IVY SEASON PREVIEW: Harvard Trendspotting

The numbers: 12-3 overall, 1-0 Ivy, 46th RPI, 53rd Sagarin, 63rd Pomeroy

The recent results: defeated Seattle 92-71 (1/2), defeated Santa Clara 74-66 (1/4), defeated Dartmouth 76-47 (1/9)
The upcoming schedule: at Dartmouth (1/23), at Columbia (1/29), at Cornell (1/30)

Key Non-Conference Wins: vs. William and Mary 87-85 3OT (11/15), at BU 78-70 (11/29), at BC 74-67 (12/9), vs. George Washington 66-53 (12/30), at Seattle 92-71 (1/2)

The Media Sensation
After Jeremy Lin’s 30- and 25-point performances against UConn and BC, the senior guard became a media darling with articles and pieces in a variety of both sports and regular media outlets. Lin is currently ranked in 11 different Pomeroy categories, including five in the top 100. He has been unstoppable offensively, shooting incredibly effectively from the field (60.2% EFG and 65.3% TS) and getting to the line (69.3% FTA/FGA). Lin has spent the bulk of the non-conference season working hard to get teammates involved in the first half, often leading to very silent first 20 minutes, before carrying a lot of the scoring load after the break.

Fresh Produce
Harvard has received strong contributions from four different freshmen this season. Kyle Casey came on strong down the stretch with 15, 19 and 27 points in the final three non-conference games, but has picked up at least three fouls in every game but one this season. Christian Webster has cracked the starting lineup and stayed there since the injury to sophomore Max Kenyi and has hit double-figures in scoring seven times, but has struggled with turnovers with at least three in seven straight games. Brandyn Curry has proved to be a strong defensive player and serviceable backup point guard, but has struggled mightily with turnovers as well. Dee Giger has seen double-digit minutes in all but two non-conference games and has provided a valuable boost as a three point specialist, despite not filling up the stat sheet on the defensive end.

Price is Wright
Sophomore forward Keith Wright picked up right where he left off in Ivy play, scoring 22 points, grabbing six boards and blocking three shots against Dartmouth on Saturday. Wright has hit double-figures in scoring eight times this season and is shooting over 60 percent from the field. His 9-for-14 performance for 21 points against BC helped spark the Crimson to its second win over the Eagles in as many years.

Team health report
Harvard is as healthy as it has been in years with only day-to-day injuries to its key rotation players, other than Kenyi’s torn MCL which has kept him out of action since the end of November.

Odds & ends
– Harvard’s non-conference RPI and SOS have slipped dramatically recently to 61 and 134, respectively. The Crimson has a 1-2 record against the top 25 and no games against 25-100. Harvard is 3-1 against RPI 101-150 teams.

– Harvard’s 11 non-conference wins were the most in the history of the program. The mark for most overall wins for a Crimson team in a year is 19.

– The Crimson’s 57.5% two-point shooting percentage and 76.7% mark from the line are both top 10 nationally. It’s 16th ranked free-throw rate allows Harvard to get even more of a benefit from its high free-throw percentage.

Michael James

Michael James wrote 98 posts

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