Last weekend, the four likely second-division teams went on the road to face their first-division counterparts, and the gap between the two halves of the league appeared significant. This week brings about more battles between the haves and have-nots, except this time the underdogs get to stay home, where they have been much, much better this season.
Cornell (14-5, 6-0 Ivy) vs. Harvard (6-16, 1-5 Ivy) – 7:00 pm ET
GameWatcher | Harvard video | Cornell audio | Harvard audio
On first glance, this one looks like yet another easy win for a Cornell team on an absolute roll. However, this series has produced some surprising results in recent years, often damaging title aspirations for the losing team. Additionally, Harvard has been a very different team at home this year (5-2) than on the road (0-13), while Cornell has suffered four of its five losses away from Newman Arena. The Big Red is a far better outside shooting team, so the Crimson guards will need hit their outside shots and beat their defenders off the dribble. Both teams have excellent free throw differentials and have been very effective at the line.
Stat to watch: Free throw shooting
Pomeroy says: Cornell 81, Harvard 72
Columbia (10-11, 3-3 Ivy) at Dartmouth (8-12, 1-5 Ivy) – 7:00 pm ET
GameWatcher | Dartmouth video | Columbia audio | WKCR audio | Dartmouth audio
The two teams are coming off of very different experiences: a home sweep of the Ps for Columbia and a pair of disheartening road blowouts for Dartmouth. The Big Green also has been a very different team at Leede Arena, where it is 5-1, while the Lions are just 4-7 away from home. Turnovers were a major problem for Terry Dunn’s team at Brown and Yale, but Columbia has a poor defensive turnover percentage and the worst steal rate in the Ivy League. The bad news for the Big Green is that free throws aren’t a big part of its offensive attack, and the Lions’ biggest defensive problem has been putting opponents on the line. John Baumann and Ben Nwachukwu could have big games inside for the visitors, as Dartmouth is allowing opponents to shoot an alarming 59.0 percent from two-point range in Ivy play.
Stat to watch: Free throw scoring
Pomeroy says: Columbia 66, Dartmouth 59
Brown (12-8, 4-2 Ivy) at Penn (8-14, 3-2 Ivy) – 7:00 pm ET
GameWatcher | Penn video | Brown audio | Penn audio
You can bet Brown has been looking forward to this game ever since Damon Huffman’s potential game-winner didn’t go down at the end of last season’s thriller at The Palestra. It looks like a favorable matchup for the Bears, with their perimeter-oriented attack led by Huffman and fellow senior guard Mark McAndrew. The Quakers’ single biggest problem this season has been the play of its perimeter players, who have guarded the three-point arc very poorly and been very susceptible to dribble penetration — while shooting shockingly poorly from outside the arc themselves. Getting leading scorer Tyler Bernardini back will help with the three-point shooting, but not the defensive issues on the perimeter. Penn’s biggest advantage is on the boards, where it is the best rebounding team in the league and Brown is the worst. The two teams do have one thing in common: the free throw line is a huge component in their offensive attacks, with both ranking in the top 50 nationally in free throw rate and in the top 25 in free throw scoring reliance.
Stat to watch: Three-point shooting
Pomeroy says: Brown 72, Penn 62
Yale (9-11, 3-3 Ivy) at Princeton (5-15, 2-3 Ivy) – 7:30 pm ET
GameWatcher | Princeton video |WYBC audio | Princeton audio | WPRB audio
Princeton returns home after three tough losses on its road swing to host a Yale team looking rejuvenated after a major revival at The Church last week. The Bulldogs’ offense was firing on all cylinders against Harvard and Dartmouth, putting up 180 points on 149 possessions. The Tigers haven’t been able to get their offense untracked, with the inside and outside games rarely working in tandem. Princeton generally has been a very good outside shooting team so far in Ivy play, so Yale will need to improve on the 38.8 percent it has allowed Ivy opponents to shoot from three. The Bulldogs have be forcing a lot of turnovers in league play (24.3 percent), but they’re facing a Tiger squad that ranks first in Ivy turnover percentage at just 19.8 percent. The visitors are a little better at getting to the line and a little better at keeping opponents off the line, so that could turn into an advantage for Yale. All five of Princeton’s wins have been at Jadwin Gym, so Sydney Johnson’s team will be glad to see its home locker room again.
Stat to watch: Three-point shooting
Pomeroy says: Yale 61, Princeton 58
