The Crimson will look to feed junior forward Zena Edosomwan on Saturday against a Howard front court that lacks depth. Edosomwan's production has slowed since Harvard's return from Hawaii, with just one double-double in the last four games.
The Harvard men’s basketball team (8-8) will try to make its way above .500 for the first time since the season’s first game Saturday against Howard (8-9). Beat writer David Freed highlights three things to watch as the Crimson go for its second road win of the season.
STARTING UP FRONT
During Harvard’s last three games, the Crimson has not received the production from junior center Zena Edosomwan that they are accustomed to. After turning in an All-Tournament performance in Hawaii that included a 25-point, 16-rebound effort against No. 2 Oklahoma, Edosomwan has just one double-double in four games since returning. He played just 22 minutes against Dartmouth due to foul trouble and was stifled for the first half against Ryerson before breaking through in the second. Howard has a thin front line after center Marcel Boyd, so look for Harvard to feed Edosomwan early and often to get him going.
BEST MAN UP
To stop Howard, you have to stop James Daniel. The junior from Hampton, Virginia averages over a third of the team’s points and nearly half its assists, scoring almost 29 points a contest. Daniel has a tendency to hijack the team’s offense at times, taking 36 shots in a double overtime loss to Radford earlier this year. When opponents stop Daniel, they typically stop the Bison, as Howard has won just two games all season when Daniel shot under 40 percent from the field.
This puts the defense of senior Agunwa Okolie on center stage. Always tasked with guarding the best opposing perimeter player, Okolie has gone up against a distinguished slate so far this season. He has guarded four potential All-Americans in Kansas’ Wayne Selden, Providence’s Kris Dunn, Oklahoma’s Buddy Hield, and BYU’s Kyle Collingsworth. None of the four average as much as Daniel, however, and Okolie’s defense will be the key to stopping the Bison attack.
TURNOVERS, TURNOVERS
During Harvard’s two-game winning streak, coach Tommy Amaker has consistently singled out the same area of improvement: turnovers. With two freshmen starting in the backcourt, the team has struggled to take care of the ball all year. However, Harvard will play a mirror image of itself in Howard. The Bison rank 240th in the country in turnovers, averaging just over 14 a game, and generate only seven steals a contest. This minimizes their ability to exploit Harvard’s Achilles heel, a boon for Amaker’s squad.
Junior forward Luke Esposito rips a shot during Saturday's Rivalry On Ice at Madison Square Garden.
Fresh off two heartbreaking losses, the No. 7/8 Harvard men’s hockey team will take the ice against No 18/- St. Lawrence and Clarkson in the familiar confines of the Bright-Landry Hockey Center starting on Friday. Beat writer Kurt Bullard has three things to watch for in the Crimson’s weekend slate.
(Continued)
For years, college football has fallen prey to the “eye test”, using metrics like “best wins”, “strength of schedule” and “played Division I-A football” to choose the to best teams duke it out for the title. At the Back Page, we have routinely been setting the record straight using the only real qualification for the title—degrees of separation. Below, we show (not for the first time) that it is Harvard, not Alabama, that deserves to be the national champion.
Harvard beat Brown, 53-27 …
Brown beat Holy Cross, 25-24 …
Holy Cross beat Albany, 37-0 …
Albany beat Delaware, 17-6 …
Delaware beat William & Mary, 24-23 …
William & Mary beat Villanova, 38-16 …
Villanova beat Fordham, 14-7 …
Fordham beat Army, 37-35 …
Army beat Eastern Michigan, 58-36 …
Eastern Michigan beat Wyoming, 48-29 …
Wyoming beat UNLV, 35-28 …
UNLV beat Nevada, 23-17 …
Nevada beat Colorado State, 28-23 …
Colorado State beat New Mexico, 28-21 …
New Mexico beat Air Force, 45-37 …
Air Force beat Utah State, 35-28 …
Utah State beat Boise State, 52-26 …
Boise State beat Virginia, 56-14 …
Virginia beat Georgia Tech, 27-21 …
Georgia Tech beat Florida State, 22-16 …
Florida State beat Florida, 27-2 …
Florida beat Ole Miss, 38-10 …
Ole Miss beat Alabama, 43-37
Published by
David Freed on January 11, 2016 at 11:17AM
Captain Evan Cummins has increased production in recent weeks, scoring in double digits in four of the team's last five games. The senior has benefitted from increased pressure on junior forward Zena Edosomwan.
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After winning its Ivy League opener, the Harvard men’s basketball team (7-8, 1-0) looks to get back to .500 in the final contest of its five-game homestand against Ryerson (7:00 EST). Beat writer David Freed has three things to watch for in the Crimson’s penultimate non-conference game of the year.
CHANGE OF THE GUARD
Through the team’s first eight games, it appeared that freshman Tommy McCarthy had sown up the leading point guard spot for Harvard. After junior Matt Fraschilla went down with an ACL tear in the team’s second game, McCarthy and junior Corbin Miller were the only true point guards left on the roster. Harvard coach Tommy Amaker responded by giving his freshmen a longer rope, giving him at least 25 minutes or more in all but two of the first 10 games through long stretches of turnover-ridden play.
Recently, however, Amaker has begun to tighten the rotation. Since a six-turnover, zero-assist effort against Auburn, the freshman has struggled to get on the floor. Either because of foul trouble (Oklahoma, Wofford) or injury (Vermont), the freshman has not hit the 25-minute mark since the Auburn game. Backup Corbin Miller, by contrast, a steadier presence on the floor, has played at least 24 minutes in each of the last six games after hitting that mark just three times in the first nine contests. Against Ryerson, it will be interesting whether Amaker chooses to stick with the youngster if he struggles early.
LEADING FROM THE BACK LINE
In a Dartmouth game where his classmates exploded for career highs and 49 combined points, captain Evan Cummins’ contributions were a footnote. However, the unheralded captain has excelled recently, scoring in double digits in four of the last five games after accomplishing the feat just twice in the first 10 contests. He has developed good chemistry with junior forward Zena Edosomwan, who found Cummins four separate times for baskets against Dartmouth. Versus a small Ryerson front line, Cummins and Edosomwan should be able to be dominant.
CROSS-BORDER BATTLES
Ryerson is the second Canadian team that the Crimson has played in 2015-2016. In an earlier scrimmage against McGill, Harvard struggled, scrapping out a 66-63 victory on Nov. 7. Ryerson, who beat McGill by three in October, has been the better team thus far this season. The Canadian squad beats opponents behind the arc, shooting an average of 34 threes a game and converting 35 percent. More than half of their attempts come from behind the three-point line, as guards Ammanuel Diressa and Roshane Roberts take nearly 12 combined treys a game. The Crimson holds opponents to just 26.6 percent shooting from behind the arc while shooting 41.4 percent themselves, and the game will likely be decided behind the arc.
-Staff writer David Freed can be reached at david.freed@thecrimson.com.
Published by
David Freed on January 03, 2016 at 12:27PM
Men’s Basketball beat writer David Freed highlights three things to watch ahead of Harvard’s matinee with Vermont (2:00 PM EST). The Crimson (6-7) looks to get to .500 on the season after winning four of its last five games.
BENCH AND BALANCE
As the calendar turns to January, it typically means two things for Harvard: the beginning of Ivy League play and the shortening of the rotation. Harvard coach Tommy Amaker typically plays just two or three players off the bench each game, preferring to rely heavily on his starters in a conference where (cliché alert!) every game matters.
During this spell, he constantly preaches the need for both “bench and balance.” Fittingly, after the departure of four starters and the team’s most trusted reserve, Harvard has better balance (and bench play) this year than last. While junior Zena Edosomwan—like Wesley Saunders ’15 a year ago—is the clear offensive focal point, six other Crimson players average between seven and 10 points a contest.
The depth and balance has allowed Amaker to mix and match lineups all year. No player averages more than 30 minutes a game, but seven average more than 20, leading to improved flexibility. Not three weeks after using a three-freshman lineup down the stretch against Kansas, Harvard played five upperclassmen for the majority of the second half against Oklahoma. Against Vermont, a team that plays a lengthy nine-man rotation and pushes the pace, Harvard’s depth will come in handy.
CONTRAST OF STYLES
Thrice at the Diamond Head Classic in Hawaii, the Crimson found itself playing an opponent that liked to run. When Harvard controlled the pace, it surged—taking a 19-3 lead against BYU, dominating Auburn, and leading Oklahoma at half. When the game turned into a track meet, the Crimson’s penchant for live ball turnovers caught up with them. The dichotomy will be a theme in nearly every Harvard contest of the year as the team currently plays at the 276th pace in the nation, per KenPom. Vermont is a good match for the Crimson, as it turns opponents over under 12 times a game and registers just 5.3 steals a game. Both marks are outside the top 250 nationally and good signs for a Crimson team that occasionally has problems taking care of the ball.
THE CHATFIELD CONUNDRUM
After struggling with injury for a month, sophomore Andre Chatfield returned to the lineup against Wofford and registered only two fouls in nine minutes. Barring health complications, his reintroduction to the lineup poses interesting questions for Amaker. Senior Patrick Steeves has taken over Chatfield’s role and excelled, averaging nearly eight points and three assists while shooting 48 percent from three in just 20 minutes a game. With the rotation shortening, Chatfield and classmate Chris Egi—the team’s first big off the bench—are at risk of being cut to the fringes. Vermont will be a chance to see if Amaker is dedicated to continuing to give them playing time.
