The Penn Quakers (6-9) will have a tough time bringing their five-game road losing streak to a halt when they take on the Yale Bulldogs (11-5), who have won seven in a row at home. Action begins at 7:00 pm ET on Friday, Jan. 29.
The Bulldogs enter this game hoping for similar success after blowing out Brown 90-66 in their last matchup. Brandon Sherrod was the game’s leading scorer with 24 points on 9-for-9 shooting. The Quakers, meanwhile, are feeling some disappointment after their 75-60 loss against Saint Joseph’s in their last game. Penn lost despite the best efforts of Matt Howard, who recorded his second double-double of the season with 11 points and 10 rebounds.
The ineffective offense of the Quakers (290th in the nation with an offensive efficiency of 98.6) will attempt to infiltrate the elite defense of the Bulldogs (24th in the nation with a defensive efficiency of 94.3). The matchup on that end of the floor seems to lean toward Yale.
This one isn’t expected to be close when Yale, a big 14-point favorite, takes on Penn. The matchup has an estimated Over/Under (O/U) of 128 points. The Bulldogs come into this game 11-5 Straight Up (SU) and 3-3-1 Against The Spread (ATS). The rebounding edge goes to the Bulldogs in this matchup, who are one of the top rebounding teams in the nation with an average of 41.6 boards per game. The Yale defense has been on fire lately, allowing an average of 57.8 points per game, well under their season average of 63.6. The Bulldogs have really locked down opponents on the defensive end, ranking 46th in the country with a .400 opponent field-goal percentage.
As for their opponent, the Quakers are successful ATS with a 5-3 record even though they have a 6-9 SU record. The Penn defense has been a problem for competitors, allowing only 81 field goals from three-point range (5.0 per game).
This game marks the season’s first head-to-head clash between these conference foes. Their previous game was a Bulldogs victory, bumping their SU record to 7-3 over Penn in their most recent meetings. Furthermore, Yale holds the advantage ATS with a record of 6-4. Yale held the edge in field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers once, while Penn was never able to do so in their most recent five games.
Predictions: SU Winner – Yale, ATS Winner – Yale, O/U – Over
Notes
Yale is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games.
Yale is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home.
Yale is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Pennsylvania.
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Yale’s last 5 games when playing Pennsylvania.
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Yale’s last 6 games when playing at home against Pennsylvania.
In its last game, Yale won by a margin of 24 points. Penn is 1-3 in games decided by a margin of 18 points or more. Yale has an 8-2 record in blowouts.
The Yale Bulldogs have a defensive rating of 94.3 (ranked 24th), while the Penn Quakers have an offensive rating of 98.6 (ranked 290th).
Yale has an average field goal percentage of 45.8%. Penn is a losing 1-4 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
The Yale Bulldogs rank higher based on their field goal percentage (87th) than their effective field goal percentage (119th). The Penn Quakers rank higher based on their effective field goal percentage (246th) than their field goal percentage (269th).
Yale ranks 67th in assists, registering 15.5 per game. Penn performs worse at 139th with 14.1 assists per game.
Ranked 16th in the nation, Yale averages 41.6 rebounds per game. Penn ranks lower at 162nd with 36.9 RPG.
The Penn Quakers make an average of 4.1 steals per game. When the Yale Bulldogs give up 4 or more steals, they are a solid 8-5.
