Cincinnati looked as if it might physically dominate the Crimson over stretches, crashing the offensive boards and getting numerous second-chance opportunities.

But the Crimson defended well, forcing the Bearcats into long two-point attempts and contested shots at the rim. Cincinnati failed to knock down the open looks it got, shooting 36.8 percent overall.

Though the Harvard bench could not totally contain its excitement as the final buzzer sounded, the celebration on the court was not the flurry of bodies that it was last year against the Lobos. Saunders, who scored eight of his team-high 12 points in the second half after playing just ten minutes in the first frame due to foul trouble, reflected that the win was not unexpected for his team, given the quality of play that the squad has exhibited all season.

“Leading up to this game, Coach emphasized and we all talked about just living up to our values and our standards, and doing the things that have gotten us to this point,” Saunders said. “And so we felt as though, if we were able to do that, we would have a great chance of coming out with a victory.”

This time, postgame discussion of what the victory “meant” to Harvard sounded stale—that ground had been sufficiently covered a season ago. This one was just about basketball, a hotly contested game between evenly matched teams, one of which is quickly making a name for itself as a mid-major power.

“In my opinion, they’re one of the best teams we played all year,” Cronin said. “We knew that all week. They did not catch us by surprise by any stretch of the imagination.”

A highlight-reel slam by Casey, a stylish up-and-under lay-in from Saunders, the composed performance down the stretch—these were not plays made by Cinderella. These were plays made by a team that belonged playing in March.

“I think that we have become a program that’s become relevant in the world of college basketball with what we have been able to accomplish,” Amaker said. “Not just this season—I think you’ve seen what we have been trying to put together for a while.”

—Staff writer Andrew R. Mooney can be reached at mooney@college.harvard.edu.