Men's Hoops To Break Postseason Drought Tonight

For the first time since 1946, the Harvard men’s basketball team will play a postseason game.

The Crimson will end the 64-year drought tonight when it travels to Boone, N.C. to take on Appalachian State in the first round of the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament.

“We think it’s a monumental step,” Harvard coach Tommy Amaker said. “These are fun moments and opportunities that have not come very often for our school and our program, so we’re proud, and we’re excited about representing Harvard in a tremendous fashion on the road down in North Carolina.”

The Crimson (21-7, 10-4 Ivy) will have its work cut out for itself in its opening-round matchup against the Mountaineers (22-12, 13-5 Southern).

Led by guards Donald Sims and Kellen Brand, Appalachian State possesses a potent offense that is capable of lighting up the scoreboard for 80-plus points, something the Mountaineers have done eight times already this season.

“Appalachian State is an up-tempo, fast-breaking, high-scoring team that has tremendous scorers from the perimeter,” Amaker said. “It’s a good match for us, to be very honest.”

Sims, a 6’1” junior, leads the offense and averages 20 points per game. Sims, who possesses a deadly stroke from deep, does much of his damage from the outside, as he shot 42 percent from beyond the arc during the regular season.

Brand is no lousy shooter himself, knocking down 37 percent of his tries from deep.

Co-captain Jeremy Lin and freshman Brandyn Curry, Harvard’s top perimeter defenders, should have their hands full trying to shut down the Mountaineer guards.

Lin will look to make up for a lousy performance in his final conference matchup of the season against Princeton, where the senior finished 1-of-8 from the field in a losing effort.

Appalachian State is currently riding a hot streak, winning 10 of its last 12 games to finish off the regular season. With impressive victories over Robert Morris, Winthrop, and Wofford, the Mountaineers possess an RPI of 101, just a single spot behind Harvard.

While it may have been 64 years since a Crimson squad earned a berth in the postseason, this year’s team still has the opportunity to do something no Harvard team has ever done before—come away with a postseason victory.

—Staff writer Martin Kessler can be reached at martin.kessler@college.harvard.edu.