jokes here and there, but almost everyone is on Yale’s side.”
Even when it comes to a showdown against Harvard and Yale? “Maybe a little more (tension) with football, but not basketball.”
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Townsend’s most important skill is the same as any Ivy League athlete — time management. As the Bulldogs became the first team in the nation to record 11 wins in December, he was completing four papers and a thesis. Consider a typical Wednesday last season:
7 a.m. Breakfast, weight lifting, shower, two hours of modern and ancient Olympics, psychology lab, lunch, two hours of psychology in marketing information, gym therapy, exercise, 7 p.m., dinner, 9:45 a.m. to bed.
Do it again the next day. There isn’t much dead time in all of this. “You come in and you’re drawn in different ways,” he said. But the Paradise Jam MVP is a student with a 3.9 GPA.
“Hopefully it will lead to success wherever you go,” Townsend said. “Obviously, life is busy and busy for almost everyone, and being able to be confident and just be able to handle things and do well when you’re dealing with everything that’s going on with work, family or other aspects of your life is what I hope takes away from my time here.”
This begs the question of what his all-conference basketball stats or supersonic GPA mean for him at Yale.
“It’s tough,” Townsend said. “I think my mom would say my GPA. But I don’t know, I think it’s both. My favorite memories are with the team.”
Now, starting Monday at Alabama, it’s one last stretch for him to refresh his memory. Yale may lose, but it won’t blink at the opportunity. Yale never does.
“Obviously bigger programs might have more resources and everything that goes with that, but I don’t think we focus on that or worry too much about that,” Townsend said. “I think you just try to control what you can. We do our best every day to prepare and show every game.”
The final semester means the Ivy League game and four more classes for Townsend, including one in law school in psychology. That should keep him busy, but he says he’s more concerned with drawing. He’s wary of his skills, but it can’t be more difficult than against Alabama in Tuscaloosa. Anyway, as Townsend’s career draws to a close, his goal is to “soak it all in, knowing it’s my last semester. It’s hard to find, so I soak it all in. I think our team has a special kind of bond, a special kind of friendship.”
Another NCAA tournament would be nice as a bye. The outlook is good right now. Yale 11-1. The last time America didn’t have 20,000 televisions.
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