Prediction: New Hampshire Wildcats VS Harvard Crimson 2025-11-09
Harvard vs. New Hampshire: A Tale of Two Teams (and Why You Should Bet on the Crimson)
Ladies and gentlemen, prepare for a basketball game so lopsided, itâs like watching a elephant play chess against a goldfishâif the elephant also happened to be a former chess champion. On Sunday, November 9, Harvard (1-0) hosts New Hampshire (1-1) at Lavietes Pavilion, and the odds make it clear: this isnât a game. Itâs a math problem. Letâs break it down with the precision of a spreadsheet and the humor of a Twitter thread written by a stats nerd on coffee.
Parsing the Odds: Why Harvardâs Implied Win Probability is Basically 100%
The betting lines treat Harvard as a near-lock. At FanDuel, Harvardâs moneyline odds sit at +105 (wait, noâactually, their odds are so skewed, theyâre listed as 1.05 in decimal, which translates to a 95% implied probability). For context, thatâs the statistical equivalent of betting that the sun will rise tomorrow⌠in a universe where the sun never sets. New Hampshire, meanwhile, is a +10.8 underdog, implying an 8.7% chance to winâabout the same odds as correctly guessing someoneâs birthday blindfolded, blind drunk, and while reciting the periodic table.
The spread? Harvard is favored by 15.5 points, which, given last seasonâs numbers, isnât even a âsafeâ lineâitâs a âyou-better-hide-the-15.5â line. Harvard scored 68.4 PPG last year (315th in D1) but allowed a whopping 72 PPG (182nd). New Hampshire, meanwhile, averaged 66.4 PPG (16th-worst) while surrendering 76.6 PPG (306th). In other words, this is a mismatch of defenses⌠and offenses⌠and basically everything.
Team News: Harvardâs âMightyâ Offense vs. New Hampshireâs âNot-So-Mightyâ Defense
Letâs start with Harvard. Their 79-50 win over MIT was so dominant, itâs being investigated by the Institute for Extraordinary Basketball Victories. Star player Thomas Batties II dropped 17 points, which is about 23% of MITâs entire output in that game. Harvardâs home-court advantage is also a factor: They averaged 69.2 PPG at Lavietes Pavilion last season. Sure, their three-point shooting was worse than a toddlerâs aim (32.2%, 278th nationally), but hey, at least theyâre not MIT.
Now, New Hampshire. The Wildcatsâ lone âwinâ this season was a 113-31 drubbing of Curryâa team that, per NCAA records, may or may not have been using their feet instead of hands. Their star, Eva DeChent, poured in 28 points in a loss to Boston College, but the rest of the team combined for⌠letâs see⌠zero highlights. New Hampshireâs defense is so porous, it makes a colander look like Fort Knox. Last season, they allowed 76.6 PPG on the road (306th in the nation). If their opponents were soup, New Hampshireâs defense would be a ladle with a hole in it.
The Humor Section: Because Sports Needs Laughs, Not Just Statistics
- Harvardâs offense: Itâs like a group of librarians trying to play basketballâquiet, methodical, and somehow still better than you.
- New Hampshireâs defense: They donât just let points scoreâthey hand them a seat, a snack, and a coupon for a free layup next time.
- The 15.5-point spread: If Harvard doesnât win by at least 16, the universe breaks. Literally. Physicists are already recalibrating their equations.
- Eva DeChentâs 28 points: A valiant effort, but against Boston College, it was like bringing a spoon to a gunfight⌠while the gun was also a live grenade.
Prediction: Why Youâre Betting on Harvard (Unless Youâre a Sadist)
Harvardâs win probability isnât just highâitâs existential. The Crimsonâs home-court advantage, New Hampshireâs defensive incompetence, and the simple fact that 1.05 odds pay less than your coffee at Starbucks all scream one conclusion: Harvard wins by at least 15 points.
But wait! Could New Hampshire pull off the miracle? Technically, yes. But only if:
1. Harvardâs players collectively decide to play like theyâre in a âslow modeâ video game.
2. Every New Hampshire shooter suddenly develops the three-point touch of Steph Curryâs twin.
3. The game is delayed for three hours so Curryâs twin can teleport in fromĺ¨ćľˇ, China.
In short? Donât waste your money on New Hampshire. Unless you enjoy the thrill of losing, in which case, go aheadâweâll all be rooting for you.
Final Verdict: Harvard 78, New Hampshire 60. The real question is whether the score will be boringly by the spread or excruciatingly by the spread. Either way, the math wins.
Created: Nov. 9, 2025, 2:42 p.m. GMT