Ivy foes will battle when the Princeton Tigers (11-9, 3-2 Ivy) take on the Penn Quakers (15-6, 5-0 Ivy) at L. Stockwell Jadwin Gymnasium. Princeton is a 5-point favorite on the opening line, while the Over/Under (O/U) for the game opened at 137 points. Action starts at 6 p.m. ET on Tuesday, February 6, 2018, and it can be seen on ESPNU.
Penn Quakers vs. Princeton Tigers Free Preview
In the Quakers last game, they defeated the Yale Bulldogs, 59-50. Caleb Wood was Penn’s leading scorer with 14 points on 5-for-12 shooting. The Quakers held the Bulldogs to an offensive rebounding percentage of 17.5 (below their season average of 27.7) and an effective field goal percentage of 0.347 (below their season average of 0.545).
The Tigers are trying to rebound after their 102-100 loss to the Brown Bears in their last matchup. Devin Cannady led Princeton in scoring with 27 points on 10-for-17 shooting. Brown had a free throw rate of 0.404 (above their season average of 0.325). Princeton, on the other hand, had a turnover percentage of 9.3 (better than their season average of 16.6).
This battle pits one of the NCAA’s top offenses against one of its elite defenses as Princeton ranks 27th in effective field goal percentage (0.561) and Penn is 21st in effective field goal percentage allowed (0.461). It will also be a tale of two tempos as the fast-paced Quakers rank 50th in possessions per game, while the slower-paced Tigers rank 292nd.
Of Penn’s 16 games with betting action, 10 have finished over the projected point total, while 8 of Princeton’s 16 games have finished over the O/U total. The Quakers hold the significant advantage straight up (SU) (15-6 vs. 11-9), but the Tigers have been superior against the spread (ATS) (7-9 vs. 6-10).
These teams have already met once this season. In that game, the two teams combined for 146 points, which was over the projected point total of 140. The Quakers won 76-70, covering as 3-point favorites. The Quakers played a flawless game. They had an offensive rebounding percentage of 24.1 and a turnover percentage of 12.4. For those same stats, the Tigers had marks of 19.4 and 13.9, respectively. Ryan Betley was the games top overall scorer with 21 points.
Penn Quakers at Princeton Tigers Free Prediction
College Basketball Prediction: SU Winner – Princeton, ATS Winner – Princeton, O/U – Under
Betting Notes:
- The Tigers allow the 45th-fewest steals per game (5.3) while the Quakers rank 52nd (5.4).
- On the road, Penn is 3-4 ATS with 6 overs and 1 under.
- Princeton is 3-3 ATS at home with 4 unders and 2 overs.
- Penn ranks 25th in rebounds per game (39.7) while Princeton ranks 251st (32.5).
- The Quakers average 26.0 three pointers per game, which ranks 39th in the nation. The Tigers rank 88th in three pointers allowed per game (20.6).
- Penn allows the fourth-fewest assists per game (9.4) while Princeton ranks 13th (10.2).
Betting Trends:
- Princeton is 2-2 ATS with 2 overs and 2 unders in their last five games.
- Over their last five games, Penn is 2-3 ATS with 3 unders, 1 over and 1 push.
- The Tigers average margin of victory in their last five games has been 18.0, up from 4.0 for the season.
- During their last five games, the Quakers have scored an average of 69.8 points per game (6.7 below their season average) and allowed an average of 65.4 points per game (3.7 below their season average).
