M. Hoops Takes on Perennial Ivy Cellar-Dwellers This Weekend

Fresh off a victory at Dartmouth that placed them atop the Ivy League, the Harvard men's basketball team hits the road this weekend looking to extend its undefeated conference record.

Lucky for the Crimson, its opponents are perennial Ivy League bottom-feeders Yale and Brown. Neither team poses a major threat to the Crimson, but in the world of Ivy League basketball, where everybody knows everybody else's offense inside and out, the players aren't taking a chance.

"We can't not win these games," said Harvard center Tim Coleman. "Even if we beat Penn and Princeton later, we still have to win these games to stay on top."

The Crimson (7-7, 2-0 Ivy) has been on the up and up since last Wednesday, when they posted a 78-60 win over SUNY-Albany. It followed that victory with its second win over Dartmouth, a defensive struggle that gave Harvard a 48-43 victory.

Captain Damian Long has come up big in those two wins, leading all scorers with eleven points against Dartmouth and adding three steals and eight rebounds.

YALE

Tonight, the team travels to Yale, which is playing its first Ivy League contest of the season. In its last conference game, last February, the Bulldogs lost at home to the Crimson 81-58.

Today's game shouldn't be any harder. Yale is a new team, but not much better than last year's squad, which went 4-22 and 2-12 in the Ivy.

Yale (2-10) is currently riding a five-game losing streak and hasn't won since December 6th. New head coach James Jones relies heavily on his guards, Onaje Woodbine and Chris Leanza. Woodbine is the Bulldog's main offensive threat and a leading scorer in four of its games this season.

With 6'10 center Neil Yanke leading the frontcourt attack alongside senior John Kirkowski, Yale works the classic "inside-outside" game. The two also work in the double post offense, which has led Harvard to work on its "3 out and two in" defense this week in practice, playing three men out on the perimeter.

"They've had bigger guys in the past, so it's not that much of a problem," Coleman said. "I just need to establish myself in the post."

The Crimson can't afford to take the Bulldogs too lightly, however. Yale has a reputation for beating top conference foes, as witnessed by last year's win over Princeton and previous victories over Penn. With Harvard on top of the league, Yale is aiming for the large "X" on the Crimson's back.

BROWN

Saturday evening takes the Crimson to Providence for a contest against Brown. Excuse Harvard if it mistakes the Bears for Yale. Brown's record (3-7) isn't much more impressive, and last season Brown joined Yale in the Ivy League cellar at 4-22 with a 2-12 Ivy League record. In fact, the only team Brown beat last year in the Ivies was Yale.

The Bears also boast a new coach, ex-UConn assistant Glen Miller. Miller runs a tight ship and emphasizes speed and conditioning. It's no surprise then that Brown runs a fast motion offense and aggressive perimeter defense. Its starters are young and small, and the team often plays without a true center in the middle.

It was expected that the team would be led by sophomore guard Jihan Bowes-Little, a transfer from the University of Portland. Instead, two freshmen have taken the helm.

Guard Earl Hunt leads the Bears in points, averaging 15.9 per game and 6.5 rebounds per game. Another freshman, 6'6 forward Alaivaa Nuualiitia (and ex-teammate of Kobe Bryant at Lower Merion), provides 15 points per game and has had 15 blocks.

Brown's lack of height is a serious problem, as Coleman and teammate Sam Winter should have no problem getting rebounds when they need them. Against the Bears, the Crimson will look to play strong team defense against Hunt and Nuualiitia, who will be hard to defend one-on-one.

This weekend's games shouldn't prove to be much of a difficulty for the Crimson, unless they shoot like they did against Dartmouth (35.4 percent) and only score 48 points. Coleman doesn't foresee that happening again.

"This offense has confidence, and it will be a strong force this weekend," Coleman said.

Coleman himself could have a big weekend, as he will be one of the biggest men on the court for both teams.

"I need to get more inside points," he said. "It seems recently everything I've been shooting is from the outside."

With Long emerging as the new leader of the offense after the loss of Dan Clemente early in the season, Harvard is really opening its season this week. Except for one game, only Ivy League games are remaining, and a sweep this weekend would provide the Crimson with a two-game cushion in the standings.

After its tough start to the season, that would be a nice present for the Crimson before it returns once again to the snowy banks of the Charles for final exams.