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The Yale Bulldogs take on the Harvard Crimson. Check out our college basketball odds series for our Yale Harvard prediction and pick. Find out how to watch Yale Harvard.
The college basketball season has been quite a ride, and the Yale Bulldogs embody the volatility in this particular campaign. They went 10-3 in the nonconference portion of their schedule and entered the start of the Ivy League season as the team to beat in the eyes of many analysts. However, Yale stumbled out of the gate and lost three of its first four Ivy League games, including shockers to Columbia and Dartmouth, the latter game being at home in New Haven, Connecticut. Everyone wondered what was going on. Would Yale be able to pick itself off the canvas and regroup?
If the last three games are any indication, the answer is clearly yes.
Yale has bounced back by winning each of its last three games to move to 4-3 in the Ivy League and into the top four, which would qualify Yale for a spot in the four-team Ivy League playoff. The Ivy League still doesn't have a full-conference tournament, but a few years ago it conceded that it needed March basketball and had a chance to make money on a three-game event ESPN could televise. The effect is that the regular season is now an intense battle to reach one of those top four spots. Yale is there right now, trailing Cornell and Princeton (both 5-2) and being tied with Dartmouth. Harvard (3-4), one game behind Yale and Dartmouth, really needs this game to gain leverage in the standings.
Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the Yale-Harvard College Basketball odds.
College Basketball Odds: Yale-Harvard Odds
Yale Bulldogs: -3.5 (-102)
Harvard Crimson: +3.5 (-120)
Over: 131.5 (-114)
Under: 131.5 (-106)
How To Watch Yale vs. Harvard
TV: ESPNU
Stream: ESPN+
Article Continues Below
Time: 5:00 p.m. ET, 2:00 p.m. PT
*Watch Yale-Harvard LIVE with fuboTV (Click for free trial)*
Why Yale Could Cover the Spread
The Bulldogs are back on track. In the last three games, we saw the team we expected to see this season. An 87-65 win over Princeton on January 28 was easily the best Yale performance of the whole season. The Bulldogs did everything right and roasted one of the top two teams in the Ivy League standings. It was a statement win for a team which barely beat Brown on January 16 and survived Penn on January 21. The win over Princeton was a case of thriving, not merely surviving. Yale has every reason to think it has hit its stride and can carry this level of form into the game against a Harvard team which has endured a lot of ups and downs this season. Harvard lost at home to Dartmouth on January 16 and then got pounded by Penn on January 28. This team will go through shooting slumps and scoring droughts; it averages under 68 points per game and often gets caught without enough offense to win games. Harvard has lost nine times this season because of its undependable offense. Yale can put the clamps on the Crimson and win.
Why Harvard Could Cover the Spread
The Crimson are playing at home in a rivalry game which is hugely important in the Ivy League standings. This game is a supremely central moment for the Crimson in their season. They might not be a better team than Yale, or at least, they would certainly not be favored to win a best-of-seven-game series. However, in a one-game situation, playing at home and needing a win, Harvard is going to play with maximum energy and focus. That can carry the team to victory.
Final Yale-Harvard Prediction & Pick
Stay away from this game, but if you insist on a pick, lean to Harvard simply because the game figures to be close and Harvard is the team getting the points while also playing at home.
Final Yale-Harvard Prediction & Pick: Harvard +3.5
