Both Cornell and Yale went winless last weekend, but their stories could not have been more different. The Big Red skunked up Hanover, N.H., on Friday, scoring only 14 points in the first half. The next night Cornell was trounced at Lavietes, 78-57. Not much to build on there.

The Bulldogs, meanwhile, were competitive in an eight-point loss to Penn , even though they got almost nothing (just 19 points) outside of forward Greg Mangano and guard Porter Braswell. And on Saturday, Yale put a legitimate scare into the Tigers with a late 15-4 run but came up just short, 67-63.

The Bulldogs are on the upswing, and the Big Red is looking like the Ivy doormat. Take Yale.

Pick: Yale 68, Cornell 60

DARTMOUTH (5-13, 1-3 Ivy) at PENN (8-8, 2-0 Ivy)

Back in high school, my school’s college counselors classified the odds of getting into different colleges as “Likely,” “Maybe,” “Reach,” and “Double Reach.” Last week, Penn had a pair of “Maybe” matchups in Yale and Brown and took both down, thanks in large part to co-Ivy Player of the Week Jack Eggleston.

The forward went for 13 points and eight rebounds in the Quakers’ win over the Bulldogs, and then redoubled his efforts to the tune of 25 points and 12 rebounds in a two-point, overtime, come-from-behind victory against Brown.

Dartmouth had its own success last weekend. The Big Green tagged Cornell in their game of “Who’s the Worst Ivy Team?” You’re “It” Cornell.

Penn should win fairly easily.

Pick: Penn 65, Dartmouth 55

COLUMBIA (12-6, 3-1 Ivy) at BROWN (7-11, 0-4 Ivy)

Brown is sitting beside the Big Red in the cellar of the Ivy League right now, but the Bears have also had the toughest road so far. Saturday’s heartbreaking loss at the Palestra came without Brown’s leading scorer, Peter Sullivan, who suffered a shoulder injury the night before. The Bears are certainly capable of rallying and notching a win tonight.

But I liked what I saw out of Columbia last weekend. Guards Noruwa Agho and Brian Barbour might be the most deadly backcourt duo in the conference, as each player is totally capable of carrying an offense (though perhaps at the cost of freezing out their teammates). Between Mark Cisco and Asenso Ampim, the Lions also have some presence down low. They are the smart choice tonight.

Pick: Columbia 72, Brown 68

DARTMOUTH at PRINCETON