Dartmouth at Yale
Fri., Jan. 6 – 7 p.m.
John J. Lee Amphitheater
ESPN+ Video | International Stream | Live Stats
 
Harvard at Yale
Sat., Jan. 7 – 7 p.m.
John J. Lee Amphitheater
ESPN+ Video | International Stream | Live Stats
 
Tickets | Yale Game Notes
 
NEW HAVEN, Conn. – The John J. Lee Amphitheater is a welcome sight for the Yale men's basketball team, which didn't play a home game in the month of December. January will be much kinder to the Bulldogs, who have five of their next six games in the historic arena, starting with a pair this weekend against Dartmouth on Friday and Harvard on Saturday. Both are 7 p.m. tips.
 
Yale (10-4, 0-1 Ivy) has been dominant at home this season, winning four games with an average margin of victory of nearly 50 points (46.8), including an 86-40 thrashing of Howard on Nov. 30. Over the last 9+ seasons the Bulldogs are 94-23 in the friendly confines of Lee Amphitheater. Last year, Yale was 6-1 at home in Ivy League play.
 
The Bulldogs find themselves in an unfamiliar position after opening league play with a 62-60 loss at Columbia on Dec. 31. It was Yale's first loss in its Ivy opener since the 2012-13 season. Trailing by 16 late in the first half, the Bulldogs came all the way back and tied the score at 53 with 3:29 remaining. Columbia, though, made some clutch, difficult shots in the final minutes to escape with the victory.
 
Yale has had big second halves on a number of occasions this season and has outscored its opponents 555-399 after halftime. In addition, the Bulldogs have come from behind to win three games when trailing at the break.
 
Defense and rebounding have spearheaded Yale's early-season success. The Bulldogs are sixth in the nation in rebound margin (+9.9), seventh in scoring defense (56.9 ppg.) and 12th in field goal percentage defense (.374).
 
Individually, Matt Knowling leads the Ivy League and is 19th nationally in field goal percentage (63.0 percent). Knowling returned to the lineup for the Columbia game after missing three games due to injury. He was 7-of-14 from the field and grabbed nine rebounds in 24 minutes off the bench against the Lions.
 
Knowling (16.2 ppg.) is one of three Bulldogs averaging double figures in scoring. He is joined by John Poulakidas (11.1 ppg.) and EJ Jarvis (10.1 ppg.). August Mahoney (9.3 ppg.) is coming off one of his strongest games. He scored 17 points against the Lions and was named to this week's Ivy League Honor Roll.
 
Yale has had a balanced attack all season. Nine different Bulldogs have scored in double figures at least once, seven have led the team in scoring and 10 have led in rebounding.
 
After this weekend, Yale plays its only road game of the month, next Friday at Cornell in a nationally televised (ESPNU) affair. The Bulldogs are back at Lee Amphitheater for games with Brown (Jan. 16), Penn (Jan. 21) and Princeton (Jan. 28) to close out the month.
 
HISTORY LESSONS
 
The Bulldogs have won the last 12 meetings with Dartmouth, including winning seven straight at Lee Amphitheater. Both games were close a year ago. Azar Swain '22 scored 25 points and was 14-of-14 from the free throw line, including several important ones in the final minutes, as Yale edged the Big Green 72-69 at Lee Amphitheater. Matt Knowling had 10 points and Isaiah Kelly contributed nine. In Hanover, N.H., later in the season, Swain had 21 points and made more clutch free throws late to lead the Bulldogs to a 66-61 win. The Bulldogs lead the all-time series with Dartmouth 120-97. The first meeting came in 1900, a 10-8 Yale win in a game played in Boston.
 
Yale swept the season series from Harvard last season, winning twice in a five-day stretch. In the first game at Lee Amphitheater, the Bulldogs limited the Crimson to 34.6 percent shooting from the field on their way to a 58-55 victory. Knowling contributed 10 points and nine rebounds in the victory. In the rematch in Cambridge, Jalen Gabbidon '22 scored 19 points and Knowling added 10 as Yale posted a 62-59 victory. The Bulldogs led by as many as 14 points in the second half. Yale's 123 victories over Harvard are the most against any opponent. The first meeting between the teams was a 41-16 Yale victory in 1901.
 
SCOUTING DARTMOUTH
 
The Big Green (4-11, 0-1 Ivy) opened league play with a 74-63 loss to Cornell last Sunday. Dame Adelekun scored 14 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to post his second double-double of the season to lead Dartmouth. The Big Green shot 21-of-31 on two-point attempts (67.7 percent), but just 6-of-26 (23.1 percent) from behind the arc. Ryan Cornish (11.2 ppg.) leads the team in scoring. Adelekun (10.8 ppg.) and Dusan Neskovic (10.3 ppg.) also average double figures in scoring. The Big Green lead the Ivy League with 66 blocked shots.
 
SCOUTING HARVARD
 
The Crimson, which plays at Brown on Friday, is second in the league in field goal percentage defense (.411) and third in scoring defense (64.5 ppg.). Harvard (9-6, 0-1 Ivy) lost to Princeton 69-66 in its Ivy opener on New Year's Eve at Jadwin Gym. Chris Ledlum paced the Crimson with 22 points and 13 rebounds. Ledlum leads the league in rebounding (7.5 rpg.) and is second in scoring (19.5 ppg.). First-year forward Chisom Okpara is a three-time Ivy League Rookie of the Week selection. Two of Harvard's six losses have come by three points.