UMass vs Harvard Prediction College Basketball Picks 11/27/24

The UMass Minutemen are visiting the Harvard Crimson on Wednesday, November 27th at the Lavietes Pavilion. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s a UMass Minutemen vs Harvard Crimson Prediction.

Harvard Crimson Preview

The Harvard Crimson have a 2-4 record this season and are coming off a 78-67 win over Colgate. The Crimson are 2-4 against the spread, and 4-2 in over/under while having a 2-0 home record. 

Offensively, Harvard is averaging 69 points per game, which ranks 302nd in the nation. Defensively, they allow 75.2 points per game (265th). The Crimson shoot 44.3% from the field (217th) and 30.7% from beyond the arc (279th). The Crimson shoot 69.2% from the free-throw line (221st) and are grabbing 33.5 rebounds per game (206th).

Robert Hinton leads Harvard in scoring with an average of 17.7 points and 5.3 rebounds, while Chandler Pigge adds 13.2 points and a team-high 7.5 rebounds.

UMass Minutemen Preview

The UMass Minutemen have a 1-5 record this season and are coming off a 59-92 loss to FSU. The Minutemen are 2-4 against the spread, and 3-2-1 in over/under, while they have a 0-1 road record. 

Offensively, UMass is averaging 74.7 points per game, which ranks 218th in the nation. Defensively, they allow 79.8 points per game (327th). The Minutemen shoot 40.8% from the field (308th) and 27.6% from beyond the arc (332nd). The Minutemen shoot 64.3% from the free-throw line (319th) and are grabbing 38.5 rebounds per game (130th).

Jaylen Curry leads UMass in scoring with an average of 15.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, and a team-high 5.8 assists. Rahsool Diggins adds 12.2 points. UMass will play against NJIT, Central Connecticut, and UMass Lowell after this game.

Why the Harvard Crimson will win

• The home team has won each of Harvard’s last 10 games.
• Massachusetts has lost each of its last five games.
• The home team has won the first half in each of Harvard’s last six games.

Why the Massachusetts Minutemen will win

• Harvard has lost each of its last six games following a home win.
• Massachusetts has won three of its last four games against the Ivy League.
• Harvard has lost the first half in four of its last five games against non-AP-ranked opponents.

Matchup/League Facts

• Harvard ranks T44th among Division 1 teams for opponent free throw attempts per game this season (15.0).
• Massachusetts ranks T33rd among Division 1 teams for blocks per game this season (5.3).
• Massachusetts ranks T43rd among Division 1 teams for field goal attempts per game this season (64.5).

UMass Minutemen vs Harvard Crimson Prediction

Harvard is 4-2 against UMass in their last 6 meetings. UMass is 5-3-1 against the spread in their last 9 meetings. Over is 4-1 in their last 5 meetings. In this UMass Minutemen vs Harvard Crimson Prediction, UMass is coming as a -2.5 road favorite. Both teams are sitting in the bottom half of the nation offensively, scoring 143.7 points per game combined. They also struggle mightily with their shooting, as Harvard is bottom half in field goal percentage and bottom-100 in 3-point percentage, and UMass is bottom-60 in field goal percentage and bottom-30 in 3-point percentage. I expect points to be at a premium today and taking the under.