Ivy YTD: 6-0 on picks posted at MadJacks*
Dartmouth +2
I was hoping for more points here and this line may go up, but Dartmouth should win this game straight up. The Vegas linesmakers were brilliant here, they know Dartmouth will win but they had to make them the dog to get equal action on both sides since Harvard beat them by 17 just 3 weeks ago.
Back on 12/15, I recommended that you take the Harvard ?8.5 as the home favorite over Dartmouth.
The Crimson covered and won that game 70-53.
On Saturday, Harvard (8-5) travels to Dartmouth (6-6) for a re-match in an Ivy League conference game.
This is an important game for both teams as they each face Penn and Princeton next weekend which are probable conference losses. Today?s match-up is probably more important for Dartmouth as they?re looking an 0-4 start in the Ivy if they lose this game.
This time I?m recommending that you take Dartmouth and the points.
?What? But Harvard beat Dartmouth by 17 less than a month ago. What?s changed??
1. Dartmouth?s play has improved.
2. Harvard can?t shoot on the road.
3. Dartmouth should execute better this time around.
4. Revenge.
While Dartmouth hasn?t completely solved their rebounding problems (and they?re especially weak on the offense glass) their shooting has really improved. One of the big reasons is the emergence of Freshman Mike McLaren as one of the team?s leading scorers. While McLaren left their last game at New Mexico on 12/29 with a broken nose and a mild concussion early in the second half, he practiced with the team all week and should start.
For the season, the Big Green are shooting 44% from the field including an outstanding 40% from behind the arc. (#7 in the nation in 3-point FG made per game ? an average of 9.63)
Dartmouth only returned two starters, one of which (co-captain Osmanovic) hasn?t been seeing much playing time. They?re a young team with only five upperclassmen on the 14-player roster and their chemistry is just starting to gel.
The Big Green have been very strong in terms of holding onto the ball; in their last 3 games they?ve averaged less than 10 turnovers/game against decent opponents on the road (Colgate, SE Louisiana, New Mexico).
In terms of rebounding, Dartmouth still hasn?t figured out how to replace Ian McGinnis who averaged 9.6 rpg last year. Freshmen 6-9 David Gardner, 6-8 Brandon Smith and Sophomore 6-11 Scott Klingbeil have been getting better every game but 6-8 245 sophomore Brendan Herbert continues to carry the load.
So far this season Harvard?s field goal percentage is 40% and 29% from 3-points. But importantly, they?re shooting just 37% on the road while hitting 44% at home. In their last game versus a terrible Coppin State team (2-10, ranked #316 out of 327 Division One teams by Sagerin), the Crimson hit just 21-69 (30%) and barely manged to pull out a win 55-51 in OT.
In the 12/15 game, Dartmouth shot only 25% in the first half and committed 10 second half turnovers showing their post-exam period rust. Dartmouth?s point guard and leading scorer and senior Flinder Boyd was held to just 7 points (none in the first half) well below his 16 point average with which he entered the game.
IMO Dartmouth will shoot better and be better prepared this time around. Dartmouth will play a more physical game and get more rebounds and if they can hit more shots rebounding will be less of a critical factor. Harvard?s inability to shoot on the road will be the difference.
Dartmouth?s Leede Arena underwent its annual resurfacing in December so Dartmouth played all six games last month on the road. This game is the first of seven consecutive home games; school is just back in session so at 7PM they should have a rowdy crowd of 2100 as Dartmouth has a strong beer-drinking tradition!
*My Ivy picks posted at MadJacks this season:
12/11 Yale ?4 vs Rhode Island WIN
12/15 Harvard ?8.5 vs Dartmouth WIN
12/28 James Madison ?12.5 vs Cornell WIN
12/28 Harvard +28 vs California WIN
12/31 SDSU ?14 vs Columbia WIN
1/2/02 Cornell +19 at Georgia Tech WIN
Dartmouth +2
I was hoping for more points here and this line may go up, but Dartmouth should win this game straight up. The Vegas linesmakers were brilliant here, they know Dartmouth will win but they had to make them the dog to get equal action on both sides since Harvard beat them by 17 just 3 weeks ago.
Back on 12/15, I recommended that you take the Harvard ?8.5 as the home favorite over Dartmouth.
The Crimson covered and won that game 70-53.
On Saturday, Harvard (8-5) travels to Dartmouth (6-6) for a re-match in an Ivy League conference game.
This is an important game for both teams as they each face Penn and Princeton next weekend which are probable conference losses. Today?s match-up is probably more important for Dartmouth as they?re looking an 0-4 start in the Ivy if they lose this game.
This time I?m recommending that you take Dartmouth and the points.
?What? But Harvard beat Dartmouth by 17 less than a month ago. What?s changed??
1. Dartmouth?s play has improved.
2. Harvard can?t shoot on the road.
3. Dartmouth should execute better this time around.
4. Revenge.
While Dartmouth hasn?t completely solved their rebounding problems (and they?re especially weak on the offense glass) their shooting has really improved. One of the big reasons is the emergence of Freshman Mike McLaren as one of the team?s leading scorers. While McLaren left their last game at New Mexico on 12/29 with a broken nose and a mild concussion early in the second half, he practiced with the team all week and should start.
For the season, the Big Green are shooting 44% from the field including an outstanding 40% from behind the arc. (#7 in the nation in 3-point FG made per game ? an average of 9.63)
Dartmouth only returned two starters, one of which (co-captain Osmanovic) hasn?t been seeing much playing time. They?re a young team with only five upperclassmen on the 14-player roster and their chemistry is just starting to gel.
The Big Green have been very strong in terms of holding onto the ball; in their last 3 games they?ve averaged less than 10 turnovers/game against decent opponents on the road (Colgate, SE Louisiana, New Mexico).
In terms of rebounding, Dartmouth still hasn?t figured out how to replace Ian McGinnis who averaged 9.6 rpg last year. Freshmen 6-9 David Gardner, 6-8 Brandon Smith and Sophomore 6-11 Scott Klingbeil have been getting better every game but 6-8 245 sophomore Brendan Herbert continues to carry the load.
So far this season Harvard?s field goal percentage is 40% and 29% from 3-points. But importantly, they?re shooting just 37% on the road while hitting 44% at home. In their last game versus a terrible Coppin State team (2-10, ranked #316 out of 327 Division One teams by Sagerin), the Crimson hit just 21-69 (30%) and barely manged to pull out a win 55-51 in OT.
In the 12/15 game, Dartmouth shot only 25% in the first half and committed 10 second half turnovers showing their post-exam period rust. Dartmouth?s point guard and leading scorer and senior Flinder Boyd was held to just 7 points (none in the first half) well below his 16 point average with which he entered the game.
IMO Dartmouth will shoot better and be better prepared this time around. Dartmouth will play a more physical game and get more rebounds and if they can hit more shots rebounding will be less of a critical factor. Harvard?s inability to shoot on the road will be the difference.
Dartmouth?s Leede Arena underwent its annual resurfacing in December so Dartmouth played all six games last month on the road. This game is the first of seven consecutive home games; school is just back in session so at 7PM they should have a rowdy crowd of 2100 as Dartmouth has a strong beer-drinking tradition!
*My Ivy picks posted at MadJacks this season:
12/11 Yale ?4 vs Rhode Island WIN
12/15 Harvard ?8.5 vs Dartmouth WIN
12/28 James Madison ?12.5 vs Cornell WIN
12/28 Harvard +28 vs California WIN
12/31 SDSU ?14 vs Columbia WIN
1/2/02 Cornell +19 at Georgia Tech WIN
