Follow Us
The Penn Quakers take on the Cornell Big Red. Our college basketball odds series has our Penn Cornell prediction and pick. Find out how to watch Penn Cornell.
The Cornell Big Red have a real chance to win the Ivy League this season. With Yale, one of the main contenders, picking up a surprising loss to Columbia one week ago, Cornell has already grabbed a game it probably didn’t expect to gain in the standings. The Big Red started their Ivy League season last week with a solid, workmanlike 11-point win at Dartmouth. They took care of a road opponent with the methodical maturity which was expected of them. Now they come home to face a Penn team which has lost seven games this season, but which did win on the road at Brown in its Ivy League opener last week. This is a very intriguing game, and one in which the surface records of the teams involved might not tell the whole story.
Here are the Penn-Cornell college basketball odds, courtesy of FanDuel:
College Basketball Odds: Penn-Cornell Odds
Penn Quakers: +3.5 (-106)
Cornell Big Red: -3.5 (-114)
Over: 154.5 (-110)
Under: 154.5 (-110)
How To Watch Penn vs. Cornell
TV: ESPN+
Stream: ESPN+
Time: 7:00 p.m. ET, p.m. PT
*Watch Penn-Cornell LIVE with fuboTV (Click for free trial)*
Why Penn Could Cover The Spread
The Quakers do have seven losses, and they’re barely above .500, but they might be better than their record indicates. Penn has lost to Iona, Missouri, West Virginia, and Villanova, four good teams in comparison with Penn’s level of talent. Yes, West Virginia and Villanova aren’t nearly as good as they have been in previous seasons — those two teams are going to struggle to make the NCAA Tournament this season — but they aren’t bad teams. It’s not as though most of Penn’s seven losses have been to teams they ought to beat. The two games Penn probably should have expected to win but didn’t were Big Five losses to Saint Joseph’s and La Salle, but both of those losses were in overtime. The quality of Penn’s schedule in nonconference play makes the Quakers look like a far better team than their 8-7 record might indicate. That is the first thing to you need to know about the Quakers heading into this contest.
Why Cornell Could Cover The Spread
The Big Red have been a consistently good team this season after their bad season opener. Cornell stumbled in its first game back in early November, losing to Boston College. Since then, the Big Red have played a lot better. They gave Syracuse and Miami a good run before losing to each of those ACC teams. The loss to Miami was one of the most exciting and high-scoring games of the whole college basketball season. The Big Red scored 105 points on the road against a Miami team which made the Elite Eight one season ago. Alas, the Big Red gave up 108. Still, they pushed a really good Miami team to the limit. Cornell has a lot of skill and is playing at home in this game. The Big Red should enjoy a real and meaningful advantage against a Penn team which is battle-tested but has not been nearly as consistent in winning close games late in regulation. Cornell has shown more of an ability to step up in the final five to 10 minutes of games and take charge.
Final Penn-Cornell Prediction & Pick
Penn is a lot better than its record, but Cornell has been playing good ball this season and should be able to find answers late.
Final Penn-Cornell Prediction & Pick: Cornell -3.5