The Storyline
The Harvard men’s basketball team will return home after a 4-0 road trip to host Columbia and Cornell this weekend at Lavietes Pavilion. The Crimson will first face the Lions Friday, Feb. 13 at 6 p.m. live on CBS Sports Network before welcoming the Big Red to Cambridge Saturday, Feb. 14 at 4 p.m. live on the Ivy League Digital Network.

Harvard is currently tied with Yale atop the Ivy League standings with a 5-1 record while Columbia and Cornell each enter the weekend in fourth place at 3-3. The Crimson has won four straight games since suffering its only conference loss to Dartmouth, and with a pair of wins this weekend will match its longest win streak of the season.

What To Watch For
• Harvard boasts a 132-40 (.767) record since 2009-10, good for the 12th highest win percentage in the country in that time (as of games played Feb. 10). This includes a 67-6 record at home and a 65-34 mark away from Lavietes Pavilion (56-29 road, 9-5 neutral).

• The Crimson is 56-4 (.933) at home since 2010-11, representing the fifth highest home-court win percentage in the NCAA over that time (as of games played Feb. 8). Harvard lost its last game at Lavietes to Dartmouth, 70-61, but following its previous three home defeats the Crimson bounced back with an average margin of victory of +16.3 ppg. Following its only loss at home last season to Yale, Harvard defeated Cornell, 72-47, and Columbia, 80-47, upon returning to Lavietes Pavilion.

• Wesley Saunders was named Ivy League Player of the Week on Monday for the second time this season and 10th time in his career, making him the Ivy League’s all-time leader in career Player of the Week honors. Saunders previously shared the distinction with Brown’s Earl Hunt (2000-03) and Princeton’s Ian Hummer (2009-13), who each earned nine awards.

• Corbin Miller has made at least one 3-point field goal in each of Harvard’s 20 games this season, good for the fifth longest streak in program history. Laurent Rivard ’14 was the most recent member of the Crimson to have such a streak, making at least one 3-pointer in 26 consecutive games bewteen Feb. 25, 2012 and Feb. 16, 2013, which ranks as the second longest streak in program history.

• Harvard currently ranks 14th in the NCAA in scoring defense (as of games played Feb. 10), having allowed 57.5 ppg. The Crimson has held 13 of its 20 opponents to fewer than 60 points this season, with six scoring 50 or fewer.
 
Last Time Out
The Harvard men’s basketball team went into hostile territory Saturday night and came out with a win, defeating Yale in front of a sold-out crowd at Lee Amphitheater, 52-50.

Defense was the name of the game from the tip with the teams combining for just 27 points through the first 20 minutes. Harvard held Yale to 31.5 percent (17-54) shooting on the night, including a 3-of-22 performance in the first half, while the Crimson needed a 12-of-24 effort in the second half to finish at 40.0 percent (20-50).

Wesley Saunders was the game’s high scorer with 16 points, and the senior hit 8-of-10 free throws after the break to help secure the win. Siyani Chambers contributed eight points, six assists and two steals, with Steve Moundou-Missi adding eight points, eight rebounds and two blocks.

Creating a Winning Culture
Harvard has posted a 132-40 (.767) overall record since the start of the 2009-10 season, ranking as the 12th highest win percentage in the country over the last five-plus seasons (as of games played Feb. 10).

Home is Where the Wins Are
Harvard has posted a 56-4 (.933) record at Lavietes Pavilion since the start of the 2010-11 season, representing the fifth highest home-court win percentage in the country over the last four-plus seasons (as of games played Feb. 10).

Since 2010-11, the Crimson has enjoyed two home win streaks of at least 20 games; 28 games (Feb. 20, 2010 to Feb. 25, 2012), 20 games (Dec. 1, 2012 to Feb. 7, 2014).

Making a Stand
Harvard’s defense is shaping up to be one of the best ever under head coach Tommy Amaker.

• Opponents are scoring just 57.5 ppg, which ranks 14th in the NCAA and stands as the second lowest total in the Amaker era (55.6 ppg in 2011-12).

• Opponents are shooting 38.9 percent from the floor, which ranks 31st in the NCAA and is the lowest opponent field goal percentage in the Amaker era (40.8% in 2013-14).

• Opponents are shooting 31.6 percent from 3-point range, which ranks 72nd in the NCAA and stands as the lowest opponent 3-point percentage in the Amaker era (32.1% in 2013-14).

• Harvard is averaging 5.1 bpg, which ranks 31st in the NCAA and is the highest total in the Amaker era (4.8 bpg in 2013-14).

• Harvard is averaging 7.4 spg, which ranks 62nd in the NCAA and is the second highest total in the Amaker era (7.9 spg in 2009-10).

• Harvard has held 13 of its 20 opponents to fewer than 60 points, with six opponents scoring 50 points or less. The Crimson has limited opponents to 20 points or fewer in a half six times.

• Harvard limited Saint Rose to just 20.8 percent shooting (11-53), the lowest single-game opponent shooting percentage in the Amaker era.

• The Crimson allowed just 38 points to Saint Rose and Penn, marking the fourth and fifth times under head coach Tommy Amaker that an opponent has scored fewer than 40 points.

• Penn’s 38 points scored on Jan. 31 were the fewest Harvard has given up to a Quaker squad since taking a 58-31 victory on March 11, 1942. Additionally, it marked just the sixth time since the Ivy League’s formation prior to the 1956-57 season that Penn had been held to fewer than 40 points.

• Yale managed just 11 first half points on Feb. 7, shooting 3-of-22 from the field. The Bulldogs’ 11 points were the fewest allowed in any half by the Crimson under head coach Tommy Amaker, while the three made field goals represented the fewest field goals allowed in a half under Amaker.

Player of the Week
Wesley Saunders was named Ivy League Player of the Week on Feb. 9 for the second time this season and 10th time in his career, making him the Ivy League’s all-time leader in career Player of the Week honors. Saunders previously shared the distinction with Brown’s Earl Hunt (2000-03) and Princeton’s Ian Hummer (2009-13).

Saunders garnered the honor five times in 2012-13, three times in 2013-14 and has two awards in 2014-15.

Down But Not Out
Harvard is attempting to become the first Ivy program to win the conference after beginning 1-1 since Penn did so during the 2001-02 season. The Quakers actually began that year’s conference slate with a 2-3 record before running the table and earning a three-way share of the Ancient Eight crown with Princeton and Yale.

Now in its 59th season of play, the Ivy League has crowned 14 champions that have begun conference play either 0-1 or 1-1, or roughly one every four years.

Going Off
Wesley Saunders scored a career-high 33 points at Brown, representing the 14th-highest single-game total in program history and the most points scored under head coach Tommy Amaker.

Jeremy Lin ’10 is the only other member of the Crimson to have scored at least 30 points under Amaker, notching 30 at UConn on Dec. 6, 2009.

All-Around Effort
Wesley Saunders’ full arsenal of skills were on display at Brown as the senior led the Crimson in points (33), rebounds (10), assists (3) and steals (3), marking the second time in his career he has led Harvard in all four categories.

Jeremy Lin ’10 is the only other student-athlete to accomplish the feat under head coach Tommy Amaker, having done so 10 times.

Stuffing the Stat Sheet
Wesley Saunders, the 2014 Ivy League Player of the Year, currently ranks among the Ancient Eight’s top 10 in eight statistcal categories. As a senior, Jeremy Lin ’10 finished ranked among the conference’s best in nine statistical categories.

Leading the Way
Wesley Saunders led Harvard in scoring in each of the team’s first eight games, becoming the first member of the Crimson to lead the team in scoring in eight straight games under head coach Tommy Amaker.

Saunders has led Harvard in scoring 41 times in his career, with the Crimson owning a 27-14 record in those games.

Born to Assist
Siyani Chambers has led Harvard in assists 51 times in his career, with the Crimson owning a 38-13 record in those games.

Chambers boasts 44 career games with five assist or more, including a stretch of eight straight games as a freshman (Dec. 11, 2012 - Jan. 26, 2013). Harvard is 37-7 in games Chambers reaches five assists.

Cleaning the Glass
Steve Moundou-Missi recorded a career-high 17 rebounds at Vermont, the most by a member of the Crimson under head coach Tommy Amaker.

Moundou-Missi has led Harvard in rebounding 34 times in his career, with the Crimson owning a 26-8 record in those games.

Grand Theft
Wesley Saunders recorded 12 steals against Northeastern and Vermont, including a career-high seven at Vermont to match Jeremy Lin ‘10 (vs. George Washington, Dec. 30, 2009) for the most steals by a member of the Crimson under head coach Tommy Amaker.

Saunders currently ranks 32nd in the NCAA with 2.1 steals per game (as of games played Feb. 10), while his 161 career steals are good for fourth in program history.

Double-Trouble
Wesley Saunders recorded three double-doubles in the team’s first four games, becoming the first member of the Crimson to post three double-doubles in a four-game stretch since Keith Wright ‘12 did it in four consecutive games in 2011-12.

Saunders has turned in four double-doubles on the season, the second most in the Ivy League.

Watch This
Wesley Saunders was named to the Naismith Trophy, Wooden Award and Lou Henson Award preseason watch lists as one of the elite student-athletes in the country.

Saunders is the first Ivy Leaguer to be included on the Naismith Trophy Top 50, while he joined Jeremy Lin ’10 as the second member of the Crimson to be named to the Wooden Award Watch List. Saunders was also included on the 2013 Lou Henson Award Watch List.

Cousy Award
Siyani Chambers was named to the 2015 Bob Cousy Award Watch List, marking the third-straight year that the junior has been tabbed among the top point guards in college basketball. Chambers is one of just three individuals to have been included on the watch list in each of the last three years along with Duke’s Quinn Cook and Gonzaga’s Kevin Pangos.

Last year, Chambers was one of 23 Cousy Award Watch List finalists after being among the original list of 80 watch list candidates along with teammate Brandyn Curry ’13-14.

Moving on Up
Head coach Tommy Amaker continus to move up the ranks of the Ivy League’s winningest coaches. Amaker’s 154 wins at Harvard are the seventh most since the conference began competition in 1956, while his 72 Ivy League victories rank 14th.

Amaker has led Harvard to four-straight Ivy League championships, tying him with former Princeton head coach Butch van Breda Kolff and fomer Penn head coach Chuck Daly for the fourth most Ivy titles won.

On The Sidelines
With 154 victories under his belt, Tommy Amaker ranks second all-time in Harvard coaching annals.

Amaker's .670 win percentage (154-76), meanwhile, ranks first among Harvard coaches who have spent at least two seasons at the helm of the team.