True story: My grandmother called this morning to ask if I watched Harvard win its first basketball game ever over Mexico.
Well, not quite, but I do believe that we just won.
Thursday night, Harvard put the Madness back in March. Here’s a quick test to see if you have seen a television or computer in the last 24 hours:
What exactly happened in Salt Lake City?
A) Harvard beat New Mexico, marking the first NCAA tournament win in school history.
B) An anchor on SportsCenter referred to Harvard’s win as “the biggest thing to happen to Harvard athletics since the baseball team’s Call Me Maybe video went viral.”
C) The Mountain West conference proved to be a bit overrated, as an Ivy League school stunned its best team and Cal—which lost to that same Ivy League team—upset its second-best team, UNLV
D) Siyani and Laurant are now the most popular male baby names in the country.
Okay, so maybe “overrated” is a strong word to use… But Harvard really stuck it to the Mountain West.
Harvard basketball has once again entered the Twitter-sphere. There haven’t been this many Harvard-related hashtags since Linsanity. Here are our favorite tweets about Thursday’s historic game.
1) SportsCenter started its coverage early, tweeting about Harvard’s big lead with 3 minutes to go:
“In 102 seasons, #Harvard has won 1034 games, but NEVER had a victory in NCAA Tournament. With 3:00 left, Crimson leads New Mexico by 6.”
Look, we appreciate the attention, but this is how jinxes occur. Harvard sports might not be the greatest, but the student body certainly doesn’t need anyone else to pump up its ego.
Just after the final buzzer sounded, ESPN broke the news (and Twitter, and the hearts of everyone in New Mexico):
“No. 14 Harvard just beat No. 3 New Mexico. They probably did this to your bracket -> pic.twitter.com/wSuj8ncvZX”
Whoah, speak for yourself there. We have the Crimson going all the way…in our alternate brackets…
2) Of course, ESPN did not stand alone in its coverage of the game. Soon after Harvard reminded the country that it has a basketball team (a fairly good one, we might add) media outlets ran with the story. Kenny Smith, former All-Star with the Houston Rockets and an analyst on TNT’s NBA Countdown, had this to say:
“10 years from now a bunch of lawyers and doctors will b saying " I won in the NCAA TOURNY"! Lol.. #congratsharvard”
Remember, Kenny, there are over 400,000 NCAA athletes, and just about all of them will be going pro in something other than sports. We all can’t reach the professional ranks. But hey, thanks for the reminder that Harvard students will never reach the 1%.
3) David Portnoy, founder and president of Barstoolsports.com, focused on Harvard’s bench while watching the game:
“This Harvard kid doing the 3 goggles is so Harvard. Probably trading stock during commercial breaks http://ow.ly/i/1JBV0 “
It’s not nice to profile, David. “Just because a Harvard student is an economics concentrator doesn’t necessarily mean he wants to go into finance,” said no one ever.
4) Pete Pranica, the Memphis Grizzlies play-by-play announcer, is worried about the implications of Harvard’s win:
“Who would have thought Coach Cal would be 0-1 in NIT and Harvard 1-0 in the NCAA? Are these the end times? #GoCrimson”
Don’t worry Pete, the passing of 2012 proved that the Mayans were wrong. But you should get used to penciling Harvard into the later rounds of the tournament. Welcome to the new age.
5) Assistant basketball coach Yanni Hufnagel tweeted out a picture during the post-game celebrations:
“Harvard Basketball!!!!!!!!!!!!!! @ EnergySolutions Arena http://instagram.com/p/XJXSJvOJBs/ “
And do the Harvard Shake.
6) Chris Lorditch ’12, former Harvard wide-receiver, is excited about the Crimson’s prospects in the next round:
“That. Was. Awesome. I'll never forget that. Arizona has a bball team?? #whoknew #bringonthecats”
We like your confidence, Chris. So far, so good against southwestern states. Just saying.
7) And then there was Jeremy Lin. Harvard basketball’s biggest fan did a little trash-talking before the game, and then went on a tweeting after the buzzer:
3:47 PM: “"@ChandlerParsons: Whats your #FinalFour?" Where is @hoopsatharvard?!?” In the library." Whatever...learn to read”
7:06 PM: “Getting ready to watch HARVARD beat new mexico on TNT!! #gocrimson http://instagram.com/p/XJG3jNOP-S/ “
7:40 PM: “Can I get fined for criticizing the NCAA refs in this game?!? @crimson_0 heating up!!”
7:50 PM: “hahah @crimson_0 with the 3-point goggles! @SChambers4 playin with 1 shoe and @wes_goood doin work! @CWebbie15 with the 3! #losingmyvoice”
9:23 PM: “YYYYYEEEEESSSSSSSSS!!! HARVARD winssss!!! hahahahhah i told you.... #threepointgoggles #bracketbusters pic.twitter.com/ZlpqTFCPtM”
Ladies and Gentleman, we give you Jeremy Lin: NBA starting point guard, unabashed Harvard alumnus, and certified Masshole. How could the Knicks not re-sign this guy?
Oh, and Drew Faust will be expecting a check now that the administration knows you watch the games. Unfortunately, you can’t hold out because they know exactly how much you are making. Doesn’t “Jeremy Lin Pavilion” have a nice ring to it?
Those are your tweets of the week. If you need some more Harvard-related tweets in your life, just ask this guy. Otherwise…
“Ten Thousand Men of Harvard Gained Victory Today, For They Know that Over Old [Lobos], Fair Harvard Holds Sway…”
