The Cornell Big Red will be at Lavietes Pavilion to take on the Harvard Crimson in an Ivy League matchup. The game starts at 7:00 pm ET on Friday, Jan. 29.
The Crimson were beaten by Dartmouth 63-50 the last time they played. Agunwa Okolie had a good game for Harvard, contributing 13 points, nine rebounds, and two steals. The Big Red, meanwhile, are coming off a 79-68 loss to Columbia in their last outing. Matt Morgan had a game-high 26 points.
Over the last five games, Morgan has been on fire for the Big Red. During that stretch, he has averaged 22.0 points, 3.2 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 2.2 steals, 0.6 blocks, and 3.6 three-pointers.
The inefficient offense of the Big Red (300th in the nation with an offensive efficiency of 97.5) will look to break through against the stingy defense of the Crimson (33rd in the nation with a defensive efficiency of 95.2). The matchup on that end of the court seems to benefit Harvard.
Harvard is a heavy 10-point favorite in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is set at 139 points. The Crimson enter the game with records of 9-9 Straight Up (SU) and 5-6 Against The Spread (ATS). Harvard is excellent from the perimeter, shooting a stellar .408 from three-point range. As for the Harvard defense, teams routinely struggle to score points against the Crimson, who allow only 64.5 points per game. Teams have to fight for open shots against the Crimson, who have one of the best opponent field-goal percentages in the country at .392. An area where the Crimson are particularly strong is shot blocking, where they average 5.0 blocks per game, 43rd in Division I.
On the other side, the Big Red head into the game with records of 4-5 ATS and 7-9 SU. When it comes to stealing the ball, the Big Red are one of the best in the nation with an average of 7.9 steals per game.
This game marks the first time these teams will play this season. The last time these conference rivals played, Cornell won, but Harvard still leads the head-to-head record, 9-1 SU, over their most recent matchups. The teams have an even record ATS, 5-5. Harvard held the edge in field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers three times in the last five games, while Cornell wasn’t able to do so in that span.
Predictions: SU Winner – Harv, ATS Winner – Harv, O/U – Over
Notes
Harvard is 7-3 SU in its last 10 games.
Harvard is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games at home.
Harvard is 9-1 SU in its last 10 games when playing Cornell.
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Harvard’s last 5 games when playing Cornell.
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Harvard’s last 5 games when playing at home against Cornell.
Cornell averages 72.5 points per game, placing the team just 180th in the nation. Harvard ranks 35th in points allowed, giving up 64.5 points per game.
The Harvard Crimson have a defensive rating of 95.2 (ranked 33rd), while the Cornell Big Red have an offensive rating of 97.5 (ranked 300th).
Harvard has an average field goal percentage of 45.2%. Cornell is a losing 1-4 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
The Harvard Crimson and the Cornell Big Red both rank higher in average effective field goal percentage when compared to their field goal percentages. Harvard is 111th and 86th in the nation for FG% and eFG% respectively, while Cornell is 246th and 201st in these categories.
Harvard ranks 61st in assists, registering 15.7 per game. Cornell performs worse at 294th with 11.6 assists per game.
Cornell ranks 286th in offensive rebounds, while Harvard ranks at 75th in defensive rebounds.
Harvard averages a forced turnover rate of 18.3% this season. Cornell has a 5-6 record when it suffers a turnover rate equal to or exceeding this.
