Pennsylvania vs Princeton Prediction 1/5/2026 Today’s College Basketball Picks

The Pennsylvania Quakers and the Princeton Tigers meet Monday in college basketball action from Jadwin Gym. Here’s a Penn vs Princeton prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best Penn vs Princeton pick. We will examine the recent form and player performances for both teams, as well as the recent betting trends and streaks pertaining to this matchup. As we conclude, we will tie it all together with a summary that produces a sensible pick for a favorable betting outcome in this game.

Penn Quakers Betting Preview

The Quakers started out the year on a pretty good 5-2 run with wins over Rowan, Saint Joseph’s, Drexel, Merrimack and La Salle. It’s been a 2-4 run since then though, with wins over only Lafayette and NJIT. Otherwise it’s been losses to Hofstra, Villanova, Rutgers and George Mason in that time. Through 13 games that gives the Quakers a 7-6 record this year.

Back on New Year’s Eve versus NJIT, the Quakers entered the second half with a slim two-point lead. Penn woke up after the break on a 45-28 run though, and took the win 80-61 in the end. Michael Zanoni led the way on 23 points with two rebounds and AJ Levine had 19 points with five boards and four rebounds. TJ Power doubled up on 13 points and 11 rebounds in the win as well.

Princeton Tigers Betting Preview

Over on the Princeton side, they managed to go 3-3 over their first six games with losses to Akron, Kansas and Iona. The Tigers hit the skids after that, dropping to Bradley, Temple, Vermont, Saint Joseph’s, Monmouth, Loyola Chicago, Merrimack and Temple before finally getting another win over Vermont. That makes for a 4-11 record through 15 games so far.

In the Vermont game last Tuesday, the Tigers went into the locker room with a four-point edge. Princeton lost their lead in the second half and had to go to overtime but eventually won it 75-69. Tops in scoring was Jack Stanton with 19 points in the winning effort. Jackson Hicke had 17 points with six rebounds and five assists, and Malik Abdullahi had 15 points and five rebounds.

Penn Quakers @ Princeton Tigers Betting Trends: January 5, 2026

Why the Princeton Tigers will win

• Princeton has won each of its last seven home games against Penn.
• Penn has lost seven of its last eight away games when playing with a rest disadvantage.
• Princeton has won the first half in five of its last six games at Jadwin Gymnasium.

Why the Penn Quakers will win

• Princeton has lost eight of its last nine games against non-AP-ranked opponents.
• Penn has won the first half in three of its last four games.

Penn vs Princeton Prediction

I’ll stay with Penn. The Quakers started a bit slowly against a struggling NJIT team in their last game, but eventually won handily. Penn shot 46.7 percent from the field in that one with 31 rebounds and 10 steals, but things could have been better from the line (11-of-19 for 57.9 percent). It was a nice bounce-back effort after consecutive losses to Rutgers and George Mason, during which the Quakers had given up a combined 153 points.

As for Princeton, they finally got a much-needed win over a middling Vermont team last week. The Tigers shot 42.6 percent from the field with 32 rebounds but got outmuscled in the paint 32-18 along the way. Princeton had been below 69 points for five straight games prior to that, so I don’t know if they’ve got the gas to keep a cover pace here.

Andrew Jett's Pick: Pennsylvania Quakers +1.5