Princeton Tigers vs Harvard Crimson Prediction, 1/17/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Princeton Tigers vs Harvard Crimson

Date: Saturday, January 17, 2026

Location: Lavietes Pavilion in Cambridge, MA

TV: ESPN+

Lavietes Pavilion is the site where the Harvard Crimson (8-8) will try to beat the Princeton Tigers (6-11) on Saturday.

The Princeton Tigers took the court against Yale and notched a win by a score of 76-60 in their last game. Princeton ended with a 45.8% FG percentage (22 of 48) and converted 11 of their 27 shots from 3-point land. At the free throw line, the Tigers buried 21 of 23 attempts for a percentage of 91.3%. In the matter of pulling down rebounds, they collected 34 with 8 of them being on the offensive end. They also dished out 11 dimes in the game as well as forcing the other team into 8 turnovers and earning 7 steals. Regarding defense, Princeton let their opponent shoot 35.4% from the floor on 23 out of 65 shooting. Yale earned 6 assists and had 5 steals in this contest. Additionally, Yale collected 25 rebounds (10 offensive, 15 defensive), but wasn't able to record a block. Yale ended up shooting 60.0% from the free throw line by making 9 of 15 attempts. They also buried 5 of their 29 attempts from distance. When talking about fouls, the Tigers finished with 16 and Yale totaled 21 fouls.

Jackson Hicke is one player who was a major contributor for the game. He went 61.5% from the floor and recorded 2 assists. He saw the court for 35 minutes and also pulled down 5 boards. He walked away with 27 points on 8 out of 13 shooting.

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Princeton comes into this contest with a mark of 6-11 for the season. They are losing possession via turnover 12.1 times per game and as a team are committing 16.8 fouls per game. As a unit, Princeton is collecting 34.2 boards per game and has accounted for 223 assists on the campaign, which has them ranked 274th in the country in terms of passing the rock. The Tigers are hitting 33.8% from downtown (153 of 453) and 72.0% from the charity stripe. They currently have an average of 69.5 pts per contest (322nd in D-1) while shooting 42.0% from the floor.

When they are on defense, the Tigers are forcing 10.2 turnovers per contest while drawing 17.0 fouls. They give up 30.3% on 3-pointers while they are 131st in Division 1 in PPG from their opponents (71.7). The Tigers defensively are allowing a shooting percentage of 44.6% (423 of 948) and they concede 33.8 rebounds per game as a team. They are 68th in college in allowing assists with 205 relinquished on the season.

The last time they took the hardwood, the Harvard Crimson got the victory with a final of 79-54 when they faced Columbia. The Crimson earned 22 defensive rebounds and 9 offensive rebounds totaling 31 for the contest. They coughed up the ball 9 times, while recording 13 steals in the game. Columbia had 10 personal fouls in the game which got the Crimson to the free throw line for a total of 11 tries. They were able to bury 11 of the free throw attempts for a clip of 100.0%. In regard to shots from downtown, Harvard buried 10 of their 21 attempts (47.6%). When this game wrapped up, the Crimson walked away from this one shooting 29 for 55 from the field which gave them a percentage of 52.7%. The Crimson permitted Columbia to convert 21 out of 56 attempts from the field which had them shooting 37.5% for the game. They wrapped up this game 12.5% from 3-point land by going 2 of 16 and finished the contest at 10 of 11 from the charity stripe (90.9%). In relation to how they cleaned up the glass, Harvard permitted Columbia to pull down 25 in total (9 on the offensive side).

Thomas Batties II was important for the Crimson for this contest. He scored 24 points in his 27 minutes on the hardwood and had 4 dimes in this matchup. He made 8 out of 12 for this contest for a field goal percentage of 66.7%, and had 5 rebounds.

Harvard has a win-loss mark of 8-8 for the campaign. When it comes to executing on offense, the Crimson are hitting on 47.1% from the floor, which is 100th in the nation. Harvard has accumulated 1,131 points on the campaign (70.7 per game) and they collect 31.3 boards per game. They are earning an assist 13.8 times per game (225th in D-1) and they are giving up possession 11.3 times per contest. The Crimson commit 13.6 fouls every game while shooting 79.4% from the free throw line.

The Crimson defensively are ranked 52nd in D-1 in points allowed per contest with 67.9. They are forcing 11.9 turnovers per game and allow teams to shoot 44.8% from the field (247th in D-1). The Harvard defense gives up 32.1% from downtown (116 of 361) and opponents are knocking down 72.2% of their free throw attempts. They relinquish 12.8 dimes and 31.5 total boards per game, which ranks them 130th and 44th in college hoops.

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Princeton

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