Last year, the Crimson, had to play fourth seeded UNC in North Carolina. And while the environment was intimidating, the crowd was not the reason that Harvard lost 85-58. UNC had too much size and athleticism for Harvard to handle.
In comparing last year’s NCAA opponent with this year’s Kansas St., Tubridy thinks Harvard is better suited to take on the challenge.
“I don’t think that Kansas St. has the advantage physically on us that UNC did last year,” Tubridy said.
While the Wildcats’ backcourt can’t boast guards such as Tar Heels’ Nikki Teasley and Coretta Brown, Kansas St. can still rely on 6’0 Megan Mahoney, who averages nearly 15 points and five assists a game.
“This year we feel like Kansas St. is an athletic team, but we feel it won’t be as much of a factor [as it was against UNC last year],” Peljto said.
Athletic teams have been Harvard’s Achilles heel, both this year and last. The Crimson’s four losses this season have all come to Top 25 teams that have outrun and outrebounded Harvard. In those games—losses to BC, Rutgers, Minnesota and Vanderbilt—Harvard settled for perimeter shots and got few points in the paint and even fewer offensive rebounds. Peljto was the lone player to maintain high production on offense. However, Cserny’s performance against the Wildcats last year combined with recent stellar offensive contributions from Tubridy and junior point guard Bev Moore hold promise for a balanced and confident Crimson offense.
The team has worked on how to approach more athletic teams and has re-emphasized the importance of a balance between its inside game and its perimeter shooting.
“We’ve worked [all year] on our inside-out game,” Tubridy said. “And we’ve become a lot better with our shot selection since [those losses].”
Balance will be key against the Wildcats. But being the underdog has never stopped Harvard women before—in 1998, the Crimson, led by Alison Feaster ’98, was a 16-seed, playing top-seeded Stanford on the Cardinal’s home court. Harvard emerged with a 71-67 win, becoming the only 16-seed in the history of NCAA basketball, men’s or women’s, to knock off a No. 1. The precedent for high expectations has been set, and Sunday will show if the Crimson can make big news in the Little Apple.
—Staff writer Timothy M. McDonald can be reached at tmcdonal@fas.harvard.edu.