The Princeton Tigers (19-5) look to extend their seven-game winning streak against the stumbling Cornell Big Red (9-16) at L. Stockwell Jadwin Gymnasium. The game gets underway at 6:00 pm ET on Saturday, Feb. 27.
The Tigers were victorious over Columbia 88-83 on Friday. Steven Cook led all scorers on the team with 23 points on 8-for-11 shooting. The Big Red are coming off a 79-67 loss at the hands of Penn on Friday. Robert Hatter had a good shooting night, leading the game with 31 points.
Second-chance opportunities are expected to be few and far between for the Big Red in this contest. They rank 332nd in the nation in offensive rebounding (OR% of 23.1%), while Princeton is 20th-best in the nation on the defensive backboards (DR% of 75.2%).
This will be the second matchup of the season between these two teams. The Tigers won the first game 85-56. Henry Caruso was a top performer in the victory with 13 points, seven rebounds, two assists, two steals, and two three-pointers.
The Tigers enter the game with records of 19-5 Straight Up (SU) and 8-7-1 Against The Spread (ATS). They are 2-7-1 ATS over their last 10 games. The Tigers come into the game with the 30th-ranked scoring offense in the nation, averaging 79.7 points per game. The Tigers are a dangerously accurate shooting team from three-point range with a .384 three-point field goal percentage, one of the highest marks in Division I. The Tigers, sporting the 44th-best assist-to-turnover ratio in Division I (1.33), have proven themselves to be an extremely efficient offensive team. The Princeton defense has done poorly against opposing offenses during the last 10 games, allowing an average of 79.6 points per game, well above their season average of 68.1. Teams really have to fight for three-pointers against the Tigers, who have allowed only 5.0 three-pointers to opponents per game. An area where the Tigers are particularly strong is defensive rebounding where they average 27.7 per game, 38th in Division I.
On the other side, the Big Red head into the game with records of 6-11-1 ATS and 9-16 SU. During the last 10 games, they averaged 83.7 PPG, above their 71.7 PPG season average. The Cornell defense has allowed an average of 66.5 points per game during the last 10 games, lower than their season average of 78.4. When it comes to stealing the ball, the Big Red are one of the best in the nation with an average of 7.8 steals per game.
Princeton beat Cornell in their most recent meeting this season, bringing its SU record to 8-2 over Cornell in their most recent games. Additionally, Princeton leads the matchup ATS with a record of 8-2. When it comes to field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers, Princeton held the edge in all three of these categories three times in the last five meetings. Cornell never did so in those games.
Predictions: SU Winner – Prince, ATS Winner – Prince
Notes
“Princeton is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games “.
“Princeton is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home”.
“Princeton is 7-1 ATS in its last 8 games when playing Cornell”.
“Princeton is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games when playing Cornell”.
“The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Princeton’s last 6 games when playing Cornell”.
“Princeton is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games when playing at home against Cornell”.
“Princeton is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Cornell”.
“Cornell is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Princeton”.
Princeton averages 79.7 points per game (ranked 30th). Cornell, on the other hand, allows 78.4 points per game (ranked 240th).
Princeton is one of the top-scoring teams at home, averaging 85.6 points per game (ranked 14th). Cornell, on the other hand, allows 81.7 points per away game (ranked 240th).
Ranked 37th, the Princeton Tigers have an offensive rating of 113.7. The Cornell Big Red rank 256th with a defensive rating of just 106.8.
The Cornell Big Red average 73.8 possessions per game and .971 points per possession. The Princeton Tigers earn fewer possessions with 70.1, but they score more points with 1.137.
The Princeton Tigers have one of the best effective field goal percentages this season, ranking 24th in the country with an eFG% of 54.8%. When their opponents record a similar or higher eFG%, the Cornell Big Red have a subpar 1-5 record.
On average, Princeton attempts 25.0 three pointers and Cornell attempts 25.0. In games where they have 20 or more three point attempts, the Princeton Tigers have a fantastic 16-5 record while the Cornell Big Red have a poor 7-15 record.
Princeton ranks 44th in the nation with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.33. Cornell is ranked lower at 331st with an A/TO of .78.
Cornell makes an average of 7.8 steals per game. Princeton has a stellar 7-1 record when it allows at least 7 steals.
