Ivy foes will clash when the Yale Bulldogs (8-10, 1-1 Ivy) square off against the Harvard Crimson (7-10, 2-0 Ivy) at John J. Lee Amphitheater. Yale is a 1.5-point favorite on the opening line, while the game’s Over/Under (O/U) opened at 133 points. Action begins at 7 p.m. ET on Friday, January 26, 2018.
Harvard Crimson vs. Yale Bulldogs Betting Preview
The Crimson beat the Dartmouth Big Green in their last outing, 62-57. Seth Towns was the top scorer from either team with 26 points on 9-for-15 shooting. The Crimson held the Big Green to an effective field goal percentage of 0.407 (below their season average of 0.541). The Big Green also had a turnover percentage of 21.5 (above the 18.0 mark opponents have averaged against Harvard this season).
In the Bulldogs’ last matchup, they were topped by the Brown Bears, 81-80. Alex Copeland was the game’s leading scorer with 26 points on 10-for-13 shooting. Brown did a terrific job of getting to and converting from the charity stripe (24-31; 77.4 percent). Yale, on the other hand, held the Bears to an offensive rebounding percentage of 17.2 (below their season average of 29.5).
Second-chance points might be few and far between for Yale in this contest. The Bulldogs rank 202nd in offensive rebounding percentage (28.7 percent), while Harvard ranks 44th in defensive rebounding percentage (75.0 percent).
Both of these teams have a tendency to finish under the O/U total. Games featuring Harvard have gone under 76.9 percent of the time, while 60.0 percent of Yale games have finished under. Both teams have middling straight up (SU) records (7-10 for Harvard; 8-10 for Yale), but the Crimson have the edge against the spread (ATS). Harvard is 6-6-1 ATS, while the Bulldogs are 2-8.
Towns has really been playing well over the last five games for Harvard, averaging 14.2 points and 5.2 rebounds per game.
This is the first time these teams will meet this year. The Crimson won two out of three contests played against each other last season. In the last matchup, Yale won 73-71. Yale had a much better free throw rate (0.237 vs. 0.104). Harvard, meanwhile, had a better turnover percentage (5.8 vs. 10.3).
Harvard Crimson vs. Yale Bulldogs Odds Prediction
Predictions: SU Winner – Yale, ATS Winner – Yale, O/U – Under
Betting Notes:
- The Crimson allow the 41st-fewest blocks per game (2.7) while the Bulldogs rank 43rd (2.7).
- Yale is 0-2 ATS at home, while Harvard is 6-5 ATS on the road.
- The Crimson have 8 unders and 3 overs in 11 road games.
- All 2 of the Bulldogs home games have gone under.
- Yale ranks 13th in assists per game (17.7) while Harvard ranks 219th (12.2).
- The Bulldogs rank 126th in steals per game (6.1) while the Crimson rank 155th in steals allowed per game (7.1).
- Yale is 36th in the NCAA with 19.0 three pointers allowed per game while Harvard is 51st with 19.7 three pointers allowed per game.
Betting Trends:
- Yale is 0-4 ATS with 3 unders and 1 over in their last five games.
- Over their last five games, Harvard is 3-0-1 ATS with 4 unders.
- The Bulldogs have been outscored by an average of 3.0 points in their last five games. For the season, Yale has defeated opponents by an average of 1.3 points.
- During their last five games, the Crimson have scored an average of 59.2 points per game (4.7 below their season average) and allowed an average of 59.6 points per game (6.7 below their season average).
