College basketball odds, pick: Yale vs. Cornell for Friday, Feb. 23

Yale vs. Cornell Odds

Friday, Feb 23, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN+

Odds via DraftKings. Get up-to-the-minute NCAAB odds here.

Yale Bulldogs

Coming into the year, Yale earned the nod for preseason conference favorites, despite Princeton making a Cinderella run in last year's NCAA Tournament. The nonconference slate didn’t go as planned for Yale, but it has found its stride during conference play.

In league play, Yale leads the conference in offense and defensive efficiency. The biggest thing for the Bulldogs is getting back on track on the defensive end. Yale won the conference regular-season title in 2023 using an elite defense, and it’s starting to show signs of dominance again.

The Bulldogs have found their next star: dynamic 7-footer Danny Wolf. If you kept tabs on the FIBA U20 games over the summer, you saw a glimpse of Wolf’s potential. That potential is reality now, as Wolf averages 15 points and 9.8 rebounds per contest. The most impressive aspect of his game is his versatility, flashing ball-handling and shooting ability from the center spot. Wolf should have a strong game against the smaller Cornell interior.

Overall, Yale’s biggest advantage comes on the glass. The Bulldogs rank as the best rebounding team in the Ivy League, while Cornell ranks just seventh in defensive rebounding percentage. If Yale creates extra chances from rebounds, it could lead to scramble-drill 3s.

Cornell Big Red

Cornell comes into Friday’s game at 19-4 overall and 9-1 in conference play, with the lone loss being a two-point defeat against Yale. Cornell led for a majority of that game, but the home Bulldogs clawed their way back before ultimately grabbing the win.

Brian Earl is a terrific offensive coaching mind, just like his brother, Dan Earl, who is at Chattanooga. The Earl’s play eerily similar styles. Cornell plays at a rampant pace (25th in adjusted tempo) and shoots a ton of 3s (48% of shots from 3).

Although Cornell shoots a ton of triples, it only connects on 33% of those shots, compared to an elite 63% from two-point range. That said, playing a 5-out/4-in 1-out style opens up driving lanes and more chances to score inside without clogging up the lane. So while Cornell isn’t a great shooting team, the threat of shooting allows for terrific scoring inside the arc.

The other two Ivy League contenders have bonafide go-to scoring guys, but that’s not the case for Cornell. The closest thing to a go-to guy is Chris Manon, who’s averaging 12.7 points per game. Manon’s length and athleticism makes him a big-time driving threat, and he shoots 58% from the field. Manon won’t shoot a bunch of triples, but he’s a really gifted player.

Yale vs. Cornell

Betting Pick & Prediction

The Big Red have revenge on their minds after the last narrow loss against the Bulldogs. Cornell needs big scoring performances from Manon and Nazir Williams while its bigs stay out of foul trouble.

I'm picking Cornell and laying the points at home.

Pick: Cornell -1.5 (Play to -2)