Friday night lights shine brightest on the Ivy League.
From 2011-2015, the Harvard Crimson were clearly the class of the Ivy League, winning five straight regular season titles. They also made history winning back-to-back NCAA Tournament games in 2013 and 2014.
Harvard is desperately trying to climb to the top of the league and hosts the Penn Quakers tonight in a huge matchup. Let's see how the Crimson will fare on Friday night in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Betting Odds: Penn Quakers at Harvard Crimson
- Spread: Harvard -4.5
- Over/Under: 140
- Time: 7 p.m. ET
- TV: ESPNU
>> All odds as of 8 a.m. ET. Download The Action Network App to get real-time odds and live win probabilities on your bets.
Penn (16-10) has been a disappointment, sitting at 4-6 in the Ivy League after being predicted second in the preseason poll. The Quakers lost 75-68 at home in overtime to Harvard on Feb. 16.
Harvard (14-9) is tied with Princeton for second place in the Ivy League, just one game behind Yale. Since the return of junior guard Bryce Aiken, the Crimson are an impressive 8-2 with wins over both Princeton and Yale. Harvard is 7-2 at home including an impressive 6-1 ATS when favored by less than seven points.
Harvard has battled injuries all season, including junior guard Justin Bassey (10.3 ppg) in their Feb. 22 loss at Brown. It's still been able to maintain dominant metrics on both sides of the ball. The Crimson rank third in both offensive and defensive adjusted efficiency within Ivy League play. They have also been uber-efficient from 3P, shooting 39.7% as a team.
The Crimson will have a huge advantage on the boards, as they rank first in offensive and defensive rebounding within the league games. They get strong rebounding from their guards, as illustrated by Bassey (7.3 rpg) leading the team in rebounding.
Aiken (21.8 ppg) has been the best player in the Ivy League over the last month. He is averaging 28.5 points per game over his last six contests while shooting 44% (19 of 43) from beyond the arc. Freshman Noah Kirkwood (10.4 ppg) has been fantastic on offense, scoring a season-high 28 points in the loss at Brown. He is shooting 53% (10 of 19) from 3P over his last four games.
Penn will need to score to stay close at Harvard, which will be difficult against Harvard's defense. The Quakers also rank 334th in free throw shooting at only 64.1%, which could hurt when trying to cover down the stretch.
Without Bassey, the Crimson still scored a huge 88-86 upset at Yale. Harvard has always played its best basketball at the end of the season under coach Tommy Amaker.
Penn is coming off four straight home games and needs to defend a Harvard offense that has scored 75 or more points in four straight games. Take the experience, high scoring offense, and home court advantage of a Harvard team focused on another Ivy League title.
THE PICK: Harvard -4.5
