The Columbia Lions (6-19, 1-8 Ivy) and the Yale Bulldogs (19-6, 7-2 Ivy) face off at Francis S. Levien Gymnasium. The Lions look to put an end to their five-game losing streak. The game begins at 7 p.m. ET on Saturday, February 22, 2020.
Yale Bulldogs at Columbia Lions Betting Odds
Neither team was able to cover in their last outing. The Bulldogs (5-point favorites) beat the Cornell Big Red, 81-80, while the Lions (14.5-point favorites) were defeated by the Brown Bears, 72-66. The Yale game went 22.5 points over the projected point total of 138.5, while the Columbia game finished 3 points under the projected point total of 141.
Yale won the rebounding battle. The Bulldogs had 14 offensive rebounds and 39 total rebounds, while the Big Red had seven and 29, respectively. Columbia, meanwhile, had a better effective field goal percentage (0.518 vs. 0.477). Columbia’s Mike Smith played well, contributing 22 points. Yale was lifted by Jordan Bruner, who put up 14 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists. This gave him his zeroth triple-double of the season.
In their first matchup this year, Paul Atkinson led the Bulldogs to a 93-62 victory. He recorded a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds. Yale covered as a 15-point favorite and the two teams combined to put up 155 points, which was well over the projected point total of 132. Yale out-rebounded Columbia. The Bulldogs had more offensive rebounds (8 vs. 3), defensive rebounds (36 vs. 22) and total rebounds (44 vs. 25).
Matchups including the Bulldogs have a tendency to go over the O/U total (59.1 percent). Yale comes into the contest with records of 19-6 straight up (SU) and 16-6 against the spread (ATS).
Unlike Yale, just over half of Lions games have finished under the O/U total. Further, Columbia is 6-19 SU and 9-14 ATS.
The ineffective offense of Columbia will go head-to-head against the stingy defense of Yale. The Lions rank 323rd in offensive efficiency, while the Bulldogs are 18th in defensive efficiency. The Bulldogs figure to have the edge on that end of the court.
Yale vs. Columbia Pick
Free Basketball Pick: SU Winner – Yale, ATS Winner – Yale, O/U – Over
Betting Notes:
- Yale averages 39.1 rebounds per game, which ranks 33rd in the nation. Columbia ranks 260th in rebounds allowed per game (38.0).
- The Bulldogs rank 89th in blocks per game (3.5) while the Lions rank 159th in blocks allowed per game (4.2).
- The Bulldogs rank 11th in assists per game (16.4) while the Lions rank 230th (11.5).
- Yale averages 24.2 three pointers per game, which ranks 81st in the country. Columbia ranks 184th in three pointers allowed per game (22.6).
- Columbia is 2-5 ATS at home, while Yale is 11-4 ATS on the road.
- The Bulldogs have 8 overs and 7 unders in 15 road games.
- The Lions have 4 unders and 3 overs in 7 home games.
Bettings Trends:
- The Lions are 3-2 ATS over their last five games, while the Bulldogs are 2-3.
- In their last five games, Columbia has 3 overs and 2 unders, while Yale has 4 overs and 1 under.
- The Lions’ average margin of defeat in their last five games has been 5.6, up from 4.0 for the season.
- During their last five games, the Bulldogs have scored an average of 76.4 points per game (0.5 below their season average) and allowed an average of 69.6 points per game (5.2 above their season average).
