Harvard vs Columbia 2/18/22 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds

The Columbia Lions will travel to Lavietes Pavilion to take on the Harvard Crimson this Friday night in College Basketball action.

The Columbia Lions lost their 4^th straight game and dropped to 4-18 on the season after being defeated by the Yale Bulldogs, 84-59, this past Saturday. Columbia trailed by a 39-30 margin at halftime and could not fight back after Yale took a 69-48 lead with 6:00 minutes left in regulation. Columbia shot 42.1% from the field & 33.3% from beyond the arc while allowing Yale to shoot 63.0% from the field & 42.1% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Lions was Jaden Cooper who had 12 points, 1 rebounds, & 1 assist in 26 minutes from off the bench.

On the season, Columbia is averaging 68.6 ppg on 43.6% shooting from the field. The Lions are averaging 7.5 three-pointers per game on 37.0% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively Columbia has been led by Ike Nweke (15.9 ppg, 6.3 rpg), Geronimo Rubio De La Rosa (12.4 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 3.4 apg, 1.0 spg), Liam Murphy (12.0 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 1.4 apg), & Josh Odunowo (8.9 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 1.2 bpg). Ike Newke missed the Lions last game and should be considered questionable for this matchup.

Defensively, Columbia is allowing their opponents to average 79.5 ppg o 47.1% shooting from the field. The Lions have a rebound margin of -0.2 and a turnover margin of -3.6.

The Harvard Crimson lost their 3^rd straight game and dropped to 11-10 on the season after being defeated by the Pennsylvania Quakers, 82-74, this past Saturday. Harvard trailed by a 41-33 at halftime and could not fight back after the Quakers took a 77-71 lead with :48 seconds left in regulation. Harvard shot 46.7% from the field & 36.0% from beyond the arc while allowing Pennsylvania to shoot 52.8% from the field & 59.1% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Crimson was Noah Krikwood who had 14 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks, & 2 steals.

On the season, Harvard is averaging 72.6 ppg on 43.3% shooting from the field. The Crimson are averaging 8.8 three-pointers per game on 33.6% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Harvard has been led by Noah Kirkwood (17.2 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 3.1 apg, 2.1 spg), Luka Sakota (11.2 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 2.1 apg), Mason Forbes (9.5 ppg, 4.5 rpg), Kale Catchings (8.4 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 1.2 spg).

Defensively, Harvard is allowing their opponents to average 68.9 ppg on 43.9% shooting from the field. The Crimson have a rebound margin of -0.9 and a turnover margin of 3.4.

The Lions are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games, however, are 5-0 ATS in their last 5 games vs. Harvard. The Crimson are 3-11 ATS in their last 14 games & 1-6 ATS in their last 7 home games.

Columbia has been great ATS against Harvard in their recent matchups, however, this is a team that is just 1-9 on the road this season and hasn’t looked great without having their leading scoring, Ike Nweke, in the lineup. Harvard has played a brutal schedule as of late which has led the Crimson to lose 5 of their last 6 games, however, this is still a team that is 7-4 at home and has been solid offensively, ranking 147^th in scoring offense & 62^nd in three-pointers made per game. Harvard was able to defeat Columbia by a 91-82 margin on the road earlier this season and as I think they have more success on their home court against the Lions, I’m taking Harvard to cover this large home spread. Good Luck!