Harvard Crimson
Ivy League (26-4, 13-1)
Coming off of their upset win over New Mexico in last year’s NCAA Tournament, the expectations were extremely high for Harvard. And for the most part they lived up to them. A few losses sprinkled throughout the season kept the Crimson outside of the top 25, but in the end, any 26-4 team will be a threat to pull off an NCAA Tournament upset.
Big Wins: 11/29 vs Green Bay (76-64), 12/7 at Boston U (79-68), 2/22 at Princeton (59-47)
Bad Losses: 11/24 at Colorado (62-70), 1/21 at Florida Atlantic (53-68), 2/8 Yale (67-74)
Coach: Tommy Amaker (7 seasons at Harvard)
Why They Can Surprise:
Coach Tommy Amaker has five players who averaged double digits in the scoring column. Wesley Saunders, who led the way with 14.0 points per game, is the go-to-scorer for this group, but defending the Crimson is always difficult with so many scorers on the team. Point guard Siyani Chambers can attack the basket effectively and is a threat to shoot from long range. But Laurent Rivard does the most damage from beyond the arc and connects on 42.6 percent of his attempts. And Harvard has Brandyn Curry, who nearly reached the double digit scoring average, to bring in off of the bench. Steve Moundou-Missi and Kyle Casey are the interior scorers.
Why They Can Disappoint:
While Moundou-Missi and Casey are having big years and generally play solid defense, they do not form the largest frontcourt around. Both are 6-7 and will block shots, but their athleticism does not always help out the Crimson on the glass. Harvard was outrebounded 46-29 in an early season loss to Colorado. This group has the potential to outrebound good teams, as they nearly did against Connecticut, but not losing too many possessions on the glass will be key for Harvard staying close and giving themselves an opportunity to win a game or two.
Probable Starters:
Siyani Chambers, Sophomore, Guard, 11.1 ppg, 4.7 apg
Laurent Rivard, Senior, Guard, 10.0 ppg, 3.0 rpg
Wesley Saunders, Junior, Guard, 14.0 ppg, 3.9 apg, 4.7 rpg
Steve Moundou-Missi, Junior, Forward, 10.5 ppg, 5.8 rpg
Kyle Casey, Senior, Forward, 10.0 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 1.2 bpg
Key Roleplayers:
Evan Cummins, Sophomore, Forward, 2.9 ppg
Brandyn Curry, Senior, Guard, 9.3 ppg, 3.0 apg
Jonah Travis, Junior, Forward, 4.6 ppg, 3.3 rpg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 73.6 (91st in nation, 1st in conference)
Scoring Defense: 60.5 (13, 1)
Field-Goal Percentage: 46.7 (57, 1)
Field-Goal Defense: 40.7 (48, 2)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 5.7 (218, 6)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 38.7 (32, 1)
Free-Throw Percentage: 72.6 (74, 2)
Rebound Margin: 3.0 (86, 3)
Assists Per Game: 14.5 (63, 3)
Turnovers Per Game: 11.4 (83, 2)
Recent Postseason Appearances:
2013 NCAA Second Round win over New Mexico
2013 NCAA Third Round loss to Arizona
2012 NCAA Second Round loss to Vanderbilt
2011 NIT First Round loss to Oklahoma State
2010 CIT First Round loss to Appalachian State
*all team stats through 3/9
See All Men’s Basketball Postseason Capsules
