Harvard Crimson
2020-2021 Overall Rank: #109
Conference Rank: #2 Ivy
It seems surprising, but Harvard has not been to the NCAA Tournament since 2015. Since then they have won a share of the Ivy League title twice, but failed to get the job done when it mattered most. However, this is still a Crimson program that continues to bring in talented players who can compete for a conference title year in and year out. And this season Coach Tommy Amaker will need some younger players to step and replace his four departing starters.
2019-20 Record: 21-8, 10-4
Coach: Tommy Amaker
Coach Record: 250-138 at Harvard, 426-277 overall
Key Departed Players:
Chris Lewis, Forward, 11.4 ppg
Robert Baker, Forward, 7.0 ppg
Christian Juzang, Guard, 6.7 ppg
Justin Bassey, Guard, 6.5 ppg
Key Returning Players:
Noah Kirkwood, Junior, Guard, 12.1 ppg
Chris Ledlum, Sophomore, Forward, 7.3 ppg
Rio Haskett, Senior, Guard, 6.2 ppg
Danilo Djuricic, Senior, Forward, 6.1 ppg
Idan Tretout, Sophomore, Guard, 3.8 ppg
Mason Forbes, Junior, Forward, 3.6 ppg
Luks Sakota, Sophomore, Guard, 2.1 ppg
Spencer Freedman, Junior, Guard, dnp last season
Key New Players:
Justice Ajogbor, Freshman, Forward
Josh Hemmings, Freshman, Forward
Evan Nelson, Freshman, Guard
Samuel Silverstein, Freshman, Guard
Projection:
Technically Noah Kirkwood is the only returning starter, but Coach Amaker ran an eight man rotation for most of last season and four of those eight are back. Kirkwood will still be the leader of the team though after averaging 12.1 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.3 assists as a sophomore last season. Rio Haskett is another experienced guard who can knock down some three-pointers and play solid defense. Idan Tretour was not part of the regular rotation as a freshman and averaged just 7.4 minutes per game, but he showed some potential in that limited action. Chris Ledlum, a 6-6 sophomore, should emerge as the top scoring threat in the frontcourt after tallying 7.3 points per game in 2019-2020. He came to Harvard with a lot of hype and did quite well in year one. Year two could be the breakout season. Senior Danilo Djuricic is a solid rebounder and can be dangerous on the other end of the floor too, thanks to his ability to hit three-pointers. Once again Harvard is bringing in some talented freshmen to help fill out the roster. Coach Amaker will likely need to get some production from that group. If he does, this is a Harvard team that should find themselves right towards the top of the Ivy League standings and knocking on the door of another trip to the postseason.
Projected Postseason Tournament: CBI/CIT
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 72.9 (122nd in nation, 3rd in conference)
Scoring Defense: 66.5 (96, 3)
Field-Goal Percentage: 45.4 (86, 4)
Field-Goal Defense: 40.9 (65, 2)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 7.2 (177, 4)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 32.9 (201, 4)
Free-Throw Percentage: 70.1 (206, 5)
Rebound Margin: 4.9 (43, 2)
Assists Per Game: 11.8 (276, 6)
Turnovers Per Game: 14.0 (253, 7)
