M. Hoops Welcomes Penn, Princeton

For the Harvard men’s basketball team, the real season begins this weekend.

After feasting on a series of nonconference cupcakes, the Crimson (9-5, 2-0 Ivy) faces its most important test of the year as it hosts perennial powerhouses Princeton and Penn this weekend at Lavietes Pavillion.

Over the last four decades, “The Killer P’s” have redefined the concept of conference domination. Only twice since 1963—and not since 1988—has one of the teams failed to win or share the Ivy title.

Things are little different this season. Princeton (4-7, 0-0) began this year as the preseason favorite, but Penn’s (9-3, 0-0) strong nonconference wins have made it the team to beat.

Last year, Harvard was mere seconds away from its first weekend sweep of Princeton and Penn since the 1986-1987 season. The Crimson had defeated Penn 77-62, snapping the Quakers’ 25-game Ivy winning streak. Harvard led Princeton by one with moments to go when Kyle Wente hit a desperation three-pointer at the buzzer to give the Tigers the 69-67 win.

Harvard unraveled after that heartbreaking loss, dropping its next four games and falling completely out of the Ivy League race. The Crimson squandered one of its best opportunities to win its first Ivy title, failing to take advantage of an experienced roster during a down year for Princeton and Penn.

“We did not respond well to the loss,” junior guard Elliott Prasse-Freeman said. “It was really a product of us not being mentally tough.”

Harvard is coming off an 88-57 drubbing of Dartmouth last weekend. Captain Drew Gellert became the school’s all-time steals leader, and junior guard Pat Harvey matched his career-high with 26 points. Harvey now averages 17.8 points per game, good for third in the Ivies.

Harvard currently leads the Ivy League after completing its sweep of Dartmouth, but these are the only two teams that have played conference games thus far. The Crimson rode an easy nonconference schedule to a 9-5 start—the team has not defeated a single opponent with an RPI ranking higher than 240 out of 324 Division I teams.

Harvard’s best chance for an upset will come tonight against Princeton. The Tigers struggled slightly during nonconference play, failing to produce the upset over a nationally-known team that seems to come every year.

Princeton did not defeat a team ranked in the top 140 of the RPI, although it did drop a close contest to No. 4 Maryland after leading by 15 in the second half.

Princeton remains best-known for its deliberate, methodical offense. The Tigers’ ability to play at a slow tempo has given more talented opponents fits and has led to several upsets and near-upsets in the NCAA tournament.

“When you play Princeton you’re really playing their system,” Prasse-Freeman said. “They’re a little younger this year, but they always have experience because they’re playing with the same system they’ve had for a hundred years.”

The Tigers have struggled offensively this year, committing more turnovers than assists despite their ball-control scheme. Forward Mike Bechtold leads the team in scoring at just 10.2 points per game. He is the only player averaging in double digits.

Harvard Coach Frank Sullivan said Princeton’s struggles are tied to the graduation of center Nate Walton. The Tigers have tried several players at center without much success.

“They’re going through a little maturation process,” Sullivan said. “Center is a very important position for Princeton for the execution of their system.”

Prasse-Freeman, however, said Princeton’s balanced scoring helps the Tigers run their unique offense.

“It’s even better for a team like Princeton not to have a star,” Prasse-Freeman said. “You have to guard every player on every play.”

As usual, the Tigers rely heavily on the three-pointer—half the team’s shots have been from behind the arc this season. Princeton is making fewer of its threes than normal, however. No Tiger player ranks in the top fifteen in the league in three-point percentage.

Harvard faces a daunting task Saturday as it tries to upset a talented Penn squad.

The Quakers, ranked No. 55 in the RPI, have recorded several impressive wins over major-conference teams in non-Ivy play. Penn defeated Temple, Villanova, Iowa State and Georgia Tech, and it dropped close decisions to St. Joseph’s and No. 10 Illinois.

Penn is lead by power forward Ugonna Onyekwe, perhaps the Ivy League’s most talented player. After a disappointing sophomore season, the 6’8 Onyekwe has matured into an offensive force and is currently second in the league in scoring at 18.2 points per game.

“He is finally playing like everyone thought he would,” Prasse-Freeman said.

Onyekwe’s greatest asset is his versatility. The London native has the strength to score in the paint, and he has added a consistent outside shot this year, connecting on an impressive 48 percent of his three-point attempts.

Forward Koko Arhibong teams up with Onyekwe to give the Quakers the best inside tandem in the league. The team’s leading rebounder, Archibong is fourth in the Ivies in scoring at 17.7 points per game, and he also has the ability to hit shots from outside the paint.

The key to Penn’s improvement over last year’s disappointing season, however, has been the arrival of guard Andrew Toole, a transfer from Elon College. Toole has fulfilled the high expectations set for him this year, providing the Quakers with a much-needed backcourt scoring and leadership presence.

“I hear he’s the real deal,” Prasse-Freeman said. “He’s a triple-double threat every night.”

Toole has the quickness to penetrate and score, and he has made nearly half his shots from the field—terrific for a point guard. He is also virtually automatic from the line, making 90 percent of his free throws.

Penn’s only major weakness might be in rebounding. Opponents have outrebounded the Quakers by nine per game. Harvard senior center Tim Coleman, who leads the Ivies in rebounding at nearly eight a game, could have a big night on the boards.

Adding to the difficulty of playing Princeton and Penn is adapting to each school’s radically different styles on consecutive nights.

Prasse-Freeman, however, says the Crimson should be ready for the challenge.

“We always play Penn really tough,” Prasse-Freeman said. “They come out and say ‘Let’s play basketball,’ and that’s what we like to do. Princeton has this offense that takes teams off guard, but we’re a lot tougher and cerebral than we have been in the past.”

Game time for tonight’s contest has been changed to 7:30 p.m. Harvard will host Penn tomorrow at the usual 7 p.m. starting time.