Three Things To Watch: Bryant

Men’s Basketball beat writer David Freed notes three things to watch in the lead up to the fifth game of the season for the 1-3 Crimson, who take on Bryant at 7 p.m. Eastern.

1. Struggles At the Point — Harvard coach Tommy Amaker was frank after freshman point guard Tommy McCarthy turned in a zero-assist, five turnover game Sunday at Boston College, noting that “it is a process for a young player”. McCarthy has been the starter in each of the four games but has struggled offensively, with 15 turnovers against 11 assists and 33 field goal misses against just nine makes. Backup junior Corbin Miller has been steadier, if unspectacular, in limited action with just four turnovers in 85 minutes. The Crimson enter a soft spot in their schedule with three winnable games against Bryant, Holy Cross, and Northeastern before traveling to Kansas. If McCarthy continues to struggle against easier competition, Amaker may consider moving to his more experienced backup.

2. Usage v. Efficiency — One of the perplexing conundrums for the Crimson through four games has been the offensive play of junior forward Zena Edosomwan. The former top-100 recruit has been a monster on the glass—averaging four more rebounds than anyone on the team—but offensively has been an enigmas. On a team that shoots just under 59 percent from the line, Edosomwan is a primary culprit, making just half of his 26 attempts, shooting nearly as well from the field (49 percent) as he does from the line. Given that Harvard’s starting backcourt is shooting just 30 percent combined, the team has not lost a step offensively by force-feeding the junior in the post, but the situation is one to monitor going forward.

3. Taking Care of the Ball — Amaker, a former point guard himself, always focuses on his team taking care of the ball. After the team turned it over 24 times against Holy Cross a year ago, he notes that “it is hard to think that you are going to be able to win, let alone have a chance to win, with that many turnovers”. In the past he has praised Siyani Chambers ’15-’16 for his steadiness at the point, keeping the team’s offense on track and under control. Without Chambers, the team’s assist-to-turnover ratio has slipped from 1.1 to 0.8. Freshman Corey Johnson is the only starter averaging more assists than turnovers. Look for it to be a focus of improvement moving forward.