The set-up: The Ivy League finally "joined the party" with its first-ever conference tourney last year. "The Ancient 8" are back for round two in 2018, as the Ivy League Tournament tips off Saturday at the Palestra, in Philadelphia. 22-8 Penn tied Harvard atop the Ivy League at 12-2 during the regular season but Harvard claimed the No. 1 seed. That means the second-seeded Quakers draw the third-seeded Yale Bulldogs, who may be just 16-14 overall (9-5 in Ivy play) but they also come in having won seven of their last eight games, including an 80-79 home win over Penn on March 2.

Yale: The Bulldogs have five players (four starters and one reserve) contributing between 9.2 and 15.,5 PPG. The 6-7 Oni (15.5-6.1-3.7) is the best of the bunch, followed by fellow starters Copeland (11.4) and Phills (9.8 & 4.3) in the backcourt, plus the 6-7 Reynolds (10.7 & 5.5) up front. 6-10 freshman Atkinson comes off the bench to add 9.2 & 4.6.

Pennsylvania: The Quakers feature four double digit scorers in guards Betley (14.7 & 5.0), Foreman (10.4-4.3-3.6) and Wood (10.1) plus the 6-8 Brodeur (12.6 & 6.9). The Quakers' lone loss in their last six outings was that one point loss at Yale. Penn capped its season with a win over Brown last Saturday, as Betley scored 30 points. Penn is a solid offensive team (76.6 PPG) and a solid defensive one (allows 69.2 PPG).

The pick: Yale was the preseason favorite in the Ivy League and comes in hot. The Bulldogs have averaged 75.2 PPG on the season but have topped 80 points in each of their last four contests (all wins), averaging 84.8 PPG. However, I believe Penn has proven to be the better team this season and in this quick turnaround from a one-point loss at Yale, will use the advantage of playing on its homecourt (11-3 SU on the season, including a 59-50 win over Yale) to win, cover and advance to the championship game on Sunday. Make Penn an 8* play.