A repeat Ivy title was not in the cards, however, as the Crimson later lost to the Big Green to remove the defending champions from contention.

"One of our goals coming out was to win the Ivy again and get the rings," Corkery said. "I think that when we lost it against Dartmouth, things went downhill."

The loss of the title was not the last setback for the tight-knit Crimson.

Harvard went on to lose five games in a row, including a loss to lowly Columbia in its final regular season game just days before the NCAA announced its tournament bids.

"It was so discouraging to drop those games," Corkery said. "They were all such close matches. Ending the year with a loss to Columbia would have been awful [had the team not gone to NCAAs]."

The Crimson, however, had a few more thrills left on its ride.

After receiving a bid for the NCAA tournament, the team had new life and a chance to prove that its uneven performance throughout the year was no indication of its talent.

"Our closeness really carried us at the end," Costello said. "We pulled together, and felt like we needed to prove that we could play with anyone in the country."