CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - Harvard returns to the hardwood on Friday for the first time since Dec. 21, when it plays host to Brown at 7 p.m. ET on ESPNU and ESPN+. It will mark the Crimson's first Ivy League game since March 7, 2020.

What to Know

- Harvard was slated to play at No. 6/6 Kansas on Dec. 29, but the contest was canceled due to COVID-19 concerns and safety protocols within the Crimson program. Those same reasons postponed Harvard's Ivy League opener vs. Princeton (originally Jan. 2, now Feb. 27).

- Harvard has won a season-high three consecutive games after it defeated Howard, 77-69, on Dec. 21. Five Crimson players scored in double figures vs. a Division I opponent for the second time this season (other: vs. Colgate).

- With the its third consecutive victory, Harvard moved to 8-4, matching its 12-game start in 2019-20, when that team won 21 games (fifth-highest total in program history).

- Noah Kirkwood continued his solid all-around play, finishing with a game-high 19 points, a career-high 12 rebounds, five assists, five steals and one blocked shot against Howard en route to his first career Ivy Player-of-the-Week honor (Dec. 27). The senior has posted a stat in each of the aforementioned categories in three straight games (15 ppg, 9.0 rpg, 3.0 apg, 3.3 spg, 1.0 bpg).

- Kirkwood's line vs. Howard (19 pts., 12 rebs., 5 ast., 5 stl.) was just the 14th time since 2010-11 that a Division I player has put up at least those figures in a game (only time in '21-22), according to College Basketball Reference. Others to have accomplished the feat include Kemba Walker ('10-11), Marcus Smart ('13-14), and Ben Simmons ('15-16).

- Kirkwood has nine multi-steal performances this season, propelling him to the top of the Ivy League leaderboard in steals per game (2.83) and No. 5 nationally (through Jan. 4).

- Chris Ledlum went for a double-double vs. Howard (17 pts., career-high-tying 13 rebs.). The junior has posted a double-double in back-to-back outings (17.0 ppg, 12.0 rpg) and recorded six this season, ranking first in the Ivy and No. 16 in Division I (through Jan. 4).

- Ledlum's 13-rebound night vs. the Bison marked 10th time in 12 games this season that he has led the team in boards. The junior currently leads the Ancient Eight in rebounding at 9.4 (No. 25 nationally, through Jan. 4).

- After missing two games due to injury, Kale Catchings has returned where he left off. In the two games prior to sitting out, the senior averaged 10.5 points (.500 FG) and 3.0 rebounds. Since his return, Catchings has slightly upped those numbers to 11.0 points (.600 FG) and 4.0 rebounds over two games, after going for 13 points and five rebounds, while adding a career-high two blocked shots, two steals and one assist vs. Howard.

- Catchings started on a slow note, scoring 13 points on 3-of-11 shooting (.273) over the first three games of the season. Since then, Catchings has averaged 10.7 points on 52.3-percent shooting (9-21 3FG) and reached double figures in scoring five times.

- Idan Tretout is coming off the best four-game stretch of his career, following his effort vs. Howard (10 pts., 4 rebs., 3 ast.). In the last four contests, Tretout is averaging 12.3 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.3 assists, and made 14-of-18 from the charity stripe (.778), including 11-of-12 in the last two games (6-for-6 vs. Howard).

- Luka Sakota continued his steady performance against the Bison, registering 10 points, two rebounds and three assists, marking the seventh time he has reached those numbers this season. Excluding the opener vs. Morehouse (5 pts., 0-6 FG, 0-3 3FG), Sakota has reached the double-figure scoring plateau eight times and scored at least seven in each of those 11 outings (23-53 3FG, .434).

At the Helm

Tommy Amaker, The Thomas G. Stemberg '71 Family Endowed Coach for Harvard Men's Basketball, is in his 15th season at Harvard. He is the winningest coach in Crimson history with 259 victories and has led the program to seven Ivy League titles and eight postseason appearances.

Up Next

Harvard returns to Lavietes Pavilion to play host to Yale on Sunday at 2 p.m. ET. The game will air live on ESPNU.