Men's Basketball to Face First Early Test

In college basketball, an undefeated regular season is as rare as it gets.

Since the beginning of Division I play, only 24 teams have made it to the tournament with a perfect record, six of which went on to take the national title.

This Sunday, the Harvard men’s basketball team (4-0) will take to the road in pursuit of the elusive dream. Against Colorado (4-1) on Sunday , the Crimson will face its first true test in its quest to become the first undefeated college basketball team since St. Joseph’s in 2004.

If Harvard—picked to finish first in the Ivy League coaches preseason poll—can skate through conference play unscathed, there are only a few teams that could potentially stand in its way. The Buffaloes are one of those teams, with only one blemish on its record so far—a 60-72, season-opening loss to No. 20 Baylor.

In taking on Colorado, Crimson coach Tommy Amaker will encounter a familiar face on the court. Buffaloes junior guard Spencer Dinwiddie narrowed his college choices down to Harvard and Colorado before ultimately choosing Colorado. The guard has thrived in Boulder with 12.4 points per game while shooting .417 from beyond the arc.

The Buffaloes are coming off of four straight decisive victories, including three by more than 20 points. Most recently, Colorado steamrolled Arkansas State in a balanced offensive performance in which four Buffaloes scored in double digits. Sophomore Josh Scott chipped in 20 points—one short of his career high—on 7-for-8 shooting from the paint. The 6’10” forward leads Colorado with 14.6 points and eight rebounds per game.

The Crimson will be hard pressed to contain Scott inside without running into foul trouble. After two players fouled out in Harvard’s season opener against Holy Cross, the Crimson has worked to balance caution early in the game with tenacity down low. Junior forward Steve Moundou-Missi has been hampered in his previous two outings, committing four fouls in each.

“I think the way it’s being officiated is going to require an incredible amount of attention to detail,” said Harvard coach Tommy Amaker, following Wednesday night’s 86-68 win over Bryant. “Even the concentration level has to increase. Communication has to be at an all-time premium if you are to trust the help behind you.”

Last season Harvard dealt with a lack of experience in the paint, but with the return of senior Kyle Casey, addition of freshman Zena Edosomwan and development of Moundou-Missi and classmate Jonah Travis, Amaker has a number of options. And all four have shined this season.

Travis opened the season against Holy Cross with a career-high 19-point performance, and Moundou-Missi chipped in a career-high 23 against Bryant. Casey has three double-digit performances and has stepped back into his role as a leader on the court early in the season.

“They definitely complement each other well,” said Saunders of Casey and Moundou-Missi on Wednesday night. “They are both aggressive on the glass and they look to make plays not just for themselves but everybody. It is not just us making plays for them but also them making plays for us.”

But leading them all is a familiar face. Saunders finished last season leading the Ivy League with 16.2 points per game. This season he is back at it with a team-high 17.2 points per game, including a 25-point performance in his most recent outing.

The Crimson would like to see the return of senior guard Brandyn Curry, who has been out since injuring his foot in the season opener. Amaker had hoped for Curry to be ready this week, but the Harvard co-captain wore a walking boot and did not suit up on Wednesday. Amaker said the training staff is taking the injury day by day and had nothing new to report on Wednesday night.

“He’s out indefinitely,” Amaker said. “We’re hopeful for this weekend. We’ll see how things go tomorrow and go from there.”

The Colorado game will be the first of six that Harvard will play on the road before returning to Lavietes Pavillion—including three in the Carrs/Safeway Great Alaska Shootout over Thanksgiving break. Sunday’s game will be televised on ESPNU, a heretofore-unlucky omen for the Crimson. On Sunday, the team will have a chance to break out of last season’s ESPN curse, which saw Harvard lose three heartbreakers in the final seconds. The Crimson fell with three seconds on the clock at Massachusetts and one second to play at Saint Mary’s.

—Staff writer Hope Schwartz can be reached at hschwartz@live.com. Follow her on Twiter @HopeSchwartz16.