Crimson Will Seek To Put Down Great Danes

The last time the Harvard men’s basketball team saw tonight’s opponent, Albany, in person, it picked up arguably its greatest win of the 2005-2006 season, a 61-48 triumph over the Great Danes in Albany.

The last time most college basketball fans heard about the Great Danes, Albany also lost by 13 points, but in different circumstances.

In the first round of the 2006 NCAA Tournament, the Great Danes, the America East Champion, came close to pulling off what would have been arguably the greatest upset in NCAA history, as it led #1 seed Connecticut by 12 points, 50-38, with under 12 minutes to play in the game. The Huskies would eventually rally for a 72-59 win.

“Albany is a lure of a carrot because they were an NCAA team last year,” said Crimson head coach Frank Sullivan. “They are very talented. It is an important game in the sense that it is a high-caliber team.”

Albany was led in its tournament game by captain guard Jamar Wilson, who scored 19 points. Wilson, last year’s America East Conference Player of the Year, is back to captain the team again. So far, he is first on the team in points, with 17.4 per game, assists, with 5.4 per game, and even rebounds, pulling down 7.3 boards a game despite being only 6’1.

“He is a guy who really does it all for them,” said senior center Brian Cusworth. “The ball is in his hands every play. It will be a big problem as a team to shut him down, keep him off the boards.”

In last year’s game in Albany, the 48 points scored by the Great Danes were the lowest it scored all season and the fewest Harvard gave up in a game.

“It was a game Albany probably felt they didn’t play well in, but certainly from that point on they played terrific basketball,” Sullivan said.

Among the Crimson’s returning players, sophomore guard Drew Housman had 15 points in the game last year and junior forward Brad Unger had 11, which was a career high until last Saturday.

In Long Island last Saturday, Unger shot 6-of-6 from the floor, and scored a career-high 15 points despite battling the flu.

Housman also scored 15 points against the Blackbirds, while captain guard Jim Goffredo scored a team-high 27. His total is the most anyone on Harvard has scored in a game this year.

The captain missed last year’s game against the Great Danes due to a staph infection. Cusworth, who leads the team in scoring and rebounding, also missed the matchup in Albany with a hand injury.

The Crimson’s victory in Albany was one of only three home losses the Great Danes experienced on their way to their first ever tournament appearance.

“We know they are going to be playing their hearts out to try and take home a win,” Cusworth said. “But we want it just as bad.”

The win in Long Island was the fourth straight for Harvard, with the last three coming on the road.

“Tomorrow is a big challenge for us to carry our momentum from the last several games back onto our home court and establish some home toughness,” Cusworth said.

By contrast, Albany has had a rough start to the season. Every opposing coach in the America East picked it to repeat as champions in the preseason poll, but it is only 3-4 so far.

The Great Danes did begin the season with a 55-49 win over Bucknell, a team that has reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament in each of the past two seasons.

Albany also won its most recent game, a 72-62 triumph at home against Brown. Forward Jason Siggers, second on the team to Wilson in scoring average with 14.6 ppg, paced the team with 17 points.

“They are a very good team. We really need to be sharp tomorrow in order to win the game,” Cusworth said.

Staff writer Ted Kirby can be reached at tjkirby@fas.harvard.edu.