The top-seeded Yale Bulldogs (21-7) and No. 2 Princeton Tigers (20-8) meet in the cats-and-dogs finale of the Ivy League Tournament Sunday. The contest at Jadwin Gymnasium in Princeton will tip off at noon ET (ESPN2). Below, we analyze Tipico Sportsbook’s lines around the Yale vs. Princeton odds, and make our expert college basketball picks, predictions and bets.
Yale defeated No. 4 Cornell 80-60 Saturday and is looking to return to the NCAA Tournament for a 2nd straight year. The Bulldogs went 10-4 in league play; they are 10-1 in their last 11 games. Princeton defeated No. 3 Penn 77-70 on Saturday and is looking to get back to the Big Dance for the 1st time since 2017.
Princeton tied Yale for the regular-season title, but the Tigers were swept twice by the Bulldogs — 87-65 on Jan. 28 as 3.5-point road favorites as the 138.5 Under hit and 93-83 in overtime on Feb. 18 as a 2.5-point road underdog as the 142.5 Over cashed.
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Yale at Princeton odds
Provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated Saturday at 6:30 p.m. ET.
- Moneyline: Yale -165 (bet $165 to win $100) | Princeton +130 (bet $100 to win $130)
- Against the spread (ATS): Yale -3.5 (-105) | Princeton +3.5 (-115)
- Over/Under (O/U): 139.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
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Yale at Princeton picks and predictions
Prediction
Yale 72, Princeton 67
Moneyline
PASS.
Yale should win, but better value can be had on the spread.
Against the spread
Yale is 17-1-1 ATS this season and has won 3 in a row ATS against these Tigers. The Bulldogs have won 4 straight ATS against winning teams.
The Tigers are usually more capable against lesser defenses. The Bulldogs own the best defense in the Ivy League. When it is on defense, PU likes to force teams into a lot of outside shots. But Yale does well to create quality looks inside.
Princeton figures to have an edge in free-throw frequency (PU had 3 FT attempts in the 20-point loss and 31 in the over time game), but the Tigers can mitigate that and more from distance in in the turnover exchange.
Yale struggled at Jadwin in the Feb. 18 meeting (down by 19 with 8 minutes to go before rallying to win in OT), but look for a rebound here. BACK THE BULLDOGS -3.5 (-105).
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Over/Under
Figure a level pace without a lot of spiral from trips to the free-throw line or turnovers. PASS.
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