The Princeton Tigers are 14-0 straight up and 9-5 against the spread in 14 games against Ivy League opponents this season. With two more wins against conference rivals, the Tigers can become the winners of the first college basketball conference tournament in the Ivy League’s history.
Ivy League Tournament 2017 odds: Princeton betting favorite over Harvard, Penn, Yale
The Princeton Tigers will try to stay perfect against conference foes when they hit the hardwood in the Ivy League Tournament as betting favorites on Saturday.
Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
Princeton is a -135 favorite on the odds to win the Ivy League Tournament at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
In past seasons, the Tigers’ perfect conference record would have been enough to propel Princeton into the NCAA Tournament as champions. But with the Ivy League joining most of the nation in awarding its automatic bid with a conference tournament, Princeton will have to avoid an upset if it hopes to join the dance in March.
The Tigers get their first test against the Penn Quakers on Saturday. Penn (+475 to win the Ivy League Tournament) didn’t look like a top four team in the conference when it got off to a disastrous 1-7 SU and ATS start to Ivy League play. But the Quakers fought back with a 6-2 SU and 5-3 ATS record over their last eight games to earn this No. 4 seed.
The Quakers are a 6-point underdog in this matchup for Saturday.
The Harvard Crimson (+350) get another shot at March Madness thanks to this conference tournament after being beaten for the top spot in the Ivy League in the regular season. Harvard is 17-5 SU over its last 22 games and has played Princeton tough in both of the meetings between the two teams this year.
To advance to a potential final against Princeton, the Crimson will need to defeat the Yale Bulldogs on Saturday. Yale (+475) finished the regular season on an 8-4 SU and 5-7 ATS run, but an 0-4 SU and ATS slump with losses to the other three teams in this tournament sticks out on the Bulldogs’ February resume. Harvard is a 2.5 point favorite over Yale.
The Ivy League Tournament will be played at The Palestra in Philadelphia. The winners of Saturday’s tournament bouts will meet in the final to determine the winner of the Ivy League Tournament on Sunday.
Ivy League Tournament Betting Odds
Princeton -135
Harvard +350
Penn +475
Yale +475
