The Harvard Crimson and Columbia Lions will play Friday at Francis S. Levien Gymnasium. Tip-off from New York, NY, is at 7:00 p.m. ET. Harvard is a nine-point spread favorite and the game total is 135 points.
Harvard, 12-12 SU and 11-11 ATS, lost to Penn on Saturday. The Crimson are 1-4 straight-up in their past five and 3-7 in Ivy League Conference competition.
Columbia, 6-19 SU and 8-14-1 ATS, lost to Yale on Saturday. The Lions are 0-5 straight-up in their past five and 1-9 in Ivy League play.
Harvard defeated Columbia 73-51 on January 14. The Crimson led 36-18 at halftime and never looked back, shooting nearly 50 percent from the floor, while the Lions were held to 27.6 percent shooting, including 20.8 percent from three. Harvard outrebounded Columbia 50-24.
The Crimson lead the all-time series 74-71. They've won eight straight and nine of the past ten meetings.
Harvard is 12-12 overall, but conference play has been challenging, as the Crimson have dropped seven of ten Ivy League games. With four regular-season games remaining, it will take a spirited effort to finish with a winning overall record.
Pennsylvania beat Harvard by eight on Saturday, outshooting the Crimson from the field and foul line. The Quakers also won the rebounding battle 35-31, collecting 13 offensive rebounds. Harvard was competitive, shooting 41.4 percent from the field, 36.4 percent from three, and 76.2 percent at the free-throw line, but didn't do enough to recover from a ten-point halftime deficit. Senior guard Idan Tretout paced the Crimson with 21 points.
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— Harvard Men's Basketball (@HarvardMBB) February 11, 2023
Harvard averages 67.5 points per game (283rd) and shoots 43.5 percent from the field (251st), including 30.7 percent from long range (334th). It converts 66.9 percent of its foul shot attempts (316th) and averages 34.4 rebounds (51st) with a +3.9 rebounding margin. Harvard is 283rd in schedule-adjusted offensive efficiency and 248th in effective field goal percentage (49.1%).
The Crimson surrender 66.3 points per game (86th), and their opponents shoot 41.9 percent (87th), including 32.6 percent from deep (122nd). They're 87th in adjusted defensive efficiency and 244th in assist-per-turnover ratio.
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