M. Hoops Hopes for Improbable ‘Killer P’ Sweep

With no margin for error and its season on the line, the Harvard men’s basketball team ventures on the road this weekend for two must-win games against the Ivy League’s perennial powers—Penn and Princeton.

With Saturday meltdowns against Yale and Cornell in the last two weeks, the Crimson has left itself with no margin for error. Harvard (12-8, 5-3 Ivy) currently stands in third place in the league, 2 losses behind league leader and arch-nemesis Yale.

“If we are to win the league, we essentially have to win from here on out,” junior forward Sam Winter said.

The Crimson blew an opportunity to take over sole possession of second place with its debacle in Ithaca. Coming off a thrilling last-second 55-52 victory over Columbia, the Crimson played perhaps its worst game of the season, losing 63-62 to Cornell.

The Big Red entered the game winless in league play and losers of its last seven games. Despite only shooting 34.9 percent, the Crimson had a chance for the win. Junior Pat Harvey, who nailed the last-second three to down Columbia, had a chance to do the same thing against Cornell, but his 25-footer at the buzzer bounced off the back rim.

Today, Harvard takes on the underachieving Penn Quakers (17-6, 4-3) in a rematch of the Crimson’s best performance of the season. After impressive non-conference wins over Iowa State, Georgia Tech, Villanova and Saint Joseph’s, Penn has failed to meet expectations in league play. However, on Tuesday, Penn reasserted its power with a dominating 62-38 victory over Princeton. The Tigers never had a chance, as the Quakers defense limited the Tigers to only 27 percent shooting.

A month ago, the Crimson established iself as a possible title contender with 78-75 overtime victory over the Quakers. Harvey led the way with a career-high 28 points, and Winter added 12 points and 8 rebounds, neutralizing Penn’s frontcourt size advantage.

Penn is led by its frontcourt, featuring the dual threat of Koko Archibong (15.3 points per game, 5.5 rebounds per game) and Ugonna Onyekwe (17.3 ppg 5.6 rpg). With their significant size and power advantage, the Quakers have been able to bully opponents all season. Added to this mix, Penn features one of the best shooting guards in the league in junior transfer Andrew Toole (13.7 ppg).

Tomorrow, the Crimson will take on a Princeton team that must regroup after Tuesday’s effort. Princeton unraveled against Penn, especially in the second half when it departed from its gameplan and attempted only three shots from inside the arc. The Tigers are already a loss behing Yale in the conference standings and can ill-afford to extend their two-game losing streak.

In Harvard’s 50-48 loss earlier this season, the Crimson couldn’t stop the Tigers’ outside shooting, allowing Princeton to shoot 50 percent (9 for 18) from behind the arc. Only an 8-2 advantage on the offensive boards kept the Crimson in the game. Harvard must dominate the offensive glass again if they want to compete against the Tigers.

Harvard must also contend against Princeton’s trademark slow-down offensive system, which has frustrated far-more talented opponets in the past.

“We understand their offense, we