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Harvard Crimson vs Cornell Big Red Predictions, Betting Picks, and H2H 2/16/2024

Basketball
PUBLISHED:
Samuel Simmons
By Samuel Simmons
Harvard Crimson player lining up a shot
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Harvard Crimson vs Cornell Big Red Preview

If you’re planning on making any college basketball bets this weekend, we’ve got the perfect game for you. Harvard Crimson vs Cornell Big Red on Friday, February 16 looks like an excellent match. Tipoff is at 3 pm at Newman Arena, the home of the Big Red, in Ithaca, New York. Fans can tune in on ESPN+.

Cornell has the better overall record 17-4 and a conference record 6-1, but is coming off a disappointing two-point loss to Yale on February 10. That ended their fantastic seven-game win streak. Meanwhile, Harvard is 12-8 this season and 3-4 in the Ivy League. They will fancy their chances coming off a convincing 77-59 win vs. Dartmouth last Saturday.

Harvard Crimson vs Cornell Big Red Head-To-Head and Key Stats

The Harvard Crimson and Cornell Big Red will meet for the 185th time since 1902. Cornell holds the advantage in the 120-year series with a 97-87 record, but recent history hasn’t been kind to them. They have lost 11 of their past 15 and 20 of their previous 26 games against the Crimson.

There is good news for those betting on Cornell, they’re playing on their home court. Any match in front of your own fans is a bonus. Plus they are 51-39 all-time against Harvard when hosting. Better yet, they’re 7-0 at home this season and were 11-2 at home last campaign. Harvard has already lost to the Big Red once this season, two weeks ago.

On February 3, the Cornell Big Red defeated the Harvard Crimson 89-76 in Cambridge, MA. Cornell won by 13, but the game was much closer than that in the first half. They were trading buckets for the first 15 minutes of the game. Cornell then made two consecutive three-pointers to pull ahead 36-27. Harvard climbed their way back in the final two minutes but was down 38-35 at halftime.

The Big Red opened the second half on a 7-0 run and extended their lead to 11 points by the halfway point. Harvard kept themselves within reach, but couldn’t put together a big enough to run to cut into the deficit. The lead was as high as 17 points with one minute left, which was too difficult to overcome.

Harvard lost their last matchup, but I wouldn’t count them out on Friday afternoon. Betting on Harvard might seem like a long shot, but they often play well against Cornell. The Crimson are 4-3 on the road this season, which isn’t great, but it’s above .500. One positive to take from Harvard is they don’t foul often. Their 15.1 fouls per game rank 41st out of 362 in the NCAA. Unfortunately for the team, it’s their best statistic.

Meanwhile, Cornell is one of the best teams in the country. They currently rank 5th in field goal percentage (50.2%), eighth in assists (18.2 per game), and 14th in three-pointers made (10.1 per game). They also rank 17th in points with 83.7 and 23rd in steals with 8.9 per game. They’re the epitome of team basketball.

Harvard Crimson vs Cornell Big Red Predictions

Betting on college basketball is difficult. On one hand, Cornell seems like a straightforward choice. They’re the better team and they’re looking to bounce back after a disheartening loss. This is college basketball, and anything can happen, especially with a team like Harvard looking for revenge.

Here at Novibet, we predict the Cornell Big Red will defeat the Harvard Crimson 83-64.

Cornell dropped their first conference game of the season in their last performance. However, we think they won’t let it happen again, at least not against Harvard. We’re talking about a team that plays the right way nightly and has a coach that puts them in a position to succeed with a strategic game plan.

Let’s not forget they’re playing at home, where they feel most comfortable. You could make a case they feel comfortable anywhere this season. We’re expecting an early run to get things started and a double-digit lead at halftime. Cornell’s depth will gradually wear Harvard down throughout the second half.

Harvard will have their moments, but they’ll be rare. Malik Mack and Chisom Okpara will lead the way, but there’s not enough depth on this Crimson team to outmatch the Big Red. Don’t be surprised if they’re playing from behind the entire game. But hey, who knows, they could prove us wrong!

Harvard Crimson vs Cornell Big Red Betting Picks

When these two teams met on February 3, the spread was -3.5 in favor of Cornell, and the over/under was 156.5. With the Big Red winning 89-76, they went over the total by nine points, and Cornell covered the spread easily. In the season, Cornell is 10-9 against the spread, while Harvard is 7-12.

Novibet, an online sportsbook, has Cornell as the favorite. If the point spread is in the single digits, we’re taking Cornell. If it’s in the double digits, Harvard might be worth a shot. As far as the totals go, over might be the play here. Both teams are 12-7 this year when betting the over, and we like those odds.

If you’re interested in some prop bets, we like Malik Mack going for at least 20 points and 5 assists for Harvard. We also like Chisom Okpara at 15+ points. For Cornell, we expect Manon to record three steals and are betting on Nazir Williams to score at least 15 points. We think he’ll lead the way for the Big Red. When you’re ready to place your live basketball bets, head over to Novibet. If you sign up today, we’ll even give you a welcome bonus.

Harvard Crimson Team News & Lineups

The Harvard Crimson started the season on the right foot, winning their first four games and nine of their first 13 games. Unfortunately, things have gone sour since conference play began, losing four of their last seven games against Ivy League opponents. They’re still 12-8 but are four games out of first place.

They have something Cornell doesn’t, a player averaging over 15.0 points per game. Harvard has two, freshman guard Malik Mack is leading the team with 18.7 points per game, while sophomore forward Chisom Okpara has 16.6 points. Louis Leonard is also in the double digits.

Mack is easily one of the most exciting freshmen to watch in the NCAA this year. He has at least 20 points in six of his 17 games played, including a career-high 32 points against Massachusetts in November. He also leads the team in minutes per game (33.4), assists per game (4.7), and steals per game (1.2).

Here’s a name to keep an eye out for, Thomas Batties II. He plays the most minutes off the bench and has been playing well as of late. He had ten points against Cornell two weeks ago and a near-season-high 13 points in 21 minutes against Dartmouth a week later. Chandler Pigge is also having a productive year.

Crimson Predicted Lineup

  • Starting: Malik Mack, Chisom Okpara, Louis Lesmond, Chandler Pigge, Justice Ajogbor
  • Bench: Thomas Batties II, Tyler Simon, Xavier Nesbitt, Luca Ace-Nasteski
  • Unlikely to Play: Matt Filipowski, Greg Cooper, Denham Wojcik, Christian Rich, Payton Pitts

Cornell Big Red Team News & Lineups

The Cornell Big Red has only lost four games this season, one of which came less than a week ago. It’s going to be hard to bet against them on Friday because one thing they haven’t done this season is lose two games in a row. So far, they’ve gone on winning streaks of three, four, three, and seven games.

They’ll look to start a new one on Friday, and they’re going to do it the same way they’ve done it all year long, through teamwork. Few teams can say they have three players averaging at least three assists per game. But Cornell can with Isaiah Gray (3.4), Chris Manon (3.3), and Nazir Williams (3.0).

What’s most impressive is that they score 83.7 points per game (17th in the country), but their highest scorer averages 12.2 points per game. These low totals put them 626th in the nation. How do they do it? Well, they have six players averaging at least 8.4 points per game. Now, that’s team basketball.

With that said, Manon is coming off a season-high 22 points, and Isaiah Gray led the team with 17 points the last time they played Harvard. You never know who it might be, but someone is going to show up for the Big Red, and they might even put up a 20-point night. Our sleeper pick is senior forward, Sean Hansen.

Big Red Predicted Lineup

  • Starting: Nazir Williams, Isaiah Gray, Chris Manon, Sean Hansen, Cooper Noard
  • Bench: Guy Ragland Jr., AK Okereke, Keller Boothby, Jake Fiegen, DJ Nix, Jacob Beccles
  • Unlikely to Play: Darius Ervin, Evan Williams, Adam Tsang Hinton, Chris Cain, Max Watson, Ian Imegwu, Ryan Kiachian, Hayden Franson
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