It will be a battle between Ivy League opponents when the Penn Quakers (10-13) welcome the Cornell Big Red (9-15) to Palestra. The game gets underway at 7:00 pm ET on Friday, Feb. 26.
The Quakers got blown out by Yale 79-58 in their last game. Darien Nelson-Henry had a good game for Penn, putting up 15 points, four rebounds, and two assists. The Big Red, meanwhile, are feeling some disappointment after their close 76-74 loss against Harvard in their last outing. Matt Morgan had a game-high 27 points.
Nelson-Henry has been playing at a high level over the last five games for the Quakers. During that stretch, he has averaged 15.6 points, 10.4 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.0 steal, and 0.8 blocks.
This will be the second matchup of the season between these two teams. The Quakers won the first game 92-84. Nelson-Henry put up 15 points and 16 rebounds.
The Quakers look to improve upon their records of 10-13 Straight Up (SU) and 8-7-1 Against The Spread (ATS). Below-average play has been the norm lately for the Penn defense. The Quakers have given up an average of 79.1 points to opponents in their last 10 games, well over their defense’s season average of 71.1 PPG. Penn’s three-point defense can be considered one of the best in the nation, allowing just 6.0 three-pointers per game.
On the other side, the Big Red have 9-15 SU and 6-10-1 ATS records. The Big Red are a terror in the passing lanes, averaging an impressive 7.9 steals per game.
Penn beat Cornell in their most recent meeting this season, bringing its SU record to 8-2 over Cornell in their most recent games. Additionally, with a 5-3-2 record, Penn has the advantage ATS. When it comes to field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers, Penn held the edge in all three of these categories two times in the last five meetings. Cornell never did so in those games.
Predictions: SU Winner – Penn, ATS Winner – Penn
Notes
In its last game, Penn lost by a margin of 21 points. Cornell is 2-6 in games decided by a margin of 18 points or more. Penn has a 1-5 record in blowouts.
The Cornell Big Red average 73.8 possessions per game and .975 points per possession. The Penn Quakers earn fewer possessions with 68.5, but they score more points with 1.001.
The Penn Quakers average an effective field goal percentage of 49.1% this season. The Cornell Big Red have a subpar record of 2-10 when opponents have an eFG% of 49.1% or greater.
On average, Penn attempts 24.0 three pointers and Cornell attempts 25.0. In games where they have 20 or more three point attempts, the Penn Quakers have a 9-8 record while the Cornell Big Red have a subpar 7-14 record.
Penn has forced an average turnover percentage of 16.3% this season. Cornell has a losing 6-11 record when its TO% is 16.3% or higher.
