The Harvard men's basketball team owns a 3-1 record at home
this season (Jessica Hill).
The Particulars
Harvard returns home to host local rival Boston
University Tuesday evening at 7 p.m. at Lavietes Pavilion.
The Crimson (4-4) is coming off a 57-49 loss at Connecticut
Dec. 7, while the Terriers (3-5) have won three straight, including
a 69-63 victory at Coastal Carolina Dec. 6.
Game Coverage
Harvard video and audio will be
available with a subscription to GoCrimson.com. Zack Guzman and Ben
Zauzmer will be behind the mic.
Series History Against BU
Harvard and BU have met 61 times, with the Crimson
leading the series, 34-27. After the Terriers won eight straight in
the series from 2001-2008, the Crimson has taken the last three
meetings, including a 76-52 win at BU last season on Dec. 10,
2011.
Harvard's Last Time Out
Wesley
Saunders scored 14 points on 6-of-11 shooting, and Steve
Moundou-Missi made 5-of-6 shot attempts, finishing with 10
points, but the Crimson slipped on the road at Connecticut, 57-49,
Dec. 7. Christian
Webster drained three 3-pointers, but Harvard shot only 2-of-5
from the foul line for the game and turned the ball over 18
times.
BU's Last Time Out
Led by Dom Morris's 18 points, BU topped Coastal
Carolina, 69-63, Dec. 6. Travis Robinson went 5-of-5 from beyond
the arc and added 15 points, and Nathan Dieudonne (11 points) and
D.J. Irving (10 points) also reached double figures in scoring for
the Terriers in the victory. BU handed out 16 assists on 26 baskets
and made 9-of-19 3-pointers as a team.
Harvard/Amaker Against BU
The Crimson is 3-2 against Boston University under head
coach Tommy Amaker.
Harvard Against The America East
The Crimson owns an 89-61 mark all-time against current
members of the America East Conference. Harvard is 0-1 against
America East schools this season, having dropped a home game to
Vermont, 85-78, Nov. 27.
Run At The Charity Stripe
Since missing a foul shot early in the game at
Massachusetts Nov. 13, Siyani
Chambers has made 28 in a row at the charity stripe. He is
shooting 93.8 percent from the line (30-of-32) for the season,
which is tied for 20th in the nation.
Season Honors
Siyani Chambers
Ivy League Rookie of the Week (Dec. 3)
Wesley Saunders
Ivy League Player of the Week (Dec. 3)
Kings of Massachusetts' Courts
From Dec. 10, 2008 through Nov. 13, 2012, the Crimson
owned a 15-game winning streak against schools from the
Commonwealth of Massachusetts since falling to Northeastern in
overtime, 76-71 in 2008. UMass snapped the streak by downing
Harvard, 67-64, Nov. 13 of this year.
Since the loss to Northeastern in 2008, Harvard is 12-0
against Boston area schools, having defeated Boston College five
times, MIT four times and Boston University on three
occasions.
From Downtown
As a team, Harvard is shooting 40.8 percent from 3-point
range (49-of-120), which leads the Ivy League and ranks 17th in the
nation.
All-Around Player
Wesley Saunders ranks in the top 10 in the Ivy League in
seven statistical categories. Saunders is second in scoring (15.9
ppg), fourth in steals (1.9 spg), fifth in assist-to-turnover ratio
(1.6), fifth in minutes (34.9 per game), sixth in assists (3.8
apg), seventh in field goal percentage (.500) and 10th in free
throw percentage (.727).
Freshman At The Point
Siyani Chambers is averaging 5.0 assists per game, which
is tied for the conference lead, and has only turned the ball over
24 times this season for a 1.7 assist-to-turnover ratio, good for
second in the Ivy League. Chambers had a career-best eight assists
against Vermont Nov. 27. Chambers paces the Ivy League in foul
shooting (30-of-32, .938), which also places him 21st nationally.
The freshman point guard is fourth in the Ancient Eight in 3-point
shooting (.480, 12-of-25).
Chambers ranks second on the Crimson with 11.5 points per game and
has reached double figures in five of the last seven
contests.
Seeing Lots Of Time
Siyani Chambers is averaging 37.5 minutes per game during
his rookie season, which is tied for 28th most in the nation.
Drawing Contact From Beyond The Arc
In the second half at Boston College Dec. 4, Laurent
Rivard was fouled shooting a 3-pointer and drained all three
ensuing foul shots.
During his career, Rivard has been fouled 17 times while taking a
3-pointer. He has hit five of them for an and-one and has shot
three free throws on 12 occasions. Against George Washington on
Jan. 14, 2012, Rivard drew contact three times while attempting a
shot from beyond the arc.
Long-Range Shooting
Led by Laurent Rivard (4-9), the Crimson drained 56.3
percent (9-16) of its 3-point attempts against Vermont Nov.
27.
Rivard has taken 50 of Harvard's 120 3-point attempts this season,
or 41.7 percent. Rivard is making 42.0 percent of his shots from
beyond the arc (21-50), while the Crimson is shooting 40.8 percent
as a team (49-120). Siyani Chambers leads the team with a 48.0
percent clip from long distance (12-25).
Lavietes Is The Place To Be
The Crimson is 31-2 (.939) at Lavietes Pavilion since
Feb. 19, 2010.
Harvard enjoyed a 28-game home win streak, a program record,
between Feb. 19, 2010 and Feb. 24, 2012. The streak was the second
longest in the country during that stretch, and Harvard finished
11-1 at home last season after going 14-0 at Lavietes Pavilion the
year before. The Crimson is 3-1 at home this season, with the only
loss coming to Vermont Nov. 27.
Harvard Against the BCS
Harvard owns a 9-11 record against BCS conferences under
Tommy Amaker. The Crimson has defeated Boston College five times
and has also topped Michigan, Colorado, Utah and Florida State
during Amaker's tenure. The Crimson also defeated at least one BCS
team in each of the last six seasons.
The Crimson will face one more BCS team this season: California.
Harvard beat Boston College for the fifth straight year, 79-63,
Dec. 4, but fell on the road at Connecticut, 57-49, Dec. 7.
Heating Up
Wesley Saunders has scored in double figures in each of
Harvard's first eight games this season. He tallied a career-high
21 points against Vermont Nov. 27 and paces the Crimson with 15.9
points per game, good for second in the Ivy League.
Harvard Sweeps Weekly Awards Dec. 3
Wesley Saunders was tabbed the Ivy League Player of the
Week Dec. 3, after averaging 19.0 points and 4.5 rebounds per game
in two contests. Saunders scored a career-high 21 points against
Vermont Nov. 27 and went 13-of-18 from the foul line, finishing
with 17 points, in a win over Fordham Dec. 1.
Siyani Chambers, who was also honored as the Ivy League Rookie of
the Week Dec. 3, netted 16 points and dished out eight assists
against the Catamounts. He scored 13 points, hitting three
3-pointers against the Rams, and went 10-of-10 from the foul line
during the previous week.
Hoop And The Harm
In the Crimson's 79-63 win over Boston College, Harvard
scored four and-ones and went 3-of-4 from the foul line on the
ensuing free throw. Siyani Chambers and Wesley Saunders each netted
two buckets after being fouled in the victory.
'D' At Lavietes
Harvard is only allowing 62.0 points per game at home
this season, compared to 65.5 points per contest in road games.
Getting To The Line
Wesley Saunders hit 13-of-18 foul shots against Fordham
Dec. 1. His 13 foul shots marked the most since Kyle Casey sank 13
from the charity stripe (13-16) at Santa Clara Jan. 4, 2010.
Saunders' 18 attempts was the most since Brian Cusworth '07 went
10-of-19 at Dartmouth Jan. 6, 2007.
Halftime Report
Going back to the 2004-05 season, Harvard is 105-22
(.827) when leading at halftime and 26-75 (.257) when trailing at
the break. Since 2010-11, the Crimson is 42-7 when leading at the
half (.857) and is 4-0 when owning an advantage at the midway point
of games this year.
Conference Watch
The Crimson will face opponents from at least 11
conferences in 2012-13. Harvard has wins over four conferences this
season: ACC, Atlantic-10, MAAC and NEWMAC. The Crimson established
a new program record by earning wins over schools from 11
conferences last year.
Winning Tradition
Last year's senior class of Oliver McNally '12, Andrew
Van Nest '12 and Keith Wright '12 won 84 games (84-34, .712) during
their careers, a program record. Current senior Christian Webster
has helped Harvard win 74 games throughout this career (74-24,
.755).
