Columbia vs Harvard 1/15/22 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds

The Harvard Crimson will travel to Francis S. Levien Gymnasium to take on the Columbia Lions this Saturday afternoon in College Basketball action.

The Harvard Crimson had their 3-game winning streak snapped and dropped to 8-5 on the season after being defeated by the Brown Bears, 84-73, on January 7^th. Harvard struggled on the defensive end against Brown and could not fight back after the Bears took a 63-53 lead with 7:07 left in regulation. Harvard shot just 37.1% from the field & 29.6% from beyond the arc while allowing Brown to shoot 50.9% from the field & 57.7% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Crimson was Noah Kirkwood who had 18 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, & 1 block.

On the season, Harvard is averaging 75.8 ppg on 43.0% shooting from the field. The Crimson are averaging 9.2 three-pointers per game on 33.9% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Harvard has been led by Chris Ledlum (16.7 ppg, 9.3 rpg, 1.2 apg, 1.7 spg), Noah Kirkwood (16.2 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 3.1 apg, 2.6 spg), Luka Sakota (10.5 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 2.5 apg), & Kale Catchings (8.5 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 1.3 spg).

Defensively, Harvard is allowing their opponents to an average of 69.2 ppg on 42.8% shooting from the field. The Crimson have a rebound margin of 0.5 and a turnover margin of 3.7.

The Columbia Lions snapped their 4-game losing streak and improved to 4-10 on the season after defeating the Pennsylvania Quakers, 73-69, this past Saturday. Columbia led by a 41-36 margin at halftime and was able to hold on for the victory after taking a 61-50 lead with 9:39 left in regulation. Columbia shot 41.7% from the field & 50.0% from beyond the arc while allowing Pennsylvania to shoot 42.9% from the field & 30.8% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Lions was Ike Nweke who had a double-double with 21 points, 15 rebounds, & 1 steal.

On the season, Columbia is averaging 68.3 ppg on 43.2% shooting from the field. The Lions are averaging 6.9 three-pointers per game on 36.2% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Columbia has been led by Ike Nweke (17.8 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 1.0 spg), Liam Murphy (12.6 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 1.3 apg), Geronimo Rubio De La Rosa (12.1 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 3.2 apg), & Josh Odunowo (8.9 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 1.2 bpg).

Defensively, Columbia is allowing their opponents to average 76.3 ppg on 45.0% shooting from the field. The Lions have a rebound margin of 0.9 and a turnover margin of -3.1.

The Crimson are just 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games and 1-9 ATS in their last 10 games vs. Columbia. The Lions are 4-2 ATS in their last 6 games, however, are just 2-3 ATS in their last 5 home games.

Harvard has been led by their offense this season which currently ranks 93^rd in scoring offense & 55^th in three-pointers made per game, however, although their defense has done a good job creating turnovers, the Crimson has struggled a bit defensively, ranking just 193^rd in scoring defense & 194^th in defensive FG%. Columbia has struggled on both end so the court this season and come into this game ranked just 266^th in scoring offense, 318^th in scoring defense, & 286^th in defensive FG%.

Harvard has been one of the best teams the Ivy League over the past few years, however, despite having a decent offense, the Crimson are just not as strong of a team this season and have struggled on the road, posting just a 1-3 record. Columbia is coming off an impressive road win at Pennsylvania and as the Lions have played better since getting Ike Nweke back in the lineup, I think the Lions will be able to do enough at home to cover with the points. Good Luck!