Penn vs. Harvard Point Spread – Free Total Pick

Penn (13-11 SU 11-10 ATS) vs. Harvard (12-11 SU 12-9 ATS)
When: Saturday, February 11th: 2:00 ET
Where: Lavietes Pavilion Cambridge, MA
TV: ESPN+
Point Spread: Penn +1.5/Har -1.5
Total: 138.5
Money Line: Penn Quakers +100/Harvard Crimson -120

The Pennsylvania Quakers head to Cambridge to take on the Harvard Crimson in Saturday Ivy League play. The college betting board has the host as a -1.5 favorite with the total line listed at 138.5 points. Read on to get Crew’s Penn at Harvard pick against the spread for their 2/11/23 college basketball game.

Line Movement

The spread line opened at Harvard -1.5 and hasn’t budged under public pressure. The total has been on the rise, moving to 138.5 from an opener of 137 points.

Last Game Info

Penn picked up a victory over Cornell by a score of 92-86. Heading into the game, the Quakers were favored to win, with a point spread of -1.5. The combined 178 points finished above the 159.5 total line.

Going into their last game, Harvard was the betting favorite at -4 but fell to Brown by a score of 68-65. The combined 133 points did not surpass the 134 total line.

Current Form

Penn
Over their last five games, Penn has a straight-up record of 4-1 while going 3-1-1 vs. the spread. Over this stretch, the Quakers’ offense averages 77.6 points per game while hitting 47.6% of their shots from the field. On the defensive end of the floor, they have allowed opponents to shoot 39.4% from the field while allowing 68.2 points per contest.

Harvard
In their previous five contests, Harvard is 1-4 straight-up and 1-4 vs. the spread. In these five games, they have a scoring average of 68.8 points per game on a shooting percentage of 43.1%. Defensively, they allow teams to hit 46.6% of their shots while giving up 73.6 points per game.

Average Power Rating Of Opponents Played

This season, the combined power rating of Penn’s opponents comes in at 75.7. On the other side, Harvard’s combined opponent power rating sits at 74.4.

How Does Penn Fare On The Road?

For the season, the Quakers have played 12 road games and have a record of 5-7. In these contests, Penn is 6-4 vs. the spread. Offensively, they have averaged 69.1 points per game on a shooting percentage of 45.0%. On defense, the Quakers allow 72.2 points per contest when playing away from home. So far, opposing teams have a field goal percentage of 42.7% in these games.

How Does Harvard Fare At Home?

In their 11 games at home, Harvard has a 5-5 record vs. the spread while going 5-6 straight-up. On offense, the Crimson are shooting 46.3% on their home floor, leading to 67.1 points per game. Defensively, opponents are shooting 39.6% in these contests. The Harvard defense is allowing 65.5 points per game at home.

Offense vs. Defense

For the season, Penn is averaging 72.0 points per game (170th) while posting an overall field goal percentage of 44.6%. In today’s game, they will be matched up against a Harvard defense that has allowed an average of 65.7 points per contest. This year, opponents have hit 40.1% of their shots vs. Harvard. On the other side, the Harvard Crimson are coming into the game averaging 71.5 points per game on a shooting percentage of 43.2%. The Crimson will be facing a defensive unit allowing an average of 71.8 points per contest. So far, teams have hit 40.4% of their shots vs. the Quakers.

Three-Point Shooting

From beyond the arc, Penn has a shooting percentage of 33.5% while ranking 241st in attempts per game. The Quakers will be facing a Harvard defense that has a 3-point field goal shooting percentage allowed of 29.6%. Harvard enters the game having hit 32.9% of their looks from deep while averaging 8.5 made 3’s per game. On the other end, Penn has allowed opponents to hit 30.5% of their shots from beyond the arc.

Injuries Of Note

Penn

• No Reported Injuries

Harvard

• No Reported Injuries

Pick vs. the Betting Line

I lean to Penn here on the spread, but Harvard can come up with a good one (see 95-89 win vs. Cornell), and this may be their best shot at picking up another home win this season. I do like the over, though. These two teams put up 151 in their earlier meeting, and I see no reason for them not to do the same again. The Quakers are playing the best basketball of their season, scoring 74 plus in their last four. Harvard has averaged 67.7 PPG at home this season, and reproducing these numbers sends this game past the listed total. Take the Over 138.5.