Game #163. RTC Live loves the little guys too. An Ivy League title is on the line in Cambridge tonight.
This one’s for all the Tostitos. It’s a nascent Ancient Eight rivalry in its second year. Harvard has tons of talent but lacks experience (no seniors). Princeton relies on two seniors and two juniors to anchor a deliberate but efficient offense. Harvard has never won an Ivy League title; Princeton has won the title 28 times. The Ivy League regular season title carries significant weight, as the winner gets the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. Harvard hasn’t danced since 1946. Needless to say, Harvard’s campus is buzzing with basketball relevance. A loss last weekend at bitter rival Yale will keep the Crimson from winning the title outright, but a win here guarantees at least one more game. The Ivy League tiebreaker is a one game “playoff” on a neutral site. Princeton does play one more game at Penn, which only matters if Harvard wins because it would clinch the title. Princeton is led by senior Dan Mavraides and its solid frontline of Kareem Maddox (senior), Patrick Saunders (junior) and Ian Hummer. Harvard is led by junior co-captains Oliver McNally and Keith Wright. McNally is one of the most efficient players in the country (averaging the gold standard 50% from two, 40% from three and 90% from the free throw line). Wright might be the best big in the Ivy League, averaging over 15 points and almost nine boards a game. Brandyn Curry runs Harvard’s offense, flanked by sharpshooters Christian Webster and Laurent Rivard (the frontrunner for Ivy Rookie of the Year). First and foremost the Crimson have to limit Hummer and Maddox, who combined for 31 points in the first meeting at Princeton. Princeton won that game because Harvard couldn’t take care of the ball and let the Tiger frontline score too efficiently. Princeton needs to keep Harvard’s shooters from getting anything resembling an open shot. If this turns into a shootout, it favors the Crimson. Both of these teams are coming off of dominant performances Friday night, Princeton over Dartmouth and Harvard over Penn.