Dartmouth visits Penn on Friday, February 27, 2026 at 7:00 PM ET in Philadelphia at The Palestra in an Ivy League game with direct standings impact. Penn enters 6-5 in Ivy play (third place), with Dartmouth at 5-6 and chasing the top half of the league.
Penn is a strong home-side profile (10-2 at home) while Dartmouth has been steadier away from Hanover (6-6 on the road). Both teams come in off six days of rest since last playing on February 21, so this projects as a clean energy spot with normal rotations.
Odds
Odds as of 10:54 AM ET on Feb. 27, 2026.
| Market | Spread | Moneyline | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| BetUS (as of 10:54 AM ET) | Dartmouth +7 (-110) | Penn -7 (-110) | Dartmouth +255 | Penn -310 | O 155 (-110) | U 155 (-110) |
Team Snapshot
This table summarizes where each team stands entering tip-off.
| Team | Record | Last 10 | ATS | Off Eff | Def Eff | Tempo | Key Injury Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dartmouth | 11-13 (5-6 Ivy) | 4-6 | 12-11 | 1.08 PPP | 1.09 PPP allowed | 71.8 poss/g | No injuries reported |
| Penn | 13-11 (6-5 Ivy) | 6-4 | 14-9 | 1.08 PPP | 1.09 PPP allowed | 70.8 poss/g | Dylan Williams (G) questionable; Ryan Altman (G) questionable |
Recent Form & Statistical Edge
Dartmouth: 3-point volume can keep it competitive, but ball security is the swing factor
Dartmouth is scoring 76.0 points per game and allowing 74.9, with a 44.5% team FG rate and a 36.7% 3PT rate. The profile is perimeter-forward: the Big Green take threes at a high clip, and that gives them a real path to shorten the game against a home favorite even if they lose the possession battle.
The concern is turnovers. Dartmouth is at 12.5 turnovers per game, and the season-long turnover margin is negative when you compare giveaways (12.5 per game) to opponent giveaways forced (9.5 per game). Against a Penn team that has been more stable with the ball overall, empty possessions are the easiest way for a road underdog to get stretched late.
Rest and travel are neutral-to-positive: Dartmouth has not played since February 21 and makes a manageable trip to Philadelphia, but it also plays again at Princeton on Saturday (February 28), which can matter if minutes pile up early for the starters.
Penn: home-court defense and free-throw pressure, with unders showing up repeatedly
Penn is 13-11 overall and 10-2 at home, and the home record aligns with a balanced scoring margin (+1.8 on the season). Offensively, Penn is at 76.3 points per game with a 38.3% 3PT rate, while defensively it has held opponents to 32.0% from three even though overall opponent FG% allowed is 45.5%.
Penn’s cleaner possession game shows up in the per-game turnover numbers (10.9 committed, 11.9 forced), and that is a meaningful matchup contrast versus Dartmouth’s higher giveaway rate. The Quakers also generate frequent trips to the line in their games, but their conversion rate (69.2% FT) is a limitation if they need to close out a margin late.
From a totals standpoint, Penn’s recent results have leaned heavily under: it is 1-9 O/U in its last 10 games, which matches the way Penn has won at home this season (control, defend, avoid live-ball mistakes).
Key Metrics (Season)
This table provides a side-by-side look at the core matchup stats that most directly touch spread and total.
| Metric | Dartmouth | Penn |
|---|---|---|
| Points per game | 76.0 | 76.3 |
| Points allowed per game | 74.9 | 74.5 |
| FG% | 44.5% | 44.3% |
| 3PT% (team) | 36.7% | 38.3% |
| 3PT% allowed (opponent) | 31.7% | 32.0% |
| FT% | 74.2% | 69.2% |
| Rebounds per game | 35.9 | 36.3 |
| Rebounding margin | +0.4 | +0.6 |
| Turnovers per game | 12.5 | 10.9 |
| Turnover margin | -3.0 | +1.0 |
Matchup Keys
- Turnovers and live possessions: Penn’s season turnover profile (10.9 committed, positive turnover margin) matches up well versus Dartmouth’s higher giveaway rate (12.5 per game). If Dartmouth cannot keep turnovers closer to even, Penn has the easiest path to a two-possession edge without needing elite shooting.
- 3-point math on both sides: Both teams shoot it well from three (Dartmouth 36.7%, Penn 38.3%), and both defenses have held opponents near 32% from deep. That combination typically pushes scoring toward “make quality shots” rather than “trade open threes,” which often favors the home team’s execution.
- Tempo is not slow by Ivy standards: Both teams sit around 71 possessions per game, so the total being in the mid-150s is at least explainable. The question is whether Penn’s defensive shot quality at home keeps Dartmouth from converting its usual volume of threes.
- Free throws can decide the spread more than the total: Penn tends to get to the line, but its 69.2% FT rate leaves points on the table. Dartmouth (74.2% FT) is better positioned to convert late if the game stays within one or two possessions.
- Rebounding is likely a stalemate: The raw rebounding margins are small for both teams (Dartmouth +0.4, Penn +0.6). That puts more weight on shot-making and turnovers than on second-chance volume.
Best Bet
Under 155 (or Under 154.5 if available).
Penn’s recent O/U form (1-9 to the under in the last 10) is supported by the matchup details: both teams defend the three-point line at roughly the same level (about 32% allowed), and neither side shows a major rebounding edge that would inflate possession count with extra shots. The most total-friendly pathway is a clean, low-turnover game with lots of made threes, but Dartmouth’s turnover rate (12.5 per game) and Penn’s tendency to control home games make that a less reliable assumption. A reasonable projection is Penn 77, Dartmouth 72 (149 total), with the under hinging on Penn’s ability to keep Dartmouth from getting hot on high-volume threes.
Projected Score
Penn 77, Dartmouth 72
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