Three Losses, Eight Points: M. Hoops Struggles

In the last 12 days, the Harvard men's basketball team has missed a potential game-winner, lost on a last-second shot, and has gotten outrebounded, outscored and outshot.

It has witnessed the emergence of an exciting new point guard and inexplicable shooting problems from its top scorer.

The only thing it hasn't done in the last 12 days is win.

After starting out the season on an offensive tear and going 3-0, the Crimson has lost three straight games by a total of eight points to fall to 3-3. But this weekend, it faces an equally unlucky opponent in Patriot League foe Colgate (2-5).

In Harvard's last outing, a debilitating 58-57 loss to Boston University on Tuesday, the Crimson shot an uncharacteristic 3-of-22 from three-point range and forward Dan Clemente, who averages 21.2 points per game, only had six points. Captain Damian Long's last-second shot rimmed out as Harvard finished a poor shooting night from the floor (20-of-61) and the free-throw line (14-of-21).

Including an 85-83 loss to Navy and an 87-82 loss to Marist, Harvard has lost its three games by a combined eight points. In those games, Harvard came out slow in the first half, only to pick it up in the second half but ultimately fall short.

"For a young team like us, I think games like that are good for us," junior center Tim Coleman said. "It's too easy to get into a lull."

Harvard can't afford to fall asleep Saturday against the visiting Red Raiders. Even though Colgate is riding a four-game losing streak, last year it defeated the Crimson 67-63 at home.

Colgate is led by a pair of sophomore forwards. Pat Campolieta is the team's leading score with 14.9 points per game. Jordan Harris is Colgate's best all-around player, scoring 14.7 while also grabbing eight rebounds per game.

Beyond those two, however, the Red Raiders don't boast much. Captain Pat Diamond is the only senior on the team, and second-year Coach Emmett Davis's roster contains seven sophomores and six freshmen.

Harvard should be able to capitalize on the lack of experience if it returns to the form it displayed two weeks ago, when it was winning. In the last three games, overall shooting has suffered, while defense and rebounding have been almost non-existent at times.

"We are definitely not going to shoot like we did that night [against B.U.]" sophomore guard Drew Gellert said. "We have definitely got to stop that."

The offensive inconsistency of starting slow and picking up later has largely been a byproduct of the play of Clemente. While he is the team's leading scorer and best offensive threat, often he has been lost in the early going in Harvard Coach Frank Sullivan's offense. It's hard to get going when the ball isn't coming his way or when he isn't hitting his shots.

Harvard has also started freshman point guard Elliott Prasse-Freeman in the last two games and grown increasingly dependent on his ball-handling abilities. A mixture of flash and intensity, Prasse-Freeman has shown the ability to make amazing passes. But he also has shown a tendency to keep his dribble too long and make passes his teammates aren't ready for. He's scored 31 points and dished 13 assists in his two starts.

With a new point guard and the lack of a solid go-to player, the Harvard team has also looked confused out on the floor at times in the late going.

"We're not solid chemistry-wise," Coleman said. "But I don't think a lot of teams are. Especially when you bring in a new point guard to an offense like ours, there's going to be some problems."

Coleman is one of the reasons Harvard has been able to overcome the poor defense. His 19 points and eight rebounds against B.U. were both game-highs, while his three-point shooting (5-of-7) has been a pleasant surprise this season.

Unlike some of its previous games, the Crimson shouldn't have a problem matching up size-wise against Colgate. Both Coleman and Clemente outsize Colgate's forwards. Hopefully, that should lead to more rebounding and tougher inside defense.

Clemente will have to find his shot tomorrow for Harvard to have a chance to break out of its current slump. A solid Clemente lets other players like Long and Coleman focus on defense, rebounding and passing.

"We don't really know who we're going to count on," Coleman said.

If it starts out strong and keeps hitting the open shots, the Crimson won't have to worry about another devastating last-second loss.