The Harvard Crimson (15-12, 10-2 Ivy) welcome the Cornell Big Red (11-14, 5-7 Ivy) to Lavietes Pavilion as they look to extend their five-game home winning streak. The game starts at 7 p.m. ET on Friday, March 2, 2018, and will air on ESPN Full Court.
Harvard is a 10.5-point favorite on the opening line, while the game’s Over/Under (O/U) opened at 140 points.
Cornell Big Red vs. Harvard Crimson Betting Prediction
The Big Red come in on a high note after topping the Brown Bears in their last outing, 73-68. The Big Red held the Bears to an effective field goal percentage of 0.368 (below their season average of 0.491). The Bears had a free throw rate of 0.265 (below their season average of 0.313). With 17 points on 5-for-13 shooting, Matt Morgan was the top scorer from either team.
In the Crimson’s last game, they lost a close one to the Penn Quakers, 74-71. Penn’s 11.6 turnover percentage was their biggest strength over Harvard, who had a mark of 19.1. The Quakers’ mark was better than their season average of 15.0, while the Crimson’s was above the 15.8 mark opponents have averaged against Penn this season. Seth Towns put together a solid performance for Harvard, leading both teams in scoring with 22 points on 7-for-10 shooting.
Points at the line could be few and far between for Harvard in this battle. The Crimson currently rank 221st in the nation with a free throw attempt (FTA) rate of 0.226, while Cornell ranks 58th in FTA rate allowed (0.201). Additionally, the Big Red rank 300th in offensive rebounding percentage (25.0 percent), while the Crimson rank 33rd in defensive rebounding percentage (75.6 percent).
Cornell comes into the game with records of 11-14 straight up (SU) and 10-9 against the spread (ATS). Games involving the Big Red tend to finish over the O/U total (57.9 percent).
Meanwhile, Harvard is 15-12 SU and 13-9-1 ATS. Unlike Cornell, games including the Crimson have typically finished under the total (60.9 percent).
Terrance McBride has averaged 9.6 points and 3.8 assists over the last five games for Cornell.
This is the second game of the season between these two teams. Stone Gettings led both teams with 32 points in the first matchup, in which the Big Red lost 76-73 but covered as 3.5-point underdogs. The game finished with a total of 149 points, which was 10 points above the projected point total of 139 points. One of Harvard’s biggest advantages was their ability to convert at the free throw line. They were 15-16 (93.8 percent), while the Big Red were just 10-18 (55.6 percent).
Cornell Big Red at Harvard Crimson Odds Pick
Pick: SU Winner – Harvard, ATS Winner – Harvard, O/U – Under
Notes
Betting Notes:
Cornell is 5-5 ATS on the road with 6 unders and 4 overs.
Harvard is 3-2-1 ATS at home with 5 unders and 1 over.
Cornell ranks 32nd in assists per game (16.3) while Harvard ranks 213th (12.3).
The Crimson rank 86th in rebounds allowed per game (33.3) while the Big Red rank 236th (37.6).
Harvard ranks 19th in blocks allowed per game (2.4) while Cornell ranks 142nd (3.7).
The Crimson rank 126th in three pointers attempted per game (22.7) while the Big Red rank 230th in three pointers allowed per game (23.8).
Bettings Trends:
In their last five games, Cornell is 2-3 ATS with 3 overs and 2 unders.
Harvard is 4-1 ATS with 3 overs and 2 unders over their last five games.
The Big Red’s average margin of defeat in their last five games has been 1.6, down from 4.3 for the season.
During their last five games, the Crimson have scored an average of 69.6 points per game (3.2 above their season average) and allowed an average of 62.8 points per game (3.0 below their season average).
