Princeton Tigers vs. Harvard Crimson Best Bet for Feb 23

Princeton Tigers (19-3 SU, 11-9 ATS) vs. Harvard Crimson (13-9 SU, 8-13 ATS)

When: Friday, February 23rd, 7:00 PM (ET)

Where: Lavietes Pavilion, MA, Cambridge

TV: ESPN+

Point Spread: PRNCE -6.5/HARVRD +6.5

Total: 140

Money Line: Princeton Tigers -294/+228

Notable Injuries

Tigers

• No Injuries Reported

Crimson

• No Injuries Reported

Recent Form

Princeton heads into this game with a record of 19-3, including a 7-2 mark in Ivy League action. The Tigers have won four straight games, and they are 9-3 on the road this season.

For the year, Princeton is averaging 5.9 more points per game than its opponents on the road. However, the Tigers have been even better at home, where they are a perfect 8-0 and have an average scoring margin of +12.8 points per game.

So far this season, the over/under record for Princeton games is 7-12-1. The average scoring total in their games this year is 141.2, which is right in line with the average over/under line of 141. Today’s over/under line of 140 is similar to the average scoring total in their last three games (139) and their last 10 games (140). In their last five games, the over/under record is 1-4.

Princeton’s ATS record this season is 11-9, including a 6-6 mark on the road. Over their last 10 games as the favorite, the Tigers are 5-5 vs. the spread.

Harvard enters this game as a 6.5-point underdog, and they have gone 5-8 in their 13 games as the underdog this season. The Crimson have gone 7-4 at home this season, and they are coming off an 80-75 win over Columbia.

So far this season, Harvard has gone 13-9, including a 4-5 record in Ivy League games. Over their last 10 games at home, they have gone 6-4, and their average scoring margin at home is +2.4.

This season, the over/under record for Harvard games is 13-8 and today’s line of 140 is right in line with the average scoring in their games this year (143.9). Over their last three games, the average scoring total is 142 points and the over/under record in their games over the last 10 contests is 6-4.

Harvard’s ATS record this season is just 8-13, but they have gone 5-8 vs. the spread as the underdog. Their home ATS record is only 3-8, and over their last 10 games at home, they are just 2-8 vs. the spread.

Analysis

The Princeton offense is coming off a game where they scored 73 points against Yale. They posted a field goal percentage of 48.1% and connected on 6 threes. The top scorer for the Tigers was Xaivian Lee with 19 points, while Matt Allocco also chipped in with 18 points.

Princeton’s defense has been playing well, ranking 20th nationally, with 64.5 points allowed per game. So far, the Princeton defense is giving up an average of 7.4 offensive rebounds per game and are turning teams over 7.8 times per game (350th).

Harvard is fresh off a strong offensive showing, putting up 80 points versus Columbia. This output is higher than their season-average of 71.6 points per game. Malik Mack was the leading scorer for the Crimson, putting up 21 points. In addition, Chisom Okpara contributed 19 points.

At present, the Crimson’s defense is nationally ranked 165th, allowing 71.5 points per game. Harvard will look once again to perform well on defense, holding Columbia to just 40% shooting in their most recent game.

Betting Trends

• When looking at their past five road matchups, Princeton has an ATS record of 1-4 while averaging 71 per game. The team went 3-2 overall in these games.
• Across their last three home contests, Harvard has been good against the spread posting a mark of 2-1. Their overall mark in these games was 2-1, while averaging 70 points per game.
• The last three games that Harvard was the underdog, they have an ATS mark of 1-2 while going 1-2 straight up.
• In their last five contests as the favorite, Princeton has a poor record vs the spread going 2-3. But, they still put together a straight up mark of 4-1.

Rich Crew’s Total Pick

Take the Over 140