The Brown Bears (9-9, 2-3 Ivy) will try to snap a five-game road losing streak when they go head-to-head against the Princeton Tigers (11-8, 3-1 Ivy) at L. Stockwell Jadwin Gymnasium. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. ET on Saturday, February 3, 2018, and it can be seen on ESPN Full Court.
Brown Bears vs. Princeton Tigers Free Preview
In the Bears last outing, they were beaten by the Penn Quakers, 95-90. Desmond Cambridge had a good performance for Brown, leading both teams in scoring with 29 points on 12-for-19 shooting. Penn had a free throw rate of 0.556 (above their season average of 0.204). Brown, meanwhile, had a much better offensive rebounding percentage (28.2 vs. 22.9).
The Tigers hope to maintain momentum after barely hanging on to beat the Yale Bulldogs in their last matchup, 76-73. Amir Bell led the way for Princeton, finishing with 16 points and 11 rebounds. The Tigers forced 16 turnovers and held the Bulldogs to an offensive rebounding percentage of 16.7 (below their season average of 28.2).
The sweet-shooting offense of Princeton will go head-to-head against the bottom-tier defense of Brown. The Tigers currently rank 35th in effective field goal percentage (0.556), while the Bears are 288th in effective field goal percentage allowed (0.530). The Tigers should have the edge on that end of the court. It will also be a matchup of contrasting tempos as the up-and-down Bears rank 29th in possessions per game, while the slower-paced Tigers rank 308th.
This will be the first matchup of the year between these two teams, after the Tigers won both meetings last season. In the last matchup, Princeton won 66-51. The Tigers played a nearly flawless game. They had a great free throw rate of 0.255 and a turnover percentage of 16.9. The Bears were 0.152 and 24.3, respectively, for those same stats.
Brown Bears vs. Princeton Tigers Odds Prediction
Basketball Prediction: SU Winner – Princeton, ATS Winner – Princeton, O/U – Under
Betting Notes:
- The Tigers rank 49th in three pointers attempted per game (25.3) while the Bears rank 138th (22.0).
- Princeton averages 3.1 blocks per game, which ranks 133rd in the nation. Brown ranks 167th in blocks allowed per game (4.4).
- Princeton ranks 37th in rebounds allowed per game (31.8) while Brown ranks 173rd (35.6).
- The Tigers rank 47th in steals allowed per game (5.4) while the Bears rank 172nd (7.2).
- Princeton ranks 12th in assists allowed per game (10.1) while Brown ranks 126th (13.3).
Betting Trends:
- The Tigers average margin of victory in their last five games has been 17.2, up from 4.3 for the season.
- During their last five games, the Bears have scored an average of 76.8 points per game (1.0 below their season average) and allowed an average of 80.2 points per game (2.6 above their season average).
