Brown Bears vs. Harvard Crimson Pick & Predictions for Jan 15, 2024

Brown Bears (4-12 SU, 6-9 ATS) vs. Harvard Crimson (9-5 SU, 5-8 ATS)

When: Monday, January 15th, 2:00 PM (ET)

Where: Lavietes Pavilion, MA, Cambridge

TV: ESPN+

Point Spread: BROWN +3.5/HARVRD -3.5

Total: 139.5

Money Line: Brown Bears +137/-168

Notable Injuries

Bears

Crimson

• Justice Ajogbor (Out) Hand

Recent Form

Through 16 games this season, Brown has struggled to a 4-12 record, including a three-game losing streak. So far, the Bears are 0-1 in Ivy League play, compared to a 4-11 non-conference mark.

On the road, Brown is just 2-8, and they have lost two straight. For the year, the Bears’ average scoring margin on the road is -6.6 points per game.

So far this season, the over/under record in Brown games is 8-7 and today’s line of 139.5 is very close to the average over/under line in their games of 141.3. Over their last three games, the average scoring total is 141 points and their over/under record during this stretch is 2-1.

As the underdog this season, Brown is 5-5 vs. the spread. On the road, the Bears have an ATS mark of 5-5, including a 1-2 record in their last three games as the underdog.

Through 14 games, Harvard has a record of 9-5. They are 5-1 at home, where they have outscored opponents by an average of 5.5 points per game. The Crimson are 5-0 when favored this season, and they are 9-4 in non-conference games.

Harvard’s most recent game was an 89-58 loss to Princeton. Over their last 10 games at home, the Crimson have gone 6-4.

Today’s over/under line of 139.5 is lower than the average over/under line in Harvard games this year (142.3). So far, 8 of their games have finished with more points than today’s line.

Harvard has an ATS record of 5-8 this season, going 2-4 vs. the spread at home. Over their last 10 games as the favorite, the Crimson have gone 3-7 vs. the spread.

Analysis

The Brown offense is coming off a game in which they scored 70 points vs. Yale. Overall their field goal percentage was 44.6% while connecting on 9 threes. One area that the Brown offense has been good this season is getting to the line. Currently, they are 109th in free-throw attempts per contest. Overall, they have a field goal percentage of 41%.

The Bears’ defense is presently ranked 159th nationally, allowing an average of 71.8 points per contest. Against Yale in their most recent game, the Brown defense gave up a total of 80 points while allowing Yale to hit 44% of their shots.

Coming off their recent game, the Harvard offense tallied 58 points in a matchup against Princeton. Their field goal percentage for the game was 43.4%, and they made 5 threes. The team’s scoring leader is Chisom Okpara, who holds an average of 17.9 as they head into today’s matchup. Additionally, Malik Mack is averaging 19 points per game this season.

So far, the Crimson’s defense is ranked 157th in the country at 71.7 points per contest. Against Princeton in their most recent game, the Harvard defense gave up a total of 89 points while allowing Princeton to hit 49% of their shots.

Betting Trends

• In their last three games away from home, the Bears have a straight-up record of 1-2 while going 1-2 vs the spread. The team’s offense averaged 62 points per game in these contests.
• In their last five games at home, the Crimson have a straight-up record of 1-4 while going 1-4 vs. the spread. The team averaged 65 points per game in this stretch.
• The last three games that Brown was the underdog, they have an ATS mark of 1-2 while going 0-3 straight up.
• In their last five games as the betting favorite, the Crimson has a straight up record of 5-0, while going 2-3 against the spread.

Rich Crew’s Total Pick

Take the Over 140.5