Three Things to Watch: Holy Cross

After getting its first victory over a Division I team, the Harvard men’s basketball team looks to win consecutive games for the first time all year when it travels to Holy Cross (2-3) Sunday. Staff writer David Freed has three things to watch as the Crimson kick off a month-long road trip.

1. The Other End — Through five games, a lot of the conversation has centered around the Harvard offense and the struggles of its point guard, freshman Tommy McCarthy. While the offense bounced back in a big way—shooting 55 percent and putting up 80 points, both season highs—against Bryant, the defense quietly shut down another opponent. For the fifth straight game, the Crimson held its opponent under 40 percent shooting. Defense has always been the calling card under head coach Tommy Amaker, with Harvard’s defense ranking ahead of its offense in three of the last four years in Ken Pomeroy’s rankings. This year, the Crimson’s offense is ranked 270th in the nation but its defense is 80th. Ahead of a pair of tough road contests against Northeastern and Kansas, Harvard will lean on its defense to bail out its offense when it inevitably stalls.

2. Falling Out of Favor — Before the year, it was fashionable to compare sophomore Andre Chatfield to Wesley Saunders ’15. Ivy Hoops Online wrote that Chatfield’s “progression seems very similar” to Saunders’, nothing that both had flashed some signs of greatness during spot duty their freshman years. But while Saunders broke out in a big way in his second season—finishing second in the Ivy League in scoring his sophomore year and leading the Crimson to a conference title—Chatfield’s path has been significantly rockier. The sophomore has fallen behind freshman Corey Johnson in the rotation and has made just one field goal all year, coming off the bench in every contest. With Harvard short on wings behind Johnson and senior Agunwa Okolie, Chatfield’s progress will be crucial for the Crimson going forward.

3. Taking Care of The Ball — Even in its best offensive game of the year, Harvard remained plagued by turnovers Tuesday against Bryant. The Crimson had 16 more giveaways against the Bulldogs, with four starters contributing two apiece. While Harvard shared the ball well—assisting on 22 of 28 made field goals—it was still outshot by Bryant despite giving up just nine offensive rebounds on 44 Bulldog misses. Coming into a game against Holy Cross—which forced 24 Crimson turnovers in its 58-57 upset a year ago—Harvard’s ball security will be extremely important.