The senior Jackson has been a revelation for the Bearcats, leading the team in rebounds, blocks, steals, and field goal percentage. Although he shoots a putrid 46 percent from the line, Jackson’s activity on the offensive glass (3.1 offensive rebounds per game) gets him to the free-throw stripe early and often. The foul-prone Casey, an excellent defensive rebounder, will need to be careful to body up Jackson without drawing excessive contact, something he has struggled with this year.

Both players are their team’s primary rim protectors and it will be up to Casey, the better shooter of the two, to force Jackson away from the basket in order to open up the court for his teammates. As Casey is the only Crimson player who is Jackson’s athletic equal, he will have to limit his fouls to give Harvard a chance to shut down the Bearcat senior inside.

Bench:

Unlike last year when Amaker used a seven-man rotation to beat New Mexico, Harvard has a deep and flexible bench. Co-captain Brandyn Curry and sophomore Agunwa Okolie give Harvard guard and wing depth, respectively, that it did not have last season. Junior Jonah Travis, sophomore Evan Cummins, and freshman Zena Edosomwan offer Amaker versatility in the frontcourt.

While Amaker uses his bench to create a deep front line, Cincinnati coach Mick Cronin utilizes the second unit to give his offense more range and floor spacing. Troy Caupain, Jermaine Sanders, and Kevin Johnson, three of the team’s top four reserves, collectively take 49 percent of their shots from deep. If the trio can knock down a couple of triples, it will help keep the Crimson defense honest and continue to open up driving lanes for the slashing Kilpatrick.

—Staff writer David Freed can be reached at david.freed@thecrimson.com.