Toughest Matchup Needs Balanced Attack

Crimson coach Tommy Amaker will get a chance to show his former team his new digs tomorrow.

Just several months removed from the last time he stood at the helm of the Wolverine bench, Amaker will face his old squad in a rare matchup that will bring a Big Ten power to Cambridge, as the Harvard men’s basketball team (3-4) will square off against Michigan tomorrow afternoon at Lavietes Pavilion.

Adding to the intrigue, the game will be nationally televised on ESPNU.

“When ESPNU comes to Harvard—that’s a pretty big deal,” captain Brad Unger said. “It has to be the first time in Harvard history. For something like that to happen, everybody realizes it’s a pretty big deal and a pretty cool thing.”

Michigan comes in with a 3-4 record, after falling to Boston College, 77-64, on Wednesday night. While hardly boasting an impressive record, it’s the Wolverines’ history which makes the team so well known.

Michigan has won twelve Big Ten titles and made six NCAA Final Four appearances, most recently in 1992 and 1993, over the course of its storied past.

If this game were played fifteen years ago, future NBA stars Chris Webber, Juwan Howard, and Jalen Rose would be taking the court for Michigan. This squad, however, is a different story altogether. In 2001, Amaker inherited a program mired in controversy, facing postseason suspensions and program sanctions as a result of legal troubles with former players. And the team has never fully recovered. Despite winning the NIT championship during his reign, the Wolverines have not made the NCAA tournament in nine seasons and graduated its top four scorers from last season.

Whether Michigan has found its next big star in freshman (and Amaker recruit) Manny Harris remains to be seen. But Harris will come to Lavietes as the Wolverine leader, averaging 17.1 ppg, including a 22-point effort in a win over Brown.

Harvard’s recent basketball history in none brighter. No men’s Ivy League titles adorn the walls of Lavietes and no NCAA tournament appearances line the record books.

But, history on its side or not, Amaker and his new squad will get the opportunity to challenge the storied Wolverines on national television tomorrow.

The team Amaker will face will look the same while playing in a way altogether different from what he is used to. Amaker, a defensive stickler, has always focused on strong play on the defensive end to pace his squad. New Michigan coach John Beilein will run a very differnt team.

His strategy, as showcased with his run-and-gun teams at West Virginia, is one that focuses on the three, focuses on scoring, and in a Big Ten conference known for slow, grind-it-out type games, it will be tough for the Wolverines to adjust.

The Crimson can only hope this is the case Saturday night.

“Obviously with a team like Michigan I know a good bit about the majority of the kids there,” Amaker said. “They’re dealing with a new style and a new system, so they’re not going to be as high-flying as I’m sure they will be at the end of the year.”

Up-and-down so far in this young season, Harvard is 2-0 on its home floor against high quality opponents. Led by sophomore Jeremy Lin’s 23 points and near triple-double performance, the Crimson defeated Mercer, 91-73, less than a week after the Bears beat then-No. 18 USC by 15. Wednesday night, Harvard used a late run to edge New Hampshire, 72-67.

Unfortunately, the Crimson has been unsuccessful against the other big-name squads they’ve faced. Harvard kicked off the season with a 55-point loss at Stanford, and succumbed to Providence by 23 last week.

The Wolverines will prove to be a similar test.

“Against teams that pose these kinds of challenges, we have to be precise,” Amaker said. “We have to get to the foul line and convert, we have to be better at blocking out. We don’t have the athleticism to go run and jump with some of the opponents we’re going to face like Michigan.”

The Crimson will look for contributions from everyone. It will look to Unger—who returned from a preseason injury to notch his first 13 minutes of the season Wednesday night—for leadership and size in the form of his 6;8 frame for some much needed help in the post.

“[In Unger], we’re anticipating having another player upfront with the experience and size we need,” Amaker said.

Unger will join Harvard’s leading low-post threat, junior Evan Harris, down low to thwart the Michigan attack.

Lin and junior Drew Housman will also be asked to be more aggressive on offense.

“They need to continue [to drive into the paint]”, Amaker said. “We need to have Jeremy and Drew looking not just to make shots, but to make plays.”

Not only is the opponent perhaps the toughest the Crimson will face this season, but the team will have to do it in front of a larger-than-usual audience. Students had to enter a lottery for tickets in what is expected to be a sold-out Lavietes Pavilion, and of course, ESPNU television cameras will be watching every move.

“It’s great if we have that, and we want that—that’s our goal and what we’re looking for,” Amaker said of the large crowd. “But it’s not going to change who we are. We’re going to have an identity about us and that doesn’t change based on attendance.”

—Staff writer Kevin C. Reyes can be reached at kreyes@fas.harvard.edu.