The Harvard Crimson (4–1) will make the trip to University Park to face off against the Penn State Nittany Lions (4–0) in a non-conference matchup in college basketball. Penn State comes into the game as a heavy favorite and looking to stay undefeated. They will try to defeat a Harvard team that is off to a strong start and looking to pass its first road test of the year. Before tip-off, continue reading to get my Harvard vs Penn State prediction.
Penn State comes into this contest off to a perfect 4–0 start, having knocked off La Salle 83–69 in their most recent game. The Nittany Lions have already shown impressive balance, with four players averaging double-digits, including freshmen Melih Tunca (15.5 ppg) and Kayden Mingo (15.3 ppg). Their backcourt looks dangerous, and their depth has been a real weapon. Penn State’s bench has outscored opponents by a combined 156-39 this season.
Harvard has been steady early, entering this game at 4–1. They are coming off back-to-back road wins over Army and Marist, showing toughness in tight moments. Senior guard Chandler Pigge drilled a go-ahead three to tie the Marist game in the final minute, and Robert Hinton calmly knocked down free throws to seal it.
The Crimson have a veteran core, but that core will be tested against power conference competition for the first time this year. The big question will be how Harvard does in making the transition from beating up on teams like New Hampshire to playing a power conference program like Penn State.
Score Projection: Harvard 64 – Penn State 79
Win Probability: Penn State 91%, Harvard 9%
Harvard is typically a strong Ivy League program. But I think that they are going to struggle in this contest against Penn State. The Nittany Lions are a better team than anyone Harvard has played so far this year and I'm not sure it's all that close. I'll lay the points with Penn State on their home floor here against a Harvard team that hasn't been tested in this way quite yet.
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