Yale, which has won three of the first six Ivy League men’s basketball championships, will look to defend its title when the top-seeded Bulldogs meet No. 2-seeded Cornell in Sunday’s championship at Brown University’s Pizzitola Sports Center.
Yale (21-7) earned a 59-57 semifinal decision over No. 4 Princeton.
John Poulakidas, a 6-foot-6 senior, led four double-figure Yale scorers with 13 points. The other top scorers were 6-foot-4 senior Bez Mbeng (12 points), 6-foot-7 junior Nick Townsend (12), and 6-foot-6 junior Casey Simmons (11).
Mbeng was named both the Ivy League Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year. Poulakidas and Townsend joined Mbeng as first-team All-Ivy selections. Poulakidas is averaging a team-high 19.0 points, followed by Townsend (15.3) and Mbeng (13.3).
Yale won the regular-season title, going 13-1, with the lone loss to Harvard. Cornell was in second place with a 9-5 record.
Cornell (18-10) defeated No. 3 seed Dartmouth, 87-71, in the other semifinal. The Big Red have the current longest win streak in the Ivy League, five games.
AK Okereke, a 6-foot-7 junior and second-team All-Ivy selection, had 25 points, nine rebounds, four assists, four steals, and four blocked shots. Jake Fiegen, a 6-foot-4 sophomore scored 16 points, and 6-foot-3 senior Nazir Williams, a second-team All-Ivy choice, scored 11 points. Williams averages a team-high 14.7 points, while Okereke averages 13.6. Cornell has five players averaging 10 or more points.
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Yale vs Cornell Odds
Yale is a 5.5-point college basketball betting odds favorite on BetMGM with the Over/Under at 160.5 points.
The moneyline for Yale is -250, while it is +200 for Cornell.
Yale vs. Cornell On TV
The game between Yale and Cornell will be on ESPN2.
Tipoff is scheduled for shortly after noon ET.
Yale vs Cornell Prediction
I like Yale laying the points.
During the regular season, Yale won, 103-88, at Cornell and most recently, 92-88, at home on Feb. 21.
A key will be stopping Cornell from playing in transition, but the Big Red were very successful playing a half-court game in the semifinal win over Dartmouth. Still, getting on the fast break is a big part of Cornell’s offense.
Cornell entered the weekend 14th nationally in fast break points (14.85 per game). Yale was 178th with 9.63 per game.
The championship has a chance to be a high-scoring affair. Cornell leads the Ivy League in scoring, averaging 85.1 points, which entering the weekend was fifth nationally. Yale is second in scoring (81.1). Yale is also the Ivy’s No. 1 defense, allowing 69.2 PPG. Cornell allows 77.1 points. Yale leads the Ivy with a 12.1 scoring margin, while Cornell is second (8.0).
These are also the best two three-point shooting teams in the Ivy League, with Yale (.380) followed by Cornell (.375).
This game will basically come down to who is hitting shots and Yale with the better defense, has the upper hand in trying to stop Cornell’s potent offense.
