Trying to defend Dudinzki inside will be a frontcourt rotation that Amaker has continued to tinker with. After starting sophomores Kenyatta Smith and Steve Moundou-Missi to begin the season, the coach switched to a small-ball lineup that featured four perimeter players and only sophomore Jonah Travis inside.

Smith did not play at all in Crimson’s games against Boston College and Connecticut but reentered the rotation last Tuesday against the Terriers, contributing six points and five blocks off the bench.

“[Smith] came in with some crucial minutes,” Chambers said. “[He] made some big buckets for us and had some crucial blocks.”

All-time, Holy Cross is 40-24 against Harvard in a series that dates back to 1900-1901.

But of late, the Crimson has not only had the upper hand in its matchup with the Crusaders but against all schools from its state, winning 17 of its last 18 games against teams from the Commonwealth—the exception being a 67-64 loss to UMass on Nov. 13.

“We’ve been fortunate,” Amaker said. “We’ve known that we’ve done well so far in our area, in our state…. I think [our kids] have taken pride in that, and that’s a neat thing.”

—Staff writer Scott A. Sherman can be reached at ssherman13@college.harvard.edu