SPECTATOR POLICIES EFFECTIVE FEB. 11
 
Penn at Yale
Friday, Feb. 18 – 7 p.m.
John J. Lee Amphitheater
ESPN+ Video
 
Princeton at Yale
Saturday, Feb. 19 – 7 p.m.
John J. Lee Amphitheater
ESPN+ Video
 
Live Stats | Game Notes
 
NEW HAVEN, Conn. – It's a big weekend for the Yale men's basketball team. The Bulldogs, who sit atop the Ivy League standings with an 8-1 record, host second-place Penn (8-2) on Friday and third-place Princeton (7-2) on Saturday. Both games tip at 7 p.m. at the John J. Lee Amphitheater. ESPN+ will stream each game.
 
Yale, which is riding a six-game winning streak, can secure a berth in Ivy Madness with a victory in either game. Losses by Harvard and Brown would also earn Yale a spot in the tournament.
 
A sweep of the two games would put the Bulldogs in the driver's seat to earn the tournament's No. 1 seed.
 
A challenging non-league schedule has certainly helped Yale thrive in Ivy play. The Bulldogs' eight non-conference losses came to teams that currently have a combined 148-55 (.729) record. All but one is in the top half of their league standings.
 
Two of the noticeable differences since the start of Ivy play have been offensive production and rebounding. In 14 non-conference games, the Bulldogs shot 42 percent from the field. So far in Ivy games, they are shooting 47.9 percent. Yale had a -3.0 rebounding margin during non-conference play but has a +4.3 margin in league games. The Bulldogs are 11-1 on the season when they outrebound their opponents.
 
Defensively, the Bulldogs have been strong throughout the season as they lead the league in field goal percentage defense (.416) and three-point field goal percentage defense (.309). In non-Ivy games, opponents shot 42.2 percent from the field, and in league play opponents have connected on 40.7 percent of their shots.
 
One of the difference makers in Ivy play has been Matt Knowling, who is averaging 12.6 points and 6.3 rebounds, while shooting 64.8 percent (46-of-71) from the field in league games after averaging 3.3 points and 2.4 rebounds in non-conference play. Knowling is a three-time Ivy Rookie of the Week selection, including this week after scoring a career-high 19 points in last Saturday's win over Columbia.
 
Knowling is one of three Bulldogs averaging double figures in scoring in Ivy games. He is joined by Azar Swain (18.6 ppg.) and Jalen Gabbidon (13.8 ppg.). Overall, Swain is second in the league in scoring at 19.1 ppg.
 
HISTORY LESSONS
 
The Bulldogs have swept the Penn-Princeton home weekend in nine of the last 10 seasons, including each of the last three.
 
Yale has won eight of the last nine meetings with Penn at Lee Amphitheater, including a memorable come-from-behind victory in 2020. The Bulldogs scored the final 13 points over the last 1:38 to overcome a 10-point deficit in a 76-73 victory. Jalen Gabbidon had nine points, six rebounds and five steals for Yale. The home team has won the last eight games in the series, including Penn's 76-68 victory at the Palestra in the first meeting this season.
 
Yale has won the last seven games with Princeton, including an 80-74 victory at Jadwin Gym on Jan. 29. Matt Knowling scored 17 points to lead five Bulldogs in double figures. Azar Swain and Gabbidon each added 14, Matthue Cotton scored 12 and Bez Mbeng posted his first career double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Yale has won four straight games over the Tigers at Lee Amphitheater.
 
SCOUTING PENN
 
Like Yale, the Quakers played a challenging non-conference schedule, and it is paying dividends in league play. Penn was 3-10 after its non-conference schedule, but the losses came to opponents such as Florida State, Davidson, Arkansas, Villanova, Temple and Saint Joseph's. The Quakers (8-2 in Ivy games) feature the Ivy League's leading scorer in Jordan Dingle (20.1 ppg.). He scored 31 points in the first meeting with the Bulldogs at The Palestra. Max Martz (10.0 ppg.) and Clark Slajchert (10.0 ppg.) also average doubles figures in scoring.
 
SCOUTING PRINCETON
 
The Tigers (17-5, 7-2 Ivy) play at Brown on Friday and feature one of the top offenses in the nation. They are ninth in scoring offense (81.1 ppg.), 12th in field goal percentage (.487) and sixth in three-point field goals per game (10.9). Five Tigers average double figures in scoring, led by Tosan Evbuomwan at 16.7 ppg. Jaelin Llewellyn, who scored 23 points in the first meeting with Yale, averages 13.3 points. Princeton has won two straight games, including an 85-40 dismantling of Dartmouth last Saturday.
 
FRIDAY EQUITY & INCLUSION NIGHT
 
On Friday, the Bulldogs will celebrate Equity & Inclusion Night, a national campaign throughout college basketball. The purpose is to keep the fight for Equality in the national spotlight. The Yale coaching staff will wear all black on the sideline to display unity and an equal sign lapel pin to symbolize equality. Dr. Marcus Bright, the Senior Advisor for the Rising Coaches Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Alliance, will be in attendance on Friday. He has worked across the country to build partnerships and put processes in place that have generated access, opportunities and resources for diverse populations of people. He has published over 150 articles in various publications including the Huffington Post, The Grio, Miami Herald, and Diverse: Issues in Higher Education and spoken across the country on a variety of topics related to public policy, education, and social justice.