Based on last weekend I'd say a good strategy for Ivy this year is to look to play against Dartmouth whenever possible.(unless the line is outrageous).
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Based on last weekend I'd say a good strategy for Ivy this year is to look to play against Dartmouth whenever possible.(unless the line is outrageous).
What do you think Dmon, about a little look ahead on Friday for Cornell? Two road games and the second one at a team that has the potential to beat them outright. I know Penn's bad but 18 in this situation seems like a lot. Don't you think Cornell would like to keep some legs fresh for Saturdays game? Your Ivy wisdom is greatly appreciated and I've made some dough reading your matchup information. Not much going on Fridays, but the back to back games the Ivy plays, gives us a chance to look at the games at much different angles, making Saturdays plays a little easier to read. Keep up the good work and BOL.
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What do you think Dmon, about a little look ahead on Friday for Cornell? Two road games and the second one at a team that has the potential to beat them outright. I know Penn's bad but 18 in this situation seems like a lot. Don't you think Cornell would like to keep some legs fresh for Saturdays game? Your Ivy wisdom is greatly appreciated and I've made some dough reading your matchup information. Not much going on Fridays, but the back to back games the Ivy plays, gives us a chance to look at the games at much different angles, making Saturdays plays a little easier to read. Keep up the good work and BOL.
Good to see you back Dmon.Thx for keeping us in the know with the Ivies.
222bad, thinking on your lines but differently. Princeton has the look ahead game. Columbia catching 12 lit up like a lightbulb the second I saw it. Ivy League
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Good to see you back Dmon.Thx for keeping us in the know with the Ivies.
222bad, thinking on your lines but differently. Princeton has the look ahead game. Columbia catching 12 lit up like a lightbulb the second I saw it. Ivy League
By now even those who haven't been paying attention have figured out that this Cornell team must be pretty good. But now it's time for them to really prove their mettle in the league with their first road trip. It starts off on Friday night against a down Penn squad, before heading to Princeton Saturday night for what could be a clash of the undefeateds.
The most obvious angle for this game on Friday night is the Cornell look-ahead factor. The combination of the subconscious look-ahead to a big game Saturday and the intentional resting of key players late in blowouts is definitely something to consider in this one.
On the other hand, I've been stressing that Cornell has come out focused in each and every game so far from the opening tip and hasn't looked past anybody, even though they know they've been head and shoulders above most of their opponents. The other factor here is that Cornell's coach Steve Donahue came from Penn (where he was a long-time assistant under Dunphy) and has a tremendous amount of respect for The Palestra and the tradition of Penn's program, and I really don't think there's much of a chance they come out unfocused.
The other interesting thing to note here is Penn's feistiness. Since Jerome Allen took over as head coach, this has just been a different team energy-wise. The talent's still not there, but the kids are playing for him. Other than a disturbing trend of incredibly slow starts (especially in the first four minutes of games), this team seems totally focused and is bringing it. Like I said, the talent isn't all there, but the kids are fighting. Getting back home into the Palestra and in front of the home crowd (even though Cornell always brings a really strong contingent of fans to Philly) will surely be a boost.
But ultimately I don't think Penn has the talent to compete with such a damn good Cornell team. Defensively Penn has been sooo much better lately, but their biggest weakness is defending the perimeter and I see Cornell absolutely destroying them from beyond the arc. I'm sure Jerome will try to confuse Cornell with his 1-3-1 zone that he's been strategically employing lately, but Cornell is too smart and too patient and moves the ball too well for it to be effective. The three balls will be raining at the Palestra tomorrow. Penn just doesn't have the firepower to match.
Will Cornell cover 18 for the game? Maybe, but I don't think I'd play that. Penn has shown an ability to hang around tough (just ask any Harvard backers last Saturday night) and Cornell has shown that it'll take its foot off the gas if it's a blowout. My lean here would be on Cornell 1H, or maaaybe Penn for the game. TBD at a later time.
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Alright, baby, let's get it going. First writeup:
CORNELL @ PENN +18
By now even those who haven't been paying attention have figured out that this Cornell team must be pretty good. But now it's time for them to really prove their mettle in the league with their first road trip. It starts off on Friday night against a down Penn squad, before heading to Princeton Saturday night for what could be a clash of the undefeateds.
The most obvious angle for this game on Friday night is the Cornell look-ahead factor. The combination of the subconscious look-ahead to a big game Saturday and the intentional resting of key players late in blowouts is definitely something to consider in this one.
On the other hand, I've been stressing that Cornell has come out focused in each and every game so far from the opening tip and hasn't looked past anybody, even though they know they've been head and shoulders above most of their opponents. The other factor here is that Cornell's coach Steve Donahue came from Penn (where he was a long-time assistant under Dunphy) and has a tremendous amount of respect for The Palestra and the tradition of Penn's program, and I really don't think there's much of a chance they come out unfocused.
The other interesting thing to note here is Penn's feistiness. Since Jerome Allen took over as head coach, this has just been a different team energy-wise. The talent's still not there, but the kids are playing for him. Other than a disturbing trend of incredibly slow starts (especially in the first four minutes of games), this team seems totally focused and is bringing it. Like I said, the talent isn't all there, but the kids are fighting. Getting back home into the Palestra and in front of the home crowd (even though Cornell always brings a really strong contingent of fans to Philly) will surely be a boost.
But ultimately I don't think Penn has the talent to compete with such a damn good Cornell team. Defensively Penn has been sooo much better lately, but their biggest weakness is defending the perimeter and I see Cornell absolutely destroying them from beyond the arc. I'm sure Jerome will try to confuse Cornell with his 1-3-1 zone that he's been strategically employing lately, but Cornell is too smart and too patient and moves the ball too well for it to be effective. The three balls will be raining at the Palestra tomorrow. Penn just doesn't have the firepower to match.
Will Cornell cover 18 for the game? Maybe, but I don't think I'd play that. Penn has shown an ability to hang around tough (just ask any Harvard backers last Saturday night) and Cornell has shown that it'll take its foot off the gas if it's a blowout. My lean here would be on Cornell 1H, or maaaybe Penn for the game. TBD at a later time.
Well, this game is pulling me in two opposite directions. Obviously this is a huge look-ahead for them to Saturday night's home game vs. Cornell, which figures to be Princeton's biggest home game since 2004. You know they're excited for that one.
Still, they've got Columbia first, and hopefully they realize they have business to take care of. Luckily, this is a very favorable matchup for them. Their defense has been remarkably consistent, and as the combination of their ability to force turnovers and their ability to chase teams off the three point line and force them into contested shots inside has really carried this team. And Columbia doesn't shoot from outside very much anyway and turns it over a lot themselves, which should play right into Princeton's hands. The defense will be there. But what's really helped Princeton play much better lately is that the offense has come to play also, and shooting has really improved the past few games. They shoot a lot of threes themselves, and Columbia's defense tends to pack it in and let teams shoot, so their ability to hit their threes will determine whether or not they cover this number.
I probably lean Princeton here, but the look-ahead may cause me to lay off. I doubt I'd play Columbia, though. Again, we'll see. More to come later.
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COLUMBIA @ PRINCETON -12.5
Well, this game is pulling me in two opposite directions. Obviously this is a huge look-ahead for them to Saturday night's home game vs. Cornell, which figures to be Princeton's biggest home game since 2004. You know they're excited for that one.
Still, they've got Columbia first, and hopefully they realize they have business to take care of. Luckily, this is a very favorable matchup for them. Their defense has been remarkably consistent, and as the combination of their ability to force turnovers and their ability to chase teams off the three point line and force them into contested shots inside has really carried this team. And Columbia doesn't shoot from outside very much anyway and turns it over a lot themselves, which should play right into Princeton's hands. The defense will be there. But what's really helped Princeton play much better lately is that the offense has come to play also, and shooting has really improved the past few games. They shoot a lot of threes themselves, and Columbia's defense tends to pack it in and let teams shoot, so their ability to hit their threes will determine whether or not they cover this number.
I probably lean Princeton here, but the look-ahead may cause me to lay off. I doubt I'd play Columbia, though. Again, we'll see. More to come later.
Well, this has really been a demoralizing two weeks for Harvard. First they get their butt whooped at Cornell in a game that they treated like their Super Bowl, and then they got beat at home last Friday night by a better Princeton squad. And on top of all of that, they lost three of their big guys (Wright, Magnarelli, and Van Nest) to injury. Now they're looking at a decimated front court of Miller (little-used senior), Casey (talented but foul-prone frosh), and Georgatos (almost never plays), with nobody else in support.
This has really forced Amaker to shake things up, as his team travels this weekend in its psychologically and physically banged up state to Yale/Brown for the weekend, where it takes on two of the league's better frontcourts. The focus all week in practice has been defense and rebounding, as well it should be. Here's what Amaker had to say about this weekend:
“With both of those two teams, their front courts, in my opinion, are
their strengths, and so that’s not a good formula for us going into
that, and being on the road… but we’ll summon up something to give
ourselves the best opportunity possible. Trying to keep guys out of
foul trouble will be important…And we have to shoot well. There’s no
secret to our attack right now—we have to be able to play well from the
perimeter spots, and a lot of times that means making shots. The focal
point for us always will be can we defend and keep those guys off the
glass from a defensive standpoint in terms of blocking out.”
And he should be concerned. Yale's attack comes from the inside and from its guards attacking the rim. Without their best big guys and best interior defenders in there, you know Yale will go inside and really come after them. On the other end, Yale struggles defending inside more than they do on the perimeter, and as you can tell from Amaker's quote, Harvard has no intention of going inside much this weekend. They've made no secret of the fact that they're going to try to shoot themselves into a win.
I don't like Harvard's mentality going into this game, or how the injuries have affected them, or the matchup. I do like how Yale is playing and think that they're in a good spot in this game to pull the upset. Hopefully they can capitalize on the spot, because I'll probably be on Yale +5 and the ML.
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HARVARD @ YALE +5
Well, this has really been a demoralizing two weeks for Harvard. First they get their butt whooped at Cornell in a game that they treated like their Super Bowl, and then they got beat at home last Friday night by a better Princeton squad. And on top of all of that, they lost three of their big guys (Wright, Magnarelli, and Van Nest) to injury. Now they're looking at a decimated front court of Miller (little-used senior), Casey (talented but foul-prone frosh), and Georgatos (almost never plays), with nobody else in support.
This has really forced Amaker to shake things up, as his team travels this weekend in its psychologically and physically banged up state to Yale/Brown for the weekend, where it takes on two of the league's better frontcourts. The focus all week in practice has been defense and rebounding, as well it should be. Here's what Amaker had to say about this weekend:
“With both of those two teams, their front courts, in my opinion, are
their strengths, and so that’s not a good formula for us going into
that, and being on the road… but we’ll summon up something to give
ourselves the best opportunity possible. Trying to keep guys out of
foul trouble will be important…And we have to shoot well. There’s no
secret to our attack right now—we have to be able to play well from the
perimeter spots, and a lot of times that means making shots. The focal
point for us always will be can we defend and keep those guys off the
glass from a defensive standpoint in terms of blocking out.”
And he should be concerned. Yale's attack comes from the inside and from its guards attacking the rim. Without their best big guys and best interior defenders in there, you know Yale will go inside and really come after them. On the other end, Yale struggles defending inside more than they do on the perimeter, and as you can tell from Amaker's quote, Harvard has no intention of going inside much this weekend. They've made no secret of the fact that they're going to try to shoot themselves into a win.
I don't like Harvard's mentality going into this game, or how the injuries have affected them, or the matchup. I do like how Yale is playing and think that they're in a good spot in this game to pull the upset. Hopefully they can capitalize on the spot, because I'll probably be on Yale +5 and the ML.
And this Friday's slate concludes with the biggest crap matchup of the weekend, with 1-5 Brown hosting 0-6 Dartmouth. Brown, for what it's worth, is actually coming off of arguably their best game of the season, hanging with Cornell on the road for the entire first half and losing reasonably close in a plenty respectable performance. Dartmouth, on the other hand, is coming off a dreadful home weekend in which in lost to Penn and had one of the worst offensive halves of basketball you'll ever see against Princeton on Saturday.
Brown is starting to get healthy, as Mullery and Sullivan both played a lot better last weekend and are close to full strength, and the young guys continue to improve. Dartmouth still looks clueless, especially on offense, but the one thing they have going for them in this matchup is that they actually do a decent job taking away the three-ball and Brown depends a decent amount on the outside shot. Also, I guess I'm slightly concerned about Brown's inability to put teams away in the second half, as they've played very poorly in second halves against Penn and Columbia recently after good first halves.
Still, Brown knows this is its best chance for a win all year and should come out ready to put Dartmouth away. I lean Brown in this one (or maaaybe Brown 1H), but we'll see on this one as well.
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DARTMOUTH @ BROWN -7
And this Friday's slate concludes with the biggest crap matchup of the weekend, with 1-5 Brown hosting 0-6 Dartmouth. Brown, for what it's worth, is actually coming off of arguably their best game of the season, hanging with Cornell on the road for the entire first half and losing reasonably close in a plenty respectable performance. Dartmouth, on the other hand, is coming off a dreadful home weekend in which in lost to Penn and had one of the worst offensive halves of basketball you'll ever see against Princeton on Saturday.
Brown is starting to get healthy, as Mullery and Sullivan both played a lot better last weekend and are close to full strength, and the young guys continue to improve. Dartmouth still looks clueless, especially on offense, but the one thing they have going for them in this matchup is that they actually do a decent job taking away the three-ball and Brown depends a decent amount on the outside shot. Also, I guess I'm slightly concerned about Brown's inability to put teams away in the second half, as they've played very poorly in second halves against Penn and Columbia recently after good first halves.
Still, Brown knows this is its best chance for a win all year and should come out ready to put Dartmouth away. I lean Brown in this one (or maaaybe Brown 1H), but we'll see on this one as well.
id love to play against dartmouth, but i know absolutely nothing about brown.... u would think that a high school team could beat dartmouth by 7 points at home, right?
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id love to play against dartmouth, but i know absolutely nothing about brown.... u would think that a high school team could beat dartmouth by 7 points at home, right?
Sup fellas. Thanks for stopping by. A couple quick responses:
1) I agree Cornell could name their score, if they were properly motivated to do so. But they don't really have any incentive to run Penn out of the building, and we know Penn will fight them until the final buzzer. I'm probably not gonna touch this game (unless I play Cornell 1H).
2) Brown is now only -6.5, and I welcome this line moving down. Brown is actually coming off of its best game of the year, but it was so hard to tell from the final score because it was at Cornell. They ought to be able to handle this Dartmouth team at home, yes. Dartmouth is especially horrendous on the road, too, which I forgot to mention. Hopefully we end up with a good number, and I might pull the trigger on Brown if we do (as is, I may do it at -6.5).
3) Train, I haven't had a chance to look at / think about any of the totals yet. Off the top of my head, Yale/Harvard seems like a decent under candidate (137.5) the way Harvard is talking about focusing on defense/rebounding but most of the lines seem real tight.
4) Yale's still looking pretty good to me, the more I think about it.
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Sup fellas. Thanks for stopping by. A couple quick responses:
1) I agree Cornell could name their score, if they were properly motivated to do so. But they don't really have any incentive to run Penn out of the building, and we know Penn will fight them until the final buzzer. I'm probably not gonna touch this game (unless I play Cornell 1H).
2) Brown is now only -6.5, and I welcome this line moving down. Brown is actually coming off of its best game of the year, but it was so hard to tell from the final score because it was at Cornell. They ought to be able to handle this Dartmouth team at home, yes. Dartmouth is especially horrendous on the road, too, which I forgot to mention. Hopefully we end up with a good number, and I might pull the trigger on Brown if we do (as is, I may do it at -6.5).
3) Train, I haven't had a chance to look at / think about any of the totals yet. Off the top of my head, Yale/Harvard seems like a decent under candidate (137.5) the way Harvard is talking about focusing on defense/rebounding but most of the lines seem real tight.
4) Yale's still looking pretty good to me, the more I think about it.
But, can we really trust Brown to cover 7. Granted, Dartmouth is the doormat of the Ivy league and can't beat many high school teams but Brown is not far off. They have showed us nothing but a fluke win at Yale a long time ago. Also, I question their inability to close games.
Keep it up
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Dmon, great stuff.
But, can we really trust Brown to cover 7. Granted, Dartmouth is the doormat of the Ivy league and can't beat many high school teams but Brown is not far off. They have showed us nothing but a fluke win at Yale a long time ago. Also, I question their inability to close games.
Man! I always appreciate the write-ups. Those are tight. Now, let's see if we can be on the right side of those picks this week. Lol.
Anyway, you mentioned that Harvard lost three big guys. You made it seem like they just lost them. They played both games last weekend without them.
Guards Jeremy Lin and Oliver McNally seem to be putting in the most work. Can Yale stop these two? If so, I don't see another way for Harvard to win this. Am I wrong?
Thanks for all your time.
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Hey Dmon,
Man! I always appreciate the write-ups. Those are tight. Now, let's see if we can be on the right side of those picks this week. Lol.
Anyway, you mentioned that Harvard lost three big guys. You made it seem like they just lost them. They played both games last weekend without them.
Guards Jeremy Lin and Oliver McNally seem to be putting in the most work. Can Yale stop these two? If so, I don't see another way for Harvard to win this. Am I wrong?
Magnarelli,VanNest & Wright are ALL confirmed OUT this w/e....Unless the Crimson shoot lights out from the perimeter...ie, Lin needs to go off, which he can, then they will have a tough time covering this one IMHO, and I'm a big fan of Harvard basketball....Nelson & Mangano will have their way in the paint, as Yale will certainly control the boards tonight, and as we know, that's a crucial stat when covering spreads.
GL this w/e Dmon
Covers Referee
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Magnarelli,VanNest & Wright are ALL confirmed OUT this w/e....Unless the Crimson shoot lights out from the perimeter...ie, Lin needs to go off, which he can, then they will have a tough time covering this one IMHO, and I'm a big fan of Harvard basketball....Nelson & Mangano will have their way in the paint, as Yale will certainly control the boards tonight, and as we know, that's a crucial stat when covering spreads.
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this week! 
Ivy League
Dmon
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