Harvard Crimson vs. Princeton Tigers: Odds, College Basketball Betting Pick

The two top teams in the Ivy League will square off for the second time this season on Friday when the Princeton Tigers (19-6, 12-0 Ivy) host the Harvard Crimson (18-7, 10-2) as solid home favorites.

The Tigers won the first meeting at Harvard 57-56 on February 4 but did not cover the spread as 2.5-point road chalk after beating the number in four of the previous six matchups.

Point spread: The Tigers opened as 7.5-point favorites; the total is at 129, according to sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark (line updates and matchup report)

College basketball betting pick, via OddsShark computer: 67.2-63.9 Tigers (college basketball picks on every game)

Why the Crimson can cover the spread

The Crimson nearly upset Princeton earlier in the year and had gone 5-1 straight up in the six prior games between the schools. Harvard is also riding a six-game winning streak into this showdown with covers in seven of eight, including the last meeting.

The last three games for the Crimson have all been decided by double digits as well, with them averaging more than 80 points and holding opponents to under 66 per game.

Why the Tigers can cover the spread

Princeton has yet to lose a conference game and has already earned at least a share of the Ivy League's regular-season title. The last time the Tigers started 12-0 in league play was 1998, which is also the last time they won as many as 15 in a row like they have now.

In those 12 conference games, they have also gone an impressive 8-4 ATS with four straight covers following a 75-60 rout of the Cornell Big Red as 12.5-point road favorites last Saturday. Princeton's last four games have all been decided by double digits.

Smart betting pick

The Tigers are looking to lock up the top seed in the first-ever Ivy League tournament, which will tip off on March 11 with a pair of semifinal matchups.

They will be overwhelming favorites to earn the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament unless something dramatic happens in the last two games, and they cannot afford to lose to Harvard here at home, which would certainly qualify. Bet on Princeton to continue its unbeaten Ivy run with yet another double-digit victory.

College basketball betting trends

Harvard is 7-1 ATS in its last eight games.

The total has gone over in five of Harvard's last six games.

The total has gone under in nine of Princeton's last 10 games.

All college basketball lines and betting trends courtesy of Bleacher Report’s official odds partner, OddsShark. All quotes gathered firsthand unless otherwise noted. Check out Twitter for injury and line-movement updates and the OddsShark YouTube page for picks and analysis, or download the free odds tracker app.