The 2024 Ivy League conference tournament is the last to start in the country, and with only four teams in the tourney, it’s also the smallest. This conference gets right down to business. If a team can’t finish in the top four in the conference, they don’t get to dance. We may only have four teams to preview, but there’s still money to be made. Let’s dive into it my 2024 Ivy League tournament preview, picks, and best bets!
The Ivy League conference tournament starts on March 16th, and the final is on March 17th. The tournament will be held at Levien Gymnasium in New York, NY.
2024 Ivy League Tournament Preview, Picks, and Best Bets
Will Princeton go on another March run? Will Yale spoil the dance for the Tigers? Or could the Brown Bears get the bid?
The Favorite: Princeton +100
Princeton leads the Ivy League with 26 appearances in the NCAA tournament, and they’re the favorite to earn the bid this year. The Tigers made it all the way to the Sweet Sixteen last year, and it seems like they’re always the type of team that no one wants to play.
This year’s Princeton team went 24-3 overall and finished first in the conference with a 12-2 record.
The Tigers are led by guard Xaivian Lee. Lee is entering the tournament averaging 17.7 points, 5.9 boards, and 3.7 assists per game. He’s essentially Mr. Everything for the Tigers, and they’ll need him to roll in the conference tourney.
Princeton gets Brown in their first game. The Tigers beat the Bears both times they played, winning by nine and 10 points. However, Princeton will get either Cornell or Yale in the final. Princeton split the season series with both teams, and a win against either team is far from a guarantee.
Princeton at plus odds in a four-team tournament is a decent play, but it’s not where the sharp money should be in this tournament. This is also likely better odds than you would get parlaying Princeton in these two games. It’s a chalky bet, but it may be the safest play on the board.
Other Contenders
Yale is at +200, and Cornell is at +350 odds. These two teams will face each other in the first round. The Bulldogs beat Cornell by two at home and lost by three on the road. KenPom has these teams separated by exactly eight spots. Yale is at 89, and Cornell is at 97. This is about as close to a true 50/50 game as there is.
The Bulldogs went 20-9 overall and 11-3 in conference. Their only conference losses came to Princeton and Brown.
Cornell finished the year 22-6 and also went 11-3 in conference. Their only other losses came against Brown and Princeton.
Yale is the clear favorite between the two teams and is worth a sprinkle at 2-1. If you’re on Cornell, take whatever points you’ll get, and then roll it into the money line on the championship if they win outright.
The Dark Horse: Brown +2000
The Brown Bears have the most interesting number on the board in the Ivy League tournament. Brown went 12-17 overall, but their 8-6 conference record was good enough for fourth place in the Ivy League.
The Bears are coming into the tournament on a six-game winning streak. Their current run includes wins over Cornell and Yale. They lost twice to Princeton in conference play.
Brown is led by senior guard Kino Lilly, Jr. Lilly comes into the tournament averaging 18.4 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per game.
One area of concern for the Bears is their free-throw shooting, which is only 65.4%.
Brown lacks the firepower to run with Princeton, but it’s really hard to beat the same team three times in the same year. Brown is coming in hot, has an intriguing number, and it’s only a four-team tournament. We’ve seen longer shots do more against teams better than the Princeton Tigers.
Consider a Brown sprinkle, but also bet them with the points against Princeton, and then roll that into the final.
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