Who’s Got Spirit?: NCAA From the Sidelines

Harvard's third ever NCAA Tournament qualification was enough of an accomplishment. But a win from 14th-seeded Harvard against 3rd-seeded New Mexico? Let's just say the average Harvardian wouldn't have predicted it.

We spoke to some undergraduates who were lucky enough to find themselves on the sidelines at last week's games to hear what they were like.

"I was really pessimistic the whole time," says Kendall L. Sherman '15, who went to the game with family from the Salt Lake City region. "I just did not think we were gonna pull it off, and two minutes before the end of the game it finally hit me that we were actually going to win."

Ally M. Freedy '14, manager of the Harvard band, remembers seeing the majority of the stadium go quiet as the Crimson section went wild. "They were just stunned I think, and shocked to be upset by a school that they thought wasn't a sports college," she said.

The fans at the game weren't alone. No one expected the 68-62 outcome—only 5.6 percent of ESPN's 8.15 million submitted tournament brackets picked the Harvard win. "We kinda shocked the world," said Freedy.

Following the win over spring break, many students' celebrations took place online as Facebook newsfeeds overflowed with Crimson pride.

"It was really exciting. When I came to Harvard, I wasn't even aware that sports was a big culture here," Harvard band member Bianca A. Trombetta '15 said. "Now the students really should see that basketball should be supported by the college as a whole."

There's no question we have something to cheer about now.

"First of all, we won the game. Second of all, it was our first time winning [in March Madness]. And it was a huge upset," said Sherman. "It was awesome."