DARTMOUTH (4-12, 0-2 Ivy) at CORNELL (16-3, 2-0)

Dartmouth has showed a lot of fight lately. In its last four games, over which coach Terry Dunn was forced to resign and two players were arrested with possession of marijuana, the Big Green has gone 2-2, including a narrow loss to the Crimson last weekend. But the Big Red will be simply too much for it to handle. Cornell has too many weapons to fall prey to an upset of this magnitude. Factor in that Cornell is at home, and the game should be a blowout.

Pick: Cornell 78, Dartmouth 53.

PRINCETON (9-5, 0-0 Ivy) at BROWN (7-12, 1-1)

After starting off 2-4, the Tigers have won seven of their last eight, including a gritty road win at St. Joe’s. The Bears have seven wins, but only one was against a team with a winning record. While Brown has one of the league’s best players in forward Matt Mullery, Princeton is a deeper team and has a few stars of its own in guards Doug Davis and Dan Mavraides. The Tigers play at a slow tempo, and no road game is easy in league play, so look for a close, low-scoring affair.

Pick: Princeton 66, Brown 60.

DARTMOUTH at COLUMBIA

Dartmouth won’t find better luck in New York City. The Cornell-Columbia road trip is brutal, probably the toughest traveling of the season for the Big Green. Columbia will be hungry for its first league win and won’t let the opportunity slide against this feisty but depleted Dartmouth team.

Pick: Columbia 65, Dartmouth 56.

PRINCETON at YALE

Yale has not beaten a team with a winning record thus far. But the second night of a back-to-back will leave Princeton vulnerable. The Tigers would be lucky to escape unscathed against a pair of teams in the second-tier of the Ivy League, but until Yale proves it can take down a strong opponent, I’m giving Princeton the nod.

Pick: Princeton 60, Yale 56.

PENN at BROWN

I don’t see Penn improving much between Friday and Saturday, so again it will be a heavy underdog. But given that Brown is one of the four teams that the Quakers could realistically beat, I see them giving a spirited effort and losing by single digits.

Pick: Brown 70, Penn 61.

HARVARD at CORNELL

This game is the main event. So far this season, the two heavyweights brought out the best in one another. Cornell beat Alabama, then Harvard topped William and Mary. The Crimson scared UConn and Georgetown, and the Big Red spooked Syracuse and Kansas. Each has been good for the other, and, together, they’ve been a great storyline in college basketball.

The difference between these teams is that Cornell has played in big games before. The two-time reigning Ivy champion will be looking to reestablish its position at the top of the league. Newman Arena will be raucous, each team will be fired up, but I see the Big Red ultimately protecting home court.

Pick: Cornell 75, Harvard 68.

—Staff writer Timothy J. Walsh can be reached at twalsh@fas.harvard.edu.