After a historic run in non-conference play, the Harvard men’s basketball team (12-2) is set to begin its quest for its first ever outright Ivy League title when Dartmouth (3-12) visits Lavietes Pavilion on Saturday.
The Crimson enters league play coming off its second defeat of the season, a road loss to Fordham that will likely knock Harvard out of the Top 25. But rather than lamenting the loss, the Crimson is hoping to bring a renewed focus into its Ancient Eight schedule.
“I’m never proud of losses,” Harvard coach Tommy Amaker said. “But … sometimes these things can be a blessing in disguise if you handle it, use it, and channel it the right way. I’m confident in our leadership, and I’m hopeful our team will respond to the loss and see if we can get better from it.”
Co-captain Oliver McNally echoed his coach’s sentiments and believes Harvard must focus on itself rather than on the rest of the Ivy League and nation.
“We’re not going to be ranked next week, and that’s never a good thing, but everyone knows we need to get back to square one,” the senior said. “I think we have done that the past couple of days.”
The Crimson will begin by focusing on its offense, which struggled to score against Fordham’s strong zone defense.
“Our defense has won games for us this season and won us a championship down in the Bahamas,” Amaker said. “We haven’t clicked yet offensively … and if we get into an offensive groove with how we’ve done defensively, I think we have the chance to be a special team.”
On Saturday afternoon, the Crimson will get a chance to connect all facets of its game against a Big Green team that has struggled to perform consistently all season.
Despite some strong individual performances from junior R.J. Griffin and freshman Gabas Maldunas, Dartmouth is currently riding a five-game losing streak in which the Big Green has let four halftime leads slip away. Dartmouth has also failed to win close contests—dropping eight games by six or fewer points this season—and road games—going 1-9 away from Hanover.
But the Big Green should not be overlooked. When Dartmouth visited Lavietes Pavilion last season, the Big Green took a six-point lead into halftime before the Crimson closed the game on a 33-18 run. With the memory of last year’s matchup in mind, the Crimson is making sure it doesn’t take its visitors lightly.
“Dartmouth is a team that has been very good against us,” Amaker said. “We have a lot of respect for any team in our league.”
Check in with @THCSports on Twitter for the 2 p.m. tipoff and see if Harvard starts off its Ivy League season on a winning note.
