The Harvard Crimson will be at Francis S. Levien Gymnasium to take on the Columbia Lions in an Ivy League matchup. Action gets underway at 6:00 pm ET on Friday, Feb. 19.
The Lions are hoping to rebound after their 88-83 loss to Princeton the last time they played. Grant Mullins recorded 19 points and 12 rebounds, earning his first double-double of the year. The Crimson are coming off a 67-55 loss at the hands of Yale in their last game. Zena Edosomwan had a solid game, posting his ninth double-double of the season with 18 points and 10 rebounds.
This is the second game of the year between these two teams, with the Lions winning the first matchup 55-54. Maodo Lo had a stellar game with 11 points, five rebounds, one assist, four steals, one block, and two three-pointers.
The Lions come into this game 17-8 Straight Up (SU) and 6-9-1 Against The Spread (ATS). They have struggled ATS recently, going 0-8. Columbia has averaged 64.1 points per game over the last 10 games, lower than its season average of 76.1.
In the other locker room, the Crimson head into the game with records of 5-12 ATS and 10-14 SU. Offensively, the Crimson have really picked up the pace in the last 10 games. They have exceeded their season average of 66.3 points per game by averaging 75.7 during that stretch. The Crimson are shooting very well so far with a .383 three-point field goal percentage that ranks 32nd in Division I. The Harvard defense has been a problem for competitors, allowing only .404 shooting from the field to its opponents. Blocking shots is an area where Harvard has excelled. The Crimson average 5.1 blocks per game, making them one of the best in the nation.
Columbia won the last meeting this season between these two teams, but Harvard still leads the head-to-head record over their most recent games, 8-2 SU. However, Columbia holds the advantage ATS with a record of 7-3. Harvard held the advantage in field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers once in the last five matchups. On the other side of the court, Columbia never accomplished this feat in that span.
Predictions: SU Winner – Colum, ATS Winner – Colum
Notes
“Columbia is 1-3-1 ATS in its last 5 games “.
“Columbia is 13-3 SU in its last 16 games “.
“The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Columbia’s last 6 games “.
“Columbia is 8-1 SU in its last 9 games at home”.
“Columbia is 7-2 ATS in its last 9 games when playing Harvard”.
“Columbia is 2-12 SU in its last 14 games when playing Harvard”.
“Columbia is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Harvard”.
Columbia sits at 6-2 SU against the conference, while Harvard is struggling at 2-6 SU.
Harvard averages 66.3 points per game, placing the team just 233rd in the nation. Columbia ranks 98th in points allowed, giving up 69.2 points per game.
The Columbia Lions rank 51st for their offensive rating of 112.3. The Harvard Crimson have a defensive rating of 98.0 (ranked 61st).
Columbia has an average field goal percentage of 44.2%. Harvard is a subpar 2-4 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
The Columbia Lions and the Harvard Crimson both rank higher in average effective field goal percentage when compared to their field goal percentages. Columbia is 176th and 71st in the nation for FG% and eFG% respectively, while Harvard is 185th and 161st in these categories.
Columbia ranks 94th in assists, recording 14.8 per game. Harvard ranks 71st with 15.2 assists per game.
Harvard, the 32nd-ranked team in blocked shots, registers an average of 5.1 per game. Columbia does worse, ranked 151st with 3.6.
Harvard makes an average of 5.2 steals per game. Columbia has a stellar 9-3 record when it allows at least 5 steals.
