Yale vs Cornell Prediction 3/14/26 College Basketball Picks Today

The Cornell Big Red and the Yale Bulldogs meet Saturday in Ivy League Tournament college basketball action from Newman Arena in Ithaca. Here’s a Yale vs. Cornell prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best Yale vs. Cornell pick.

Cornell Big Red Betting Preview

Back on January 20, the Big Red were struggling. Cornell was sitting at just 7-9 overall at that time and coming off a rough 2-7 run. After wins over Brown, Harvard and Princeton from there, the Red lost to Penn (twice) and Harvard in the next five alongside wins over Columbia and Princeton. Since then it’s been wins over Yale, Brown and Dartmouth. That gives the Big Red a 15-12 record overall.

In the Dartmouth game last weekend, the Big Red jumped out to a comfortable lead at the break, 59-43. Cornell kept it going when they came back out onto the court for the second half, hitting a 52-47 run on the way to a nice 111-90 win in Hanover. Tops in scoring was Jake Fiegen with 22 points, two rebounds and two assists. Adam Tsang Hinton added 16 points as well.

Yale Bulldogs Betting Preview

Over on the Yale side, they opened the season with wins in 12 of their first 15 games. The Bulldogs took out Cornell, Columbia, Penn and Dartmouth after that, then lost to Harvard. Since then, Yale is 7-1 with wins over Brown, Howard, Dartmouth, Harvard, Penn, Columbia and Princeton (with a loss to Cornell). That makes for a 23-5 overall record in the books for the Bulldogs.

Matched up against Princeton last Saturday, Yale was sitting in the locker room at the break with a two-point edge, 32-30. The Bulldogs roared into the second half and pulled off a nice 46-23 finishing run for a 78-53 victory as the game came to an end. Nick Townsend topped the scorers with his 17 points, seven boards and two assists. Both Casey Simmons and Trevor Mullin chipped in 14 points apiece.

Why the Yale Bulldogs will win

• Yale has won each of its last 10 day games played at neutral venues.
• Cornell has lost each of its last three day games at Newman Arena at Bartels Hall.
• Yale has won the first half in each of its last nine day games against non-AP-ranked opponents at a neutral venue.

Why the Cornell Big Red will win

• Yale has lost four of its last five games at Newman Arena at Bartels Hall.
• Cornell has won four of its last five day games.
• Cornell has won the first half in each of its last three games.

Matchup/League Facts

• Yale ranks 10th among Division 1 teams for opponent free throws made per game this season (10.9).
• Yale ranks 12th among Division 1 teams for offensive rating this season (123.0).
• Cornell ranks 1st among Division 1 teams for assists per game this season (21.2).
• Cornell ranks 1st among Division 1 teams for three-point field goals made per game this season (13.0).

Yale vs Cornell Prediction

I’m going to take a stab at Cornell, but it’s probably a coin flip. The Big Red shot a blistering 63.1 percent from the field and 50 percent (19-of-38) from outside in their last win over Dartmouth. Cornell was competitive on the boards and in the paint but did give up 10 turnovers for 23 Dartmouth points. That gives Cornell three straight wins with 72 or more points scored in each and a combined 197 points scored across the last pair.

These teams met twice this year, splitting the season series. Cornell lost 102-68 on the road on January 17, then got a 72-69 victory at home in the rematch on February 27. In that home win, the Big Red shot a nice 48.1 percent from the field and 40 percent (14-of-35) from outside, along with a 31-28 rebounding edge. That said, Cornell did get outmuscled in the paint pretty badly 42-24 and had 12 turnovers along with 46.7 percent shooting allowed on defense. I like this tournament game to be pretty close as well; you could call it either way. It’ll be a fun one.