Scouting Report: Yale

Oh, you again? Last month, Penn played a hard-fought game with the Elis but lost, 68-59. Yale took a 10 point lead late in the second half before a 9-0 run engineered by freshman Tony Hicks brought the Quakers within one point. But the run was not enough as the Bulldogs pulled away behind a clutch three from senior guard Austin Morgan and took the game by nine.

What have you been up to? Yale is coming off its biggest win of the season, as the Bulldogs upset then first-place Princeton yesterday, 71-66. The win completes the season sweep for Yale over the Tigers since the Elis also defeated Princeton the day after their first matchup with Penn. In the three weekends after the sweep of Princeton and Penn, Yale has split its six games, with wins against Columbia, Cornell and Dartmouth. After losing at Columbia last weekend, the Elis took advantage of a shorthanded Cornell squad and won 79-70 in Ithaca.

Leading the way: Yale’s signature this season has been a truly balanced lineup, with 10 players averaging at least 4.5 points per game, and 12 players getting over 13 minutes of court time per contest. In the Elis' last three games, Morgan has led the way, putting up double figures in each contest. Sophomore Matt Townsend has played well in the post for the Bulldogs, averaging 13 points per game in Yale’s last four Ivy matchups. But one Yale forward has been cold in recent games, and that is freshman Justin Sears. Sears had 11 points and seven rebounds off the bench in the Bulldogs’ first game against Penn, but he has scored just a combined eight points in Yale’s last three games.

SIZING IT UP

Scoring: YALE- Both teams struggled at times offensively in the first matchup at the Palestra, but Yale has proven to be the more consistent offensive team this year. The Bulldogs are second in scoring offense in the Ancient Eight and have put up at least 70 points in four of their last six games. They have surpassed 70 points in 11 games this season, compared to just four times by the Quakers.

Rebounding: YALE- This one is pretty simple. Yale is first in the Ancient Eight in rebounding margin while the Red and Blue are last in the category. The Elis outrebounded the Quakers, 41-31, in the first matchup. Penn big men Henry Brooks, Darien Nelson-Henry and Greg Louis combined for 12 fouls trying to keep the Bulldogs off the boards but were unable to do so consistently.

Beyond the Arc: PENN- Both teams are proficient from three-point range during Ivy play, but Penn ultimately has more consistent weapons from long range. The Quakers have four players who have made at least 25 three-pointers this season, compared to just two from Yale. But the Bulldogs do have Morgan, who is sixth in the Ivies in three-pointers made per contest, despite making just one in Yale’s first game against the Quakers.

Bench: YALE- While Penn’s bench received a strong performance from Patrick Lucas-Perry off the bench last night, Yale has arguably the deepest bench in the Ivy League. The team has gotten some strong performances from starters in recent games but players like Brandon Sherrod, Michael Grace and Sam Martin provide the Elis with more than ten minutes per game and the ability to score double figures on any given night.

Defense: PUSH- Neither Penn nor Yale has been great defensively this season, ranking sixth and seventh respectively in the Ivy League in scoring defense. The two teams have put in almost identical performances in recent weeks, as Yale beat Cornell 79-70 and lost to Columbia 59-46, while Penn beat Cornell 79-71 and lost to Columbia 58-41. The Bulldogs and Quakers played a close game at the Palestra in February and it is very easy to see a similarly tight matchup in New Haven, with Penn and Yale battling for possession of third place in the Ivy League.