Keeping Dartmouth's Brendan Barry in check will be a key for Cornell's defense.

 

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O'Sullivan's Friday Ivy Picks: Princeton vs Brown, Cornell vs Dartmouth, Columbia vs Harvard, plus a teaser

Princeton Tigers at Brown Bears, 7 pm Eastern, Cornell Big Red at Dartmouth Big Green, 7 pm, Columbia Lions at Harvard Crimson, 7 pm.

Seattle O'Sullivan

Follow me on Twitter: @OSullyPicks

Seattle O’Sullivan 2021-2022 ACC season so far: 40-62, -$399.86

Seattle O’Sullivan 2021-2022 Ivy League season so far: 46–39-1, +$146.90

(Standing Caveat: The universe is chaotic. Life is unpredictable. Things happen. Like injuries. And COVID protocols. In following Seattle O’Sullivan’s betting advice, be advised that you should always monitor your bets during the day to make certain unforeseen things have not occurred which might change your wagering opinion. Thank you.)

Princeton Tigers at Brown Bears, 7 pm Eastern

The Pick: Princeton -134, bet $20 to win $15; Princeton -2 (-112), bet $14 to win $12.60

Princeton has won twelve of their last fourteen games, and 7-2 in their last nine games as a favorite. As a road favorite, they’re 2-1-1 against the spread, but more importantly, their average margin of victory is eight points. That would make an easy cover tonight. Brown’s been struggling lately, 4-6 in their last ten games and only 1-3 at home. The Bears have also struggled against Princeton, going 1-6 ATS at home. The Tigers slipped to third in the Ivy League and need every single game if they’re going to claw to the top of the standings before the conference tournament. They get a good start tonight.

Cornell Big Red at Dartmouth Big Green, 7 pm Eastern

The Pick: Cornell +1.5 (-120), bet $18 to win $15

I could make the argument that red is a primary color while green is only a secondary – never mind. No, I’ll instead make the argument that in a game of two opposite styles – Cornell playing with the 5th fastest adjusted pace in the country, Dartmouth plodding with the 20th slowest adjusted pace - the Fast Red will be too much firepower for the Swamp Green (I’m very clever). Cornell knows how it plays and is masterful at drawing their opponents into their style of play. If they do that tonight, they beat Dartmouth easily. Also, the Big Red is holding onto the final conference playoff spot, so they have a lot to play for. A month ago, Cornell beat the Big Green by eight, 79-71, and though they’ve actually never been favored on the road this year, I think they’ll know how to handle it tonight.

Columbia Lions at Harvard Crimson, 7 pm Eastern

The Pick: Harvard -14.5 (-115), bet $11.50 to win $10

Columbia is 4-18, 1-9 in Ivy League play, and 351st out of a possible 358th in the Pomeroy rankings. They are, however, 7-3 against the spread on the road. Doesn’t matter; they’re playing out the string at this point. Harvard have lost five of their last six, and they have to have this game if they are to have any shot at the conference tournament. They’re going all out tonight. The Crimson beat the Lions by 9 in New York last month, a game that was too close for comfort (the line was 9.5). Harvard lost a tough one to Penn last week and will be scratching and fighting to stay in the playoff race.

The Pick: Teaser Cornell +8.5 w/Harvard -7.5 -150, bet $18.75 to win $12.50

I’ll pair Cornell, who won’t get blown out by Dartmouth, with Harvard, who might not blow out Columbia, to cover my single Harvard bet.

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