The Bears are similarly in need of a win this weekend. Already sitting at 0-2, Brown would be relegated from a contender to a spoiler if it were unable to capture a victory here.

The Quakers, like the Bears, have been wildly unpredictable this season, with baffling losses to a 4-17 Marist team and a 3-17 Manhattan squad. But I look at Penn’s roster and see a team that, on the surface, should be able to compete for the Ivy title.

If I had to stake my reputation on one of these teams, I would have to choose the Quakers. So for now I’ll take another quaff of the Penn Kool-Aid.

Pick: Penn 67, Brown 58

YALE at PRINCETON

Without a doubt, this will be the best matchup of the weekend. This game epitomizes why Ivy basketball is so special. Nowhere else in the college basketball universe does a conference game carry title implications this big before February. Princeton and Yale are supposed to be two of the top three contenders. Let’s see who makes a statement tomorrow. I like Princeton.

Pick: Princeton 66, Yale 64

CORNELL at HARVARD

A not-so-small part of me is really looking forward to this game. Cornell was such a headache for the other Ivies over the last three seasons, I have a great sense of schadenfreude watching its demise. I hope the Crimson can embarrass the Big Red as badly as the 86-50 curb-stomping at Newman last year, but I think Harvard would settle for a win.

Pick: Harvard 73, Cornell 61

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