The Harvard Crimson take on the Penn State Nittany Lions in University Park, PA. Tip-off is set for 6:30 p.m. ET on B1G+.
Penn State is favored by -12.5 points on the spread with a moneyline of -1100. The total is set at 142.5 points.
Here’s my Harvard vs. Penn State predictions and college basketball picks for November 19, 2025.
Harvard vs Penn State Prediction
My Pick: Under 142.5 (Play to 139.5)
My Harvard vs Penn State best bet is on the under. For all of your college basketball bets, be sure to find the best lines by using our live NCAAB odds page.
Harvard vs. Penn State Odds
| Harvard Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+12.5 -110 | 142.5 -110 / -110 | +700 |
| Penn State Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-12.5 -110 | 142.5 -110 / -110 | -1100 |
- Harvard vs Penn State spread: Penn State -12.5
- Harvard vs Penn State over/under: 142.5 points
- Harvard vs Penn State moneyline: Harvard +700, Penn State -1100
Harvard vs Penn State College Basketball Betting Preview
Harvard Basketball
Harvard comes into this one off a hard fought win against defensive-minded Marist on Sunday. The Red Foxes were able to frustrate the Crimson with their ferocious defense, which forced 15 turnovers in a game that played to 63 possessions.
Chandler Pigge led Harvard with 14 points and Robert Hinton chipped in 13. The Crimson didn't shoot the ball very well against Marist and turnovers have been a consistent problem early on.
Harvard has played two lower-scoring grinders in a row and are likely to face a similar type of game against Penn State.
Penn State Basketball
Penn State comes in at 4-0, having most recently defeated La Salle 83-69. We've seen the Nittany Lions significantly throttle down their tempo this season, as they haven't played a game that's consisted of 70 possessions.
Penn State has been really efficient offensively, ranking 25th nationally in KenPom’s effective field goal rate. The offense does well to limit turnovers, too.
Meanwhile, the defense has done well to defend without fouling. as the Nittany Lions' defensive free throw rate ranks 14th in the country.
Penn State has some international flavor to this team with Melih Tunca and Ivan Juric, who have found nice rolls in the early part of the season to compliment Kayden Mingo.
Harvard vs. Penn State Betting Analysis
I like the under between these two.
Both of these teams are very comfortable in low-possessions defensive battles, and I fully expect that type of game here with a possession count of somewhere around 65-67.
Harvard has really struggled with turnovers and has committed them on 25% of its possessions this season.
Penn State has been excellent this season at forcing its opponents deep into the shot clock, where many of these turnovers have occurred.
Harvard is comfortable being methodical on defense and we should see it work the shot clock down in an attempt to create open shots or drive into the lane with Pigge and Hinton.
The Crimson don't shoot a lot of 3s and Penn State has been excellent this season when it comes to guarding shots from deep.
Penn State's size will create problems for Harvard and I would expect Juric and Sasa Ciani to both log significant minutes.
Penn State goes deep into its bench and will play as many as nine players, so I would expect the Nittany Lions to have fresh legs in the late stages of the second half. Harvard really only plays 6-7 players consistently, which could also be a factor in Tommy Amaker slowing down the pace this year.
Neither of these defenses commit fouls at a high rate and both are solid at forcing their opponents into turnovers.
The key in this game is that neither of these offenses look to push pace off turnovers, and we should see that continue here. I would expect fast break opportunities to be limited as both of these offenses prefer to operate out of the half-court.
Ultimately, I think Penn State wins this game and its size and defense cause separation between it and Harvard.
I think this total is a tick too high, so I'm going to dive in on the under in this matchup.
My Pick: Under 142.5 (Play to 139.5)
