Harvard vs. Navy prediction, odds, pick for College Basketball

It's time to continue our College Basketball odds series with a Harvard-Navy prediction and pick. Find out how to watch Harvard-Navy.

Early-season college basketball can be very difficult to bet on. The identities of teams are in flux in many cases, because new players are learning how to play with each other. Coaches are trying to find the right lineup combinations. They are considering whether they want or need an eight-man rotation, a nine-man rotation, or a 10-man rotation. Which bench players are going to get the most minutes? What is the preferred pace a team wants to play at? What pace will a given opponent allow a team to play at? These are such fluid and uncertain propositions, and they all go into the calculus when considering how a game will play out. College basketball is also a sport where a game might have a specific identity for 25 minutes, and then a 10-0 run or a major scoring drought completely changes the situation. You know these things can easily happen, but you don't know precisely when they will happen. All of these kinds of details have to be considered, and in the first week of a season, it is often hard to pin these things down. Harvard and Navy create a very difficult and slippery betting situation, particularly in Navy's case.

Harvard actually provided stability for bettors in its first game, covering a 3.5-point spread in a comfortable win over Marist. Harvard was the solidly better team in both halves and delivered a strong performance. Now we need to see if the Crimson can carry that performance into this game versus Navy.

This is the harder side to calibrate in this game. Navy led Saint Joseph's 44-32 with 16 minutes left earlier this week and then went through a paralyzing scoring drought, scoring just three points in the next eight minutes. Navy lost 70-63 and wasted 24 really good minutes with a horrendous finish in the final 16 minutes. Which version of Navy are we going to see in this game — the team which gained a 12-point lead, or the team which was outscored 38-19 in the last 16 minutes? Trying to identify the character and the natural tendencies of teams in November college basketball is always a challenge. The question you have to ask yourself: Do you think you already know what Navy's character is as a team?

Here are the Harvard-Navy College Basketball Odds , courtesy of FanDuel

College Basketball Odds: Harvard-Navy Odds

Harvard: +1.5 (-106)

Moneyline: +108

Navy: -1.5 (-114)

Moneyline: -132

Over: 138.5 (-110)

Under: 138.5 (-114)

How to Watch Harvard vs Navy

Time: 8:30 p.m. ET / 5:30 p.m. PT

TV: CBS Sports Network

Stream: fuboTV ( Free Trial )

Why Harvard Will Cover The Spread/Win

Harvard looked solid against Marist and was the better team all 40 minutes, playing well in each half and creating a no-drama cover of a small spread. Given that the spread here is extremely small — with the game very close to being a pick 'em — Harvard to win looks very attractive.

Why Navy Will Cover The Spread/Win

Navy lost to Saint Joseph's, but the Midshipmen looked really good in the first 24 minutes of that game. There is something to build on for this team, and if Navy can avoid a disastrous eight-minute scoring drought — the unfortunate sequence which hijacked the second half of that game against St. Joe's — it should be in good shape. Think less about Harvard, more about Navy being able to dictate the terms on which this game is played.