NEW HAVEN, Conn. – Yale men's basketball senior guards Bez Mbeng and John Poulakidas are set to compete at the 71^st Annual Portsmouth Invitational Tournament this week at Churchland High School in Portsmouth, Va., from Apr. 16-19.
 
Every year since 1953, the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament has invited 64 senior college basketball players from across the nation to compete before professional scouts. Eight teams of eight players play a 12-game tournament over four days, with each player hoping to reach their dreams of becoming a professional basketball player.
 
Mbeng, the 2025 Ivy Player and Defensive Player of the Year, led the nation with three triple-doubles and was one of just six active players with multiple career triple-doubles. The Potomac, Maryland, native also scored in double figures in 23 games this season, including both Ivy Madness games, where he earned All-Tournament honors.
 
Poulakidas, the Ivy League's leading scorer, reached double figures in 26 games this season, including 14 games with 20 or more points, highlighted by a standout 25-point performance in the Ivy Madness championship game that earned him All-Tournament MVP honors. Known for his sharp shooting from beyond the arc, Poulakidas ranked 18th in the nation with 3.22 three-pointers per game. With 239 career threes, he also ranks second all-time in Yale history, and his 83 made three-pointers this season marked the third-highest single-season total in program history.