The Brown Bears (17-10, 5-6 Ivy) wrap up their home schedule at Paul Bailey Pizzitola Sports Center against the Cornell Big Red (13-14, 5-6 Ivy). Action starts at 6 p.m. ET on Saturday, March 2, 2019.
Cornell Big Red vs. Brown Bears Betting Odds
Both teams were beaten in their last matchup. The Big Red (7.5-point underdogs) were defeated by the Yale Bulldogs, 88-65, while the Bears (6-point favorites) fell to the Columbia Lions, 80-77. Both games finished over their projected point totals. The Cornell game went 9.5 points over the projected point total of 143.5, while the Brown game finished 14 points over the projected point total of 143.
Cornell held Yale to an offensive rebounding percentage of 14.7 (below their season average of 27.4) while Brown had a turnover percentage of 11.0 (better than their season average of 17.4). Brown was lifted by Tamenang Choh, who had 25 points and nine rebounds. Josh Warren played a key role for Cornell with 15 points.
In their first matchup this year, Warren led the Big Red to a 70-66 victory. He produced 18 points and five rebounds. The two teams combined to score 136 points, which was under the projected point total of 142, and Cornell covered as a 1-point favorite. The Big Red’s 18.9 offensive rebounding percentage was their biggest advantage over the Bears, who had a mark of 15.6.
Vegas is exceedingly accurate when predicting totals of Big Red games, with an even split between overs and unders. Cornell heads into the contest with records of 13-14 straight up (SU) and 11-12-1 against the spread (ATS).
Games involving the Bears have a tendency to finish under the total (70.8 percent). Brown is 17-10 SU, but they have difficulty covering the spread (10-11-3 ATS).
Brown does a solid job at getting to the charity stripe. They rank 49th in free throw attempt (FTA) rate (0.272), but Cornell is among the best in the country at keeping opponents off the line (ranking 41st by allowing a FTA rate of 0.190). Also, the 295th-ranked offense of the Big Red (offensive efficiency of 99.8) will go head-to-head against the 40th-ranked defense of the Bears (defensive efficiency of 96.0).
Cornell Big Red at Brown Bears Pick
College Basketball Pick: SU Winner – Cornell, ATS Winner – Cornell, O/U – Under
Betting Notes:
- Cornell ranks 47th in three pointers allowed per game (19.8) while Brown ranks 204th (23.9).
- The Bears average 7.5 steals per game, which ranks 53rd in the NCAA. The Big Red rank 106th in steals allowed per game (6.1).
- Cornell averages 14.6 assists per game, which ranks 76th in the country. Brown ranks 98th in assists allowed per game (12.4).
- The Bears rank 94th in rebounds per game (36.7) while the Big Red rank 242nd (32.6).
- Brown averages 3.9 blocks per game, which ranks 67th in the NCAA. Cornell ranks 144th in blocks allowed per game (3.7).
- Cornell is 8-7 ATS on the road, while Brown is 4-6-1 ATS at home.
- The total has gone under in 6 of the Bears’ 11 home games, while 9 of the Big Red’s 15 road games have gone over.
Bettings Trends:
- The Bears are 3-2 ATS over their last five games, while the Big Red are 2-3.
- In their last five games, Brown has 3 unders and 2 overs, while Cornell has 4 unders and 1 over.
- The Bears’ average margin of victory in their last five games has been 1.4, down from 5.3 for the season.
- During their last five games, the Big Red have scored an average of 67.2 points per game (2.1 below their season average) and allowed an average of 77.6 points per game (6.2 above their season average).
