Harvard vs UMass 12/2/22 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds

The UMass Minutemen and the Harvard Crimson meet in college basketball action from the Lavietes Pavilion on Friday night.

The UMass Minutemen will look to build on a four-game win streak after a 73-67 win over USF in their last game. Matt Cross leads the Minutemen in scoring and rebounding with 10.8 PPG and 5.8 RPG while Noah Fernandes has 10.3 PPG with 4 APG as the only other double-digit scorer for UMass while leading the Minutemen in the assist department this season. As a team, UMass is averaging 69.8 PPG on 43.1% shooting from the field, 40.4% from behind the arc and 64.3% from the foul line this season.

The Harvard Crimson will try to add to a 72-38 win over Holy Cross last time out. Chris Ledlum leads the Crimson in scoring and rebounding with 18.6 PPG and 7.1 RPG while Sam Silverstein has 10.3 PPG with 5.4 RPG as the only other double-digit scorer for Harvard up to this point in the season. Chisom Okpara has 8.6 PPG while Evan Nelson has 3.6 APG to lead Harvard in assists up to this point in the season. As a team, Harvard is averaging 69.1 PPG on 46.1% shooting from the field, 28.4% from three point range and 63.3% from the foul line this season.

UMass is 5-1 ATS in their last 6 road games and 8-2 ATS in their last 10 games overall while the over is 9-2 in their last 11 road games. Harvard is 4-0 ATS in their last 4 home games against a team with a winning road record and 1-6 ATS in their last 7 games while the under is 4-0 in their last 4 games overall. 

I get the case to be made for Harvard as a home underdog, but I like UMass and what the Minutemen have done this season, especially against the schedule that they’ve been up against. Harvard’s a solid group and will likely be one of the teams to beat if not the top dog in the Ivy League, but for right now, I have to side with UMass in this one.