The Ivy League still holds a 4-3 edge in the season series, but the Patriot League has taken two straight and could go on top Saturday afternoon. Meanwhile, two teams predicted to finish in the first division are looking for much-needed wins against struggling competition.
Harvard (4-5) at Lehigh (4-5) – 1:00 pm ET
Lehigh video | Harvard audio
Two coaches in their first seasons at their respective programs will meet at Stabler Arena this afternoon. The Mountain Hawks are 3-1 at home this season — with the only loss coming in overtime to Quinnipiac — while the Crimson have struggled on the road this season, dropping all four games to date. Lehigh has knocked down a blistering 44.2 percent of its attempts from beyond the three-point arc, but has found a way to allow opponents to shoot 46.7 percent. Harvard’s outside shooting has been improved this season at 36.8 percent, but it attempts only 27.3 percent of its shots from long range and opponents are converting 40.1 percent of their attempts from distance. The Crimson has enjoyed an advantage in free throw attempts on the season, while the Mountain Hawks have a deficit in that department. For the sake of comparison, Lehigh previously lost 87-83 at Cornell in its season opener, while Harvard fell at Holy Cross 80-69 back on November 20.
Stat to watch: Three-point shooting
Pomeroy says: Harvard 76, Lehigh 70
Vermont (2-5) at Yale (2-5) – 2:00 pm ET
GameTracker | Yale video| WYBC audio
Yale and Vermont enter today’s game with identical 2-5 marks and both teams have played a schedule full of road games. The Bulldogs offensive and defensive numbers are uglier, but their strength of schedule ranks 32nd, compared to 270th for the Catamounts. Vermont takes very good care of the ball, and attempts free throws at a healthy clip. Yale relies heavily on drawing fouls and getting to the line, and it’s no coincidence the Bulldogs’ two best free throw rates have come in their two victories. When both teams have won, they have done so with defense, so the game could come down to which team defends with more intensity. This will be the second Ivy opponent for Vermont, who lost 76-75 at Dartmouth in late November.
Stat to watch: Free throws
Pomeroy says: Vermont 65, Yale 74
Lafayette (5-3) at Columbia (3-5) – 2:00 pm ET
GameWatcher | Columbia video | Lafayette audio | Columbia audio | WKCR audio
The Lions are coming off a much-needed comfortable win at Wagner, while Lafayette tasted defeat for the first time in five games at Rutgers on Wednesday. Both teams have done an excellent job defending the three-point arc, with Columbia conceding just 31.9 percent from long range, and Lafayette even better at 31.0 percent allowed. Both teams also take a ton of threes offensively, but while the Leopards are one of the top three-point shooting teams in the nation at 42.4 percent, the Lions have been shockingly poor at just 30.3 percent. The common denominator in Columbia’s wins has been strong defense, while Lafayette generally has shot its way to victory. Today will mark the Lions’ first game against a Patriot League opponent, while the Leopards took down Penn 81-69 in Easton on November 28.
Stat to watch: Three-point shooting
Pomeroy says: Lafayette 69, Columbia 67
Penn
GameWatcher | Penn video | Penn audio
Both teams have been starting three freshmen and taking their lumps accordingly, but they play very different styles. Under Glen Miller, Penn has favored an uptempo game, while Dave Calloway has looked to slow things down and play similar to Princeton. Neither team has had much success from the perimeter, with Penn at just 29.0 percent and Monmouth not much better at 30.2 percent. The Quakers have made their offensive hay at the line, and the Hawks have had fouling problems on the season, which could bode well for the visitors. Neither team has fared well when it comes to taking care of the ball, so the turnover count could rise in this one.
Stat to watch: Turnovers
Pomeroy says: Penn 63, Monmouth 69