Men's Basketball Closes Out 2016 Against Howard, Looks to Extend Win Streak to Five

The Harvard men’s basketball team will play its final game of 2016 when it hosts Howard on Friday evening at Lavietes Pavilion (7:00 PM, Ivy League Digital Network). Harvard (5-4) has won its last four contests while the Bison (3-10) has dropped its last two. The Crimson made a trip to Washington, D.C. last season over Martin Luther King, Jr. Weekend to take on Howard at historic Burr Gymnasium and visit the MLK Memorial. Harvard took last season’s matchup, 69-61. Men’s basketball beat writer Stephen Gleason highlights three things to watch in Friday’s contest.

ROAD STRUGGLES

By playing the nation’s ninth-hardest schedule as ranked by Pomeroy College Basketball Ratings, the Bison has had to play eight of its first 11 contests away from Burr Gymnasium. Unfortunately for Howard, road gyms and Division I opponents in general have not been too friendly to the Bison. Howard is 0-8 on the road, with its only win against a Division I opponent coming at Burr Gymnasium against American on Dec. 3. The Bison is 0-8 on the road and has been outscored by an average of nearly 25 points per contest. Howard has dropped its last 11 road contests, with its last win coming against Delaware State on Jan. 11. The Crimson is 3-2 at home and has won its last two contests in Cambridge.

HOLLYWOOD ENDING?

This year’s Bison team is being profiled in a documentary by The Undefeated, a sports website owned by ESPN, entitled View from the Hilltop. Howard is looking to make its first NCAA Tournament since 1992. Junior guard James Miller has been a bright spot on a veteran team. So far, however, the team has taken more than its fair share of lumps to begin the season. Harvard will avoid facing James Daniel for the second consecutive season. Daniel was the nation’s leading scorer when the Crimson traveled to the nation’s capital last January. Daniel, last season’s MEAC Player of the Year and this season’s MEAC Player of the Year pick in the preseason, has yet to appear in a game this season due to an ankle injury. Howard has struggled mightily in Daniel’s absence. The Bison is only averaging 61.6 points per game while shooting 39.2 percent from the field and 32.1 percent from three-point range. The most eye-opening stat for Howard, however, may be that it only averages 7.8 assists per contest on the offensive end. For context, Harvard co-captain Siyani Chambers averages 7.6 assists by himself while only playing 32.1 minutes a game. Like the Ivy League, the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference figures to only get one team into the NCAA Tournament. While the Bison has struggled to begin the season, all would be forgotten if Howard catches fire once it begins its conference slate next Wednesday.

COMING IN HOT

The Crimson has won its last four contests, including road wins against Houston and Boston College. Despite shooting just 31.6 percent from the field, Harvard found a way to beat the Cougars last Friday night as freshman point guard Bryce Aiken took over in the second half. If good teams always find a way to win, the Crimson looked like a good team its last time out. Harvard has won each of its last four games in different fashions—taking a defensive battle against Fordham, shooting the lights out against Northeastern, dominating the paint against BC, and winning an ugly game against Houston. Unlike last season in which Harvard’s whole team seemed to go into slumps at the same time, the Crimson’s freshmen have provided an offensive spark for Harvard coach Tommy Amaker, one the Crimson may not need against Howard but surely will come Ivy League play.