O'Sullivan's Sunday Ivy, ACC Picks: Cornell vs Brown, Pittsburgh vs Boston College

Seattle O’Sullivan 2021-2022 ACC season so far: 33-44, -$228.75

Seattle O’Sullivan 2021-2022 Ivy League season so far: 35–29-1, +$122.08

(Standing Caveat: The universe is chaotic. Life is unpredictable. Things happen. Like injuries. And COVID protocols. In following Seattle O’Sullivan’s betting advice, be advised that you should always monitor your bets during the day to make certain unforeseen things have not occurred which might change your wagering opinion. Thank you.)

Cornell Big Red at Brown Bears, 11 am Eastern

The Pick: Brown -205, bet $30.75 to win $15; Brown -4.5 (-118), bet $8.82 to win $7.50; under 150 (-110), bet $4.40 to win $4

Despite only being 2-4 in Ivy League play and 10-11 overall, Brown is 164th in the Pomeroy rankings - 40 spots ahead of Penn, 55 spots ahead of Harvard…and 53 spots ahead of Cornell. Although they’ve lost seven of their last nine games, according to Pomeroy, the Bears have had the 315th “best” luck this season, and their slightly under .500 record has come against a strength of schedule that’s more than 60 spots tougher than Cornell’s. Their last two losses were to Yale and Princeton by three and two points respectively. I think they’re capable of making the Ivy League Playoffs, and they’ll make a move today at home. The Big Red are averaging 81.8 points per game, but that’s due to pace (6th adjusted) as much as anything. The Bears will slow the tempo down in their own gym and Brown’s Tamenang Choh, the best player on the floor, will lead his team to a win and move them up to within playoff range.

Pittsburgh Panthers at Boston College Golden Eagles, 4 pm Eastern

The Pick: Pittsburgh +3.5 (-109), bet $10.87 to win $10; Pittsburgh +143, bet $7.50 to win $10.73; over 125.5 (-108), bet $10.75 to win $10

Two teams scraping against the bottom of the ACC face off in a deceptively important game. The Panthers won the previous matchup against the Golden Eagles, 69-67 in Pittsburgh. In that game, Pittsburgh came back from a four-point deficit at halftime to win a tough game. I see today’s game going the same way, which means take the points. Both teams play a deliberate pace, but 125.5 is low to me; combine both their average scoring offense together and their average scoring defense together, and it’s over that number. I think it’s another hard-fought contest that goes down to the wire.