Harvard Crimson vs Yale Bulldogs Prediction, 1/31/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Harvard Crimson vs Yale Bulldogs

Date: Saturday, January 31, 2026

Location: John J. Lee Amphitheater in New Haven, CT

TV: ESPN+

The Harvard Crimson (10-9) are on their way to John J. Lee Amphitheater on Saturday where they will take on the Yale Bulldogs (15-3).

The Harvard Crimson faced Cornell and ended up losing by a score of 86-79 in their last game. In the matter of personal fouls, the Crimson ended up with 21 while Cornell racked up 14 personal fouls. They knocked down 11 of 24 attempts from 3-point range. Cornell finished 80.8% at the free throw line by making 21 of 26 tries. Furthermore, Cornell pulled down 27 rebounds (7 offensive, 20 defensive), but wasn't able to record a rejection. Cornell distributed 18 dimes and had 4 steals for this game. With respect to defense, Harvard allowed the other team to go 52.9% from the field on 27 out of 51 shooting. They also dished out 19 dimes for this contest as well as forcing 11 turnovers and earning 8 steals. In the matter of grabbing boards, they earned a total of 26 with 7 of them being offensive. When they shot from the free throw line, the Crimson made 15 of 18 tries for a rate of 83.3%. Harvard ended the game having earned a 47.3% field goal percentage (26 of 55) and made 12 of 28 shots from beyond the arc.

Robert Hinton is one guy who came through for the matchup. He notched 19 points on 7 out of 12 shooting. He played 20 minutes played and collected 6 rebounds. He finished the game at 58.3% from the field and also dished out 1 assist.

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Harvard will play this game with a win-loss record of 10-9 so far this year. They turn it over 10.8 times per contest and as a unit they are committing 14.2 fouls on a nightly basis. As a team, Harvard is collecting 31.4 rebounds per contest and has accounted for 267 assists on the season, which is 270th in D-1 in terms of passing the rock. The Crimson are shooting 37.0% on 3-point shots (148 of 400) and 79.0% from the charity stripe. They have an average of 71.6 pts per contest (292nd in D-1) while going 47.0% from the floor.

On the defensive end of the court, the Crimson are able to force 11.6 turnovers per game and they draw 14.5 personal fouls. They are ranked 59th in D-1 in giving up assists with 241 conceded for the year. The Crimson defense is giving up a FG percentage of 44.8% (472 of 1,054) and they surrender 32.1 rebounds per game as a unit. They are giving up 32.8% on shots from distance and they rank 67th in college in points per game allowed (69.3).

The last time they took the hardwood, the Yale Bulldogs took home the win by a final score of 77-60 when they faced Penn. The Bulldogs corralled 25 defensive boards and 12 offensive boards for a total of 37 for the contest. They also turned the ball over 12 times, while recording 4 steals for the matchup. Penn earned 22 fouls in this game which took the Bulldogs to the charity stripe for a total of 16 tries. They were able to knock down 14 of the free throw attempts for a clip of 87.5%. In regard to shooting from downtown, Yale made 7 out of their 17 attempts (41.2%). When the final whistle blew, the Bulldogs walked away from this one shooting 28 out of 61 from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 45.9%. The Bulldogs permitted Penn to convert 21 of their 55 tries from the floor which had them shooting 38.2% for this contest. They finished the game shooting 28.0% from beyond the arc by shooting 7 of 25 and finished the contest at 11 of 18 at the free throw line (61.1%). With respect to attacking the glass, Yale permitted Penn to collect 26 in all (7 on the offensive side).

Nick Townsend was important for the Bulldogs for the contest. He tallied 17 points in his 35 minutes on the court and earned 3 dimes for this game. He converted 5 out of 9 for this contest for a rate of 55.6%, and added 9 rebounds.

Yale has a win-loss record of 15-3 on the campaign. The Bulldogs are responsible for committing 16.3 personal fouls every game and they go 77.6% from the free throw line. They are assisting teammates 16.8 times per contest (48th in the nation) and they turn it over 9.4 times per contest. Yale has accounted for 1,525 points on the campaign (84.7 per contest) and they collect 35.9 rebounds per game. In terms of offensive execution, the Bulldogs are hitting on 50.3% from the field, which is 18th in D-1.

The Bulldogs on defense are ranked 122nd in Division 1 in points given up per game with 71.4. They have forced 11.4 TO's per game and have let teams shoot 42.6% from the floor (120th in college hoops). The Yale defense allows 33.5% on shots from behind the 3-point line (167 of 499) and their opponents are knocking down 70.0% of their shots from the charity stripe. They relinquish 12.7 dimes and 30.8 boards on a nightly basis, which has them ranked 130th and 28th in Division 1.

Who will win tonight's NCAA game against the spread?

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Harvard

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