After surviving its first road test of the year, the Harvard men’s basketball team (6-1) returns to the cozy confines of Lavietes Pavilion to take on Boston University (7:00 p.m., Ivy League Digital Network) Monday night in the squad's last game before the end of finals period. Below, The Back Page takes a look at three things to keep your eye on as Harvard winds down its first half of nonconference play.
Boston Domination: Harvard has taken down two of the three local opponents it has played this year, with the one loss a one-point defeat to Holy Cross at TD Garden. It looks to have little problem with the Terriers, which come in spotting a 2-5 record and are barely ranked inside KenPom’s top 250 teams. BU has been outscored by more than five points per game and allows opponents to shoot nearly 50 percent from the field. Harvard’s defense, which has held six of its seven opponents to under 65 points, will provide a stiff test for a Terrier offense that shoots just 41 percent from the floor.
Early Struggles: Against Vermont, the Crimson struggled on offense from the get-go, with perhaps nobody epitomizing these struggles better than co-captain Steve Moundou-Missi. The forward made just two of his 12 shots, including missing a dunk at the end of regulation that would have ended the game. Moundou-Missi is averaging 9.1 points a game this year and has only two games in double digits. He is shooting 64 percent from the line and has not had the same effectiveness inside as he has in previous years. Of all the players that suffer from the Crimson’s lack of spacing, Moundou-Missi may have it the toughest. The team’s lack of long-range shooting forces him to float inside the three-point line and use his jumper to create space, taking him away from what he does best.
Miller Time: Sophomore Corbin Miller had his best game of the season against Vermont, knocking down a crucial three-pointer to tie the game at 50 at the end of the first overtime and putting in 14 points for the game. Harvard coach Tommy Amaker has repeatedly called him the best shooter on the team and Miller’s ability to shoot the three (he is at 41 percent for the year) is crucial to the Crimson’s spacing. The only other above-average shooter on the roster who gets significant minutes is junior co-captain Siyani Chambers, whose ball-dominant role takes away from his ability to space the floor. As Harvard looks to boost its anemic offense, it will most likely turn to Miller to provide the necessary spacing.
