Yale Listed as Odds-On Favorite to Win 2019 Ivy League Tournament
By David Golokhov in College Basketball
Updated: March 27, 2020 at 3:44 pm EDTPublished:
- Harvard is the No. 1 seed but they are not favored to win the Ivy League Tournament
- The Crimson have won the regular season title two years in a row
- Yale will have home-court advantage in this tournament and were 10-2 at home this season
The Harvard Crimson have captured their second consecutive Ivy League regular-season crown. However, they have won this event just twice and are 2-6 in the tournament overall.
While they’re the No. 1 seed, they’re not the team that’s favored to win this lightning-quick four-team affair.
Let’s take a closer look at why that’s the case and who is the best bet in the 2019 Ivy League Tournament (March 16-17).
Odds to Win 2019 Ivy League Conference Tournament
| Team | Ivy League Conference Tournament odds |
|---|---|
| Yale | -150 |
| Penn | +300 |
| Harvard | +320 |
| Princeton | +750 |
Take Note of the Odds
It’s not often that you take a look at the betting lines for a conference tournament and see the No. 1 seed as third in line in terms of the odds. That’s what we have here as Harvard is the top seed in the Ivy League Tournament but they’re actually behind Yale and Penn, the No. 4 seed.
Re-live tonight’s triumph with us from start to finish! #GoCrimson ? pic.twitter.com/yDRAoHTZn0
— Harvard Basketball (@HarvardMBB) March 10, 2019
Ivy League Tournament Bracket
Ivy League Tournament Details
A lot of conference tournaments are elaborate but the Ivy League tourney is quite simple: there are just four teams that make the cut. That means that whoever wins twice captures the title. This year’s festivities will be held at the John J. Lee Amphitheater in New Haven, Connecticut. That’s crucial as that means Yale has home-court advantage throughout.
Why Yale is Favored
As mentioned, Yale has home-court advantage, so that’s a big reason why they’re favored. The Bulldogs were 10-2 at home this season compared to 8-5 while on the road.
On the other hand, the other three teams in the tournament – Harvard, Princeton, and Penn – were no better than 8-5 on the road.
Introducing your @IvyLeague Player of the Year:
MIYE ONI. #ThisIsYale #BoolaBoola pic.twitter.com/2i8sCXiJpv
— Yale_Basketball (@Yale_Basketball) March 12, 2019
The other factor here is that Yale has an easier path to the title. They’ll start off with Princeton, whom they just smoked by 22 points on Princeton’s home court.
Harvard’s Path is Trickier
Harvard was a little bit sluggish to end the season, nearly coughing up the No. 1 seed. They lost by 13 to Cornell and then needed overtime to squeak by Columbia. They’ll start the Ivy League Tournament with Penn, who they beat twice but both games were really close.
Take a look at the full highlights package from tonight’s broadcast – lots of fantastic plays by the guys tonight! #GoCrimson pic.twitter.com/dQy2aSrBIs
— Harvard Basketball (@HarvardMBB) March 10, 2019
What Does KenPom Say?
Harvard isn’t rated particularly well in the KenPom adjusted efficiency ratings, which is an overarching analytical stat that evaluates teams. They’re 130th in the country overall while Penn is 120th and Yale is 83rd.
However, you have to factor in the strength of schedule. Harvard is 108th in that category whereas the other teams are far lower. Penn’s schedule was 129th while Yale was 183rd.
Take a Shot with Harvard
There’s really not much that separates Yale and Harvard. Yale is getting a slight edge as they will have home-court advantage, and that could be a big deal. At the same time, these two teams squared off twice in the regular season and Harvard won both times.
FINAL SCORE! Harvard wins the Ivy League title with an 83-81 win over Columbia!! #GoCrimson pic.twitter.com/6qZY92oleo
— Harvard Basketball (@HarvardMBB) March 10, 2019
Harvard has also won six of their last eight games to finish the year – even if a couple were nail biters – while Yale dropped three of their final five. This is a toss-up but Harvard has the much better price tag. I’ll take a small flier with them as Yale seems a tad overpriced.
SBD’s NCAA conference tournament coverage:
- 2019 SWAC Tournament Odds: Texas Southern Favored
- 2019 Conference USA Tournament Odds: Southern Miss Favored
- 2019 Big 12 Conference Tournament Odds: Texas Tech Heavily Favored
- 2019 Big Sky Conference Tournament Odds: Montana Listed as Favorite
- 2019 Big Ten Conference Tournament Odds: Michigan State Favored
- 2019 AAC Tournament Odds: Houston Listed as Favorite
- 2019 Pac-12 Tournament Odds: Washington Listed as Favorite
- 2019 Big West Conference Tournament Odds: UC Irvine the Odds-On Favorite
- 2019 ACC Tournament Odds: Virginia, not Duke, Listed as Slight Favorite
- 2019 SEC Tournament Odds: Tennessee & Kentucky Favored Over LSU
- 2019 Big East Conference Tournament Odds: Villanova Favored Over Slumping Marquette
- 2019 MEAC Tournament Odds: Norfolk State Listed as Favorites
- Lipscomb Odds-On Favorite to Win NCAAM Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament
- Colgate Odds-On Favorite to Win Patriot League Tournament
- 2019 Horizon League Tournament Odds: Northern Kentucky Favored
- 2019 Big South Tournament Odds: Radford Favored
- 2019 MAAC Tournament Odds: Iona & Rider Listed as Co-Favorites
- 2019 Colonial Conference Tournament Odds: Hofstra Given Edge Over Northeastern
- Saint Francis Red Flash Favored to Win 2019 Northeast Conference Tournament
- Belmont Favored Over Murray State in Ohio Valley Conference Tournament
- 2019 West Coast Conference Tournament Odds: Should You Bet Against Gonzaga?
- 2019 Summit Conference Tournament Odds: South Dakota St Heavily Favored
- Wofford Listed as Odds-On Favorite in 2019 Southern Conference Tournament
- Missouri Valley Conference Tournament Odds: Loyola-Chicago Favored
Sports Writer
For over 15 years, Dave has been working in mainstream media and sports betting. He hosted a station on Sirius Satellite Radio for four years, and is currently a senior writer for AskMen. He's interviewed hundreds of hundreds of high-profile sports stars like Shaquille O'Neal and Floyd Mayweather.
