“I felt awful for the Yale kids and how it went down for them the last two weeks,” he said. “I was on the bad end of a buzzer beater in that playoff game and it’s an awful feeling.”

Curry could have those kinds of mixed feelings Thursday when his local North Carolina Tar Heels face Harvard (Curry went to high school in the Charlotte, N.C., area). He missed the selection show but got a text from former teammate and current assistant coach Christian Webster ’13 asking, “Who are you rooting for?”

Harvard, of course, Curry responded, but he said he was jealous that the Crimson had gotten the matchup, because he would have loved to play against one of his childhood teams.

As for how he thought the team would fare against UNC, Curry said: “Anything is possible in the tournament. If we play our game, go out there and execute, anything is possible.”

McNally was more specific with his prediction. “We take care of the ball, limit UNC on the offensive glass and keep them on the perimeter where they go ice cold,” he said. “In the end, Harvard hangs on 59-57.”

Either way, both said they would be watching, wherever they are.

—Staff writer Jacob D. H. Feldman can be reached at jacob.feldman@thecrimson.com.