Fishing for a Big Man

The games against Penn and Princeton this weekend marked the first time all season that the Crimson took the floor without its captain and starting center 6'8 Paul Fisher.

Fisher, who leads the team in rebounds with 7.3 boards per game and averages 10.7 points per contest, was forced out of the lineup with an undisclosed illness. It is feared that he will be out for the season.

Fisher's absence came at a particularly inopportune time, as the Tigers and Quakers boast two of the best centers in the league, Princeton's 6'10 freshman, Chris Young, and Penn's 6'11 junior, Geoff Owens.

Young tore up the Crimson in the first half on Friday, scoring 17 points on 4-of-7 shooting and going 7-of-8 from the charity stripe, He also had three assists and two steals. He finished the game with 20 points, but his first-half offensive explosion put the game out of reach for the Crimson.

Owens also took advantage of Fisher's absence, using his big body to bang away at the Crimson. Owens scored 16 points on 5-of-7 shooting and gathered 12 rebounds.

"Not having [Fisher] did hurt us," Sullivan said. "He is our most experienced and strongest inside player."

Clearly these two players are among the Ivy elite, and Fisher would probably not have stopped them, but his presence would have been helpful. Harvard must now face the prospect of playing the rest of its games--including two more against Penn and Princeton--without its best big man.

In related new, 6'7 sophomore forward Chris Lewis traveled this weekend but did not dress. He averages 0.7 points and 1.1 rebounds per game.

Hill vs. Jordan

The most anticipated match-up of the weekend between the two best point guards in the Ivy League never actually materialized.

Harvard senior Tim Hill and Penn junior Michael (not "Air") Jordan were to face off Saturday night at the Palestra in a battle that with many All-Ivy League implications. Last season Jordan beat out Hill--who made the Second team--for First Team honors.

But neither of the two stood out in the ball game, as other players took the spotlight. Jordan ran into foul trouble in the first half and entered the break with zero points and only one assist. At the end of the half Hill--who was booed by the Penn crazies every time he touched the ball--had five points, but on 2-of-8 shooting. He also dished out two assists.

In the second half, Jordan scored 10 points, including two shots from behind the arc, finished with four assists and two turnovers. Hill scored 11 with three assists and one turnover. Each had one steal.

In other words, round one was pretty much a draw. The deciding round is coming to Lavietes Pavilion on February 19th. Stay tuned.