The Princeton Tigers (20-5) will attempt to keep their eight-game winning streak alive when they match up with the Harvard Crimson (12-16) at Lavietes Pavilion. Action begins at 7:00 pm ET on Friday, Mar. 4 and can be seen on ES3.
The Crimson enter this game hoping for similar success after beating Brown 61-52 in their last game. Corey Johnson led all scorers on the team with 24 points on 9-for-20 shooting. The Tigers, meanwhile, are coming off a 74-60 win against Cornell in their last outing. Spencer Weisz stood out for Princeton, registering 16 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists.
The inefficient offense of Harvard (288th in the nation with an offensive efficiency of 99.5) will square off against the stingy defense of Princeton (35th in the nation with a defensive efficiency of 97.4). The Tigers figure to have the advantage on that end of the court. Also, the sharp-shooting offense of the Tigers ranks 22nd in eFG% at 54.9%, while the Crimson are 35th-best in the nation at forcing opponents’ misses (46.3%).
This will be the second matchup of the season between these two teams. The Tigers won the first game 83-62. Henry Caruso had a standout performance in the victory, putting up 19 points, eight rebounds, six assists, one block, and four three-pointers.
The Crimson come into this game 12-16 Straight Up (SU) and 7-13-1 Against The Spread (ATS). The most recent ten-game stretch for the Crimson has gone great. Over that span, Harvard is averaging 81.1 points per game, well over their season average of 66.2. The Crimson are a dangerously accurate shooting team from three-point range with a .382 three-point field goal percentage, one of the highest marks in Division I. Turning to the defensive side, opponents have consistently had their shots rejected by the Crimson, ranking 40th in the country in blocks per game with 4.8.
Over on the other bench, the Tigers have records of 8-8-1 ATS and 20-5 SU. Princeton has not performed well ATS during its last 10 games, earning a 2-7-1 record. The Tigers have been struggling of late. In their most recent 10 games, their scoring has dropped to 63.5 PPG, compared to 66.2 for the duration of the season. The Tigers rarely make costly errors handling the ball. They have the 39th-best assist-to-turnover ratio in the country at 1.36. The Princeton defense has been a problem for competitors, allowing only 6.0 field goals from three-point range per game.
Following the Tigers’ latest win over Harvard, Princeton is still behind in the head-to-head record over their most recent meetings, 4-6 SU. The Tigers lead the matchup ATS with a record of 7-3. Princeton held the edge in field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers one time, while Harvard was never able to do so in their most recent five games.
Predictions: SU Winner – Prince, ATS Winner – Prince
Notes
Harvard averages 66.2 points per game, placing the team just 239th in the nation. Princeton ranks 67th in points allowed, giving up 67.8 points per game.
Harvard scores just 69.1 points per home game (ranked 231st). Princeton ranks 60th in points allowed on the road, giving up 70.2 points.
The Princeton Tigers have a defensive rating of 97.4 (ranked 35th), while the Harvard Crimson have an offensive rating of 99.5 (ranked 288th).
With 66.6 possessions and .995 points per possession, the Harvard Crimson perform worse on both metrics than the Princeton Tigers. Princeton averages 69.6 possessions and 1.141 points per possession.
The Princeton Tigers have one of the best effective field goal percentages this season, ranking 22nd in the country with an eFG% of 54.9%. When their opponents record a similar or higher eFG%, the Harvard Crimson have a losing 1-3 record.
The Harvard Crimson average 19.0 three point attempts per game, and the Princeton Tigers attempt 25.0 per game. When going for at least 20 three pointers in a game this season, both teams have winning records; Harvard is 8-5 and Princeton is 17-5.
Princeton ranks 39th in the nation with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.36. Harvard is ranked lower at 182nd with an A/TO of 1.04.
Harvard ranks 173rd in offensive rebounds, while Princeton ranks 34th in defensive rebounds.
The Harvard Crimson make an average of 5.1 steals per game. When the Princeton Tigers allow 5 or more steals, they are an outstanding 13-3.
