Men's Basketball Preview: Northeastern

After a closer-than-expected win over MIT to start the season and an unexpected loss against Holy Cross, it is safe to say that the Harvard men’s basketball team (4-1) has righted the ship. The team is 3-0 on its current five-game homestand, closing with Northeastern (7:00 p.m., NESN) and Boston University as the semester winds down. Below, The Back Page takes a look at the three main things to keep your eye on as Harvard aims to extend its win streak against the Huskies.

Vulnerability Inside: The biggest story from Harvard’s victory over UMass was the performances of reserve big men junior Evan Cummins and sophomore Zena Edosomwan, who played solid defense on Minutemen star Cady Lalame and got key buckets on the other end. With senior Jonah Travis again questionable to play, the Crimson will need both players to step up against burly Northeastern forward Scott Eatherton. The senior, who had 17 points and 11 rebounds the last time these teams met, was named CAA Player of the Week Monday after leading the squad to the Hall of Fame Tip-Off title and a win over Florida State. The Huskies are playing historically good basketball, having won five games in November for the first time ever, and Eatherton’s play is the biggest reason why.

Beanpot Hoops: With Northeastern tonight and BU on Monday, Harvard will have completed four lengths of the five-game Boston marathon it has scheduled by this time next week. So far, the Crimson is 1-1, with a one-point loss to Holy Cross and a two-point win over UMass. Harvard hosts both upcoming opponents before traveling to Boston College in January, looking for its sixth straight win over the Eagles. Overall, Harvard is 14-2 against the five schools since the beginning of the 2010-2011 season, and a once unheard-of thought is quickly becoming a reality—Harvard may be the best college basketball team in New England.

New Year, New Role: A fascinating subplot through the first five games has been the role of junior co-captain Siyani Chambers. As backcourt mate senior wing Wesley Saunders has flourished—he was named to the Naismith Watch List earlier this afternoon—Chambers has taken on an increasingly smaller role.

The point guard is still playing huge minutes (35.4 a game) due to the lack of a true backup, but his points and field goal percentage are career lows. He is shooting a sickly 35.3 percent from the field—albeit 43.8 percent from behind the arc—and averaging single-digit points for the first time ever. While the assists are up (a career-high 5.8 a game), the point guard is averaging three turnovers a game, so calling him a caretaker feels inappropriate. Ultimately, his steady hands make the offense turn, but the Crimson can ill afford for him to continue performing at this level offensively if Saunders comes back down to Earth.