College Basketball Picks & Odds: Is Penn Undervalued on the Road at Dartmouth?

The Ivy League standings are incredibly tight with three weeks remaining in the regular season. A single game separates the first and fifth ranked teams, which means that one program will be on the outside looking in at the four-team Ivy League Tournament.

Can Penn score a pivotal road win and keep pace, or is there value in the Big Green in Hanover?

College Basketball Odds & Picks

Odds as of Friday morning and via FanDuel. Get up to a $500 risk-free bet at FanDuel today or see more offers and reviews for the best online sportsbooks.

Penn at Dartmouth

• Spread: Penn -2
• Over/Under: 133.5
• Time: 7 p.m. ET
• TV: ESPN+

It’s a bit surprising to see the Quakers installed as just a slight favorite on the road. After all, UPenn has won six of its last seven, both straight up and against the spread. Additionally, they have won road games at Alabama and Providence this season.

To find a game in which the Quakers laid an egg on the road, you’d have to go all the way back to early November when they shot 3-for-22 from three-point range against Rice. Since then, Penn is 5-2 ATS on the road.

Dartmouth, just 2-5 ATS at home, is one of the worst offensive teams in the country. The Big Green rank 300th or worse in the following offensive categories:

• Points Per Game
• Offensive Efficiency
• Free Throw %
• Off Rebound %

The combination of Dartmouth’s glacial tempo and inefficiency on the offensive end makes it hard to envision an outright victory in this spot. Yes, DU was able to stay within striking distance of Penn at the Palestra three weeks ago, but that 54-46 victory for Steve Donahue’s crew actually makes me more bullish in the rematch.

Penn won and covered the number playing outside its comfort zone. The Quakers would much rather play in the mid-70s and rely on their scoring one-two punch of AJ Brodeur and Jordan Dingle than slog through a halfcourt battle.

The motivational angle of an Ivy Madness bid (only four teams make it), the disparity in offensive prowess and Penn’s comfort level playing on the road makes this an easy call. Take the Quakers.

Pick: Penn -1.5 (line as has since moved to -2)