University of North Carolina Athletics
Photo by: Jeffrey A. Camarati
Know Your Opponent: Harvard
January 2, 2019 | Men's Basketball
By Bobby Hundley
Harvard (GoCrimson.com)
Location: Cambridge, Mass.
Rankings: No. 102 KenPom, NR AP
Record: 6-5
Carolina Series History (Last Meeting): Carolina leads 3-2 (Carolina 67, Harvard 65, March 19, 2015, Jacksonville, Fla.)
You'd be hard-pressed to find a better entertainment value in sports than the 2018-19 Harvard men's basketball team. Eight of the Crimson's 10 games against D-I opponents have been decided by 10 points or fewer, and five were five or fewer, including last Saturday's 71-67 win over Mercer. That should come as no surprise to Tar Heel fans who remember the white-knuckle 67-65 win in the first round of the 2015 NCAA tournament.
Tommy Amaker's squad has helped lead something of any Ivy League hoops renaissance of late, and 2019 could be one of the most competitive years for the conference in recent memory. Harvard was the preseason pick to win the league, and Penn (Villanova and Miami), Yale (Miami) and Princeton (Arizona State) all boast power conference wins so far.
The Crimson returned essentially its entire roster from last year's team that lost to Penn in the Ivy tournament final, but a pair of talented juniors have yet to see the floor in 2018 All-American Seth Towns and point guard Bryce Aiken. Despite the absence of Towns and Aiken, Harvard has held its own offensively, and the Crimson ranks 22nd nationally in effective field goal percentage. Ball security has been a problem, however, with the Crimson among the worst teams in college basketball in terms of turnover rate.
Chris Lewis leads four Harvard players in double figures at 13.4 points per contest, with freshman point guard Noah Kirkwood averaging 10.5 off the bench. Kirkwood, who is 6-7, and 6-8 sophomore Danilo Djuricic are Harvard's top outside threats, though Kirkwood has an unsightly 18:39 assist-error ratio in his first season.
Junior wing Justin Bassey is Harvard's top rebounder despite standing just 6-5, a testament to his willingness to go get the ball. He is also the top defender on a team that ranks 75th in KenPom's adjusted defensive efficiency, second among Ivy squads.
The third year of a four-team postseason tournament in the Ivy League gives Harvard some flexibility, especially if Towns and Aiken are able to return to action later in the year. Even without those two standouts, the Crimson should be one of four teams left to duke it out in New Haven in March for a spot in the NCAA tournament.
Harvard (GoCrimson.com)
Location: Cambridge, Mass.
Rankings: No. 102 KenPom, NR AP
Record: 6-5
Carolina Series History (Last Meeting): Carolina leads 3-2 (Carolina 67, Harvard 65, March 19, 2015, Jacksonville, Fla.)
You'd be hard-pressed to find a better entertainment value in sports than the 2018-19 Harvard men's basketball team. Eight of the Crimson's 10 games against D-I opponents have been decided by 10 points or fewer, and five were five or fewer, including last Saturday's 71-67 win over Mercer. That should come as no surprise to Tar Heel fans who remember the white-knuckle 67-65 win in the first round of the 2015 NCAA tournament.
Tommy Amaker's squad has helped lead something of any Ivy League hoops renaissance of late, and 2019 could be one of the most competitive years for the conference in recent memory. Harvard was the preseason pick to win the league, and Penn (Villanova and Miami), Yale (Miami) and Princeton (Arizona State) all boast power conference wins so far.
The Crimson returned essentially its entire roster from last year's team that lost to Penn in the Ivy tournament final, but a pair of talented juniors have yet to see the floor in 2018 All-American Seth Towns and point guard Bryce Aiken. Despite the absence of Towns and Aiken, Harvard has held its own offensively, and the Crimson ranks 22nd nationally in effective field goal percentage. Ball security has been a problem, however, with the Crimson among the worst teams in college basketball in terms of turnover rate.
Chris Lewis leads four Harvard players in double figures at 13.4 points per contest, with freshman point guard Noah Kirkwood averaging 10.5 off the bench. Kirkwood, who is 6-7, and 6-8 sophomore Danilo Djuricic are Harvard's top outside threats, though Kirkwood has an unsightly 18:39 assist-error ratio in his first season.
Junior wing Justin Bassey is Harvard's top rebounder despite standing just 6-5, a testament to his willingness to go get the ball. He is also the top defender on a team that ranks 75th in KenPom's adjusted defensive efficiency, second among Ivy squads.
The third year of a four-team postseason tournament in the Ivy League gives Harvard some flexibility, especially if Towns and Aiken are able to return to action later in the year. Even without those two standouts, the Crimson should be one of four teams left to duke it out in New Haven in March for a spot in the NCAA tournament.
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