The Brown Bears will be at Palestra to take on the Penn Quakers in an Ivy League matchup. Action gets underway at 7:00 pm ET on Friday, Feb. 19.
The Quakers come into this game hoping to repeat their last performance, topping Cornell 92-84 in their last game. Darien Nelson-Henry was a key piece, recording 15 points and 16 rebounds to notch his eighth double-double this season. The Bears, meanwhile, are feeling some disappointment after their 87-70 loss against Dartmouth in their last game. Tavon Blackmon had a team-high 22 points.
Nelson-Henry has really been playing well recently for the Quakers, averaging 15.8 points, 10.8 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 1.2 steals, and 1.2 blocks over the last five games.
This is the second game of the season between these two teams, with the Bears winning the first matchup 89-83. Blackmon put up a double-double in the victory with 23 points and 10 assists.
The Quakers enter the game with records of 9-12 Straight Up (SU) and 8-5-1 Against The Spread (ATS). Penn has averaged 74.5 points per game over the last 10 games, higher than its season average of 68.5. Below-average play has been the norm lately for the Penn defense. The Quakers have given up an average of 79.7 points to opponents in their last 10 games, well over their defense’s season average of 70.6 PPG. The Quakers prevent teams from making three-pointers, ranking eighth in the nation with 131 total three-pointers allowed (6.0 per game).
In the other locker room, Brown has a SU record of 7-15 and an ATS record of 8-7. The Brown defense has allowed an average of 70.8 points per game during the last 10 games, lower than their season average of 77.9.
With the Bears’ last win against Penn, they evened up the head-to-head record over their most recent meetings, 5-5 SU. With a 6-4 record, the Bears have the advantage ATS. When it comes to field goals, rebounds, or three-pointers, neither team was able to hold the advantage in all three of these categories over their past five meetings against one another.
Predictions: SU Winner – Brown, ATS Winner – Brown
Notes
Brown scores just 70.9 points per away game (ranked 124th). Penn ranks 79th in points allowed at home, giving up 65.6 points.
The Penn Quakers average a field goal percentage of 42.8% this season. The Brown Bears have a subpar record of 1-11 when opponents have a FG% of 42.8% or greater.
The Penn Quakers and the Brown Bears both rank higher in average effective field goal percentage when compared to their field goal percentages. Penn is 243rd and 221st in the nation for FG% and eFG% respectively, while Brown is 222nd and 162nd in these categories.
Brown ranks 67th in assists, recording 15.3 per game. Penn performs worse at 151st with 13.8 assists per game.
Penn ranks 190th in offensive rebounds, while Brown ranks 73rd in defensive rebounds.
Penn has forced an average turnover percentage of 16.5% this season. Brown has a losing 5-12 record when its TO% is 16.5% or higher.
