Harvard vs Northeastern prediction: Harvard's intact backcourt tests a Northeastern roster rebuilt almost from scratch

Continuity against a rebuild

Northeastern has owned this crosstown November date lately, winning 78-56 at home in 2024 and 77-60 at Harvard last season. The roster sheets point the other way this time. Harvard brings back 66.9% of last season's minutes. Northeastern returns 34.0%.

Harvard went 17-12 last season and was picked second in the Ivy League preseason poll. Robert Hinton and Tey Barbour are back as starters, and Ben Eisendrath returns to run the offense. The notable loss is Chandler Pigge, a do-everything guard who started all 29 games.

Northeastern went 7-24 under Bill Coen, now in his 20th season, then watched its top scorers leave. William Kermoury went to UNC Wilmington, Xavier Abreu to Charleston and Youri Fritz to Pepperdine. Last season's final adjusted ratings (points per 100 possessions, adjusted for opponents) had Harvard 153rd in net efficiency and Northeastern 278th. With so much of Northeastern's roster new, that gap says more about last year's Huskies than this year's.

Where Harvard finds its shots

Defense sank Northeastern last season. Opponents posted a 56.4% effective field goal percentage, a measure that counts threes 1.5 times, and made 57.8% of their twos. Both marks sat near the bottom of the country. The Huskies also fouled constantly, ranking 332nd in opponent free throw rate.

That sets up Harvard's best shooter. Barbour made 39.6% of his threes last season on 197 attempts. Hinton is the volume scorer, carrying a 27.7% usage rate, but he shot 29.4% from three and does his work inside the arc. Against a defense that conceded twos this easily, Hinton's drives matter as much as Barbour's jumpers.

Questions about Austin Hunt's health lingered as of Oct. 22, and Harvard hasn't said whether he is fully healthy. Hunt shot 37.8% from three in 14 games last season, so his availability adds or subtracts a second shooter.

Slow tempo, steady free throws

Harvard plays at a crawl. It averaged 63.8 possessions per 40 minutes last season, 347th in Division I. Northeastern ran at 69, 111th. Fewer possessions shrink the game, and that has usually suited the better defense. Harvard's was 63rd in efficiency last season and held opponents to 31.7% from three.

The foul line could decide a tight finish. Harvard led the country in free throw percentage last season at 79.9%, and Northeastern shot 69.0%. Harvard rarely gets there, though: it ranked 352nd in free throw rate. Northeastern's habit of fouling against Harvard's reluctance to draw contact is a quiet subplot.

Harvard freshmen Jason Singleton and Preston Merrick are athletic and built to push the pace. Whether Tommy Amaker lets them speed things up is worth watching early.

Northeastern's new pieces

Mike Loughnane is the returning anchor, averaging 10.2 points and 3.8 assists last season. Ryan Williams is the efficiency play: he made 42.5% of his threes in a bench role. A bigger share of minutes would test whether that holds.

Rashad King is back at Northeastern for his graduate season after a year at LSU, and Louis Bond arrives from Idaho State. Neither carried much of a load last season, so the Huskies' ceiling depends on someone rising beyond last year's role.

What to watch

• Barbour's three-point volume against a Northeastern perimeter defense rebuilt around new faces.
• Whether Harvard's freshmen change its usual slow tempo.
• Hunt's role and health in his first real minutes.
• Free throws late if the game stays close.