CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Harvard University men's basketball takes on in-state rival Holy Cross on Wednesday, Nov. 30 at 7:00 p.m. (ESPN+) making the quick trip down the Mass Pike to the Hart Center in Worcester, Massachusetts, with the Crimson in the third game of a stretch of five contests in 10 days prior to the finals break.

What to Know

• Harvard and Holy Cross have met 74 times in program history with the Crimson trailing the Crusaders in the all-time series, 29-45. Harvard has won the last three meetings and holds a 9-4 record against Holy Cross in the last 13 matchups. In last season's 62-54 victory, Chris Ledlum posted a double-double on 17 points and 11 rebounds. The two teams first met during the 1900-01 season.
• Senior guard/forward Chris Ledlum scored a game and career-high 30 points and tallied nine rebounds and five assists to lead Harvard past Loyola Chicago, 61-55, at Lavietes Pavilion on Nov. 25. The Crimson never trailed against the Ramblers – a team that played in the 2018 Final Four.
• Senior guard/forward Chris Ledlum has averaged team highs in points (18.7), rebounds (7.3), and steals per game (2.0), scoring in double figures in six of seven games. Ledlum ranks third in the Ivy League in points per game, third in rebounds per game, second in steals per game, and seventh in field goal percentage (.586), while standing 23^rd in the NCAA in field goals made (51). Ledlum poured in a career-high 30 points with nine rebounds and a career-best five steals vs. Loyola Chicago (Nov. 25). He scored a game-high 29 points on 12-of-17 shooting at Northeastern (Nov. 16) and then had 18 points on 8-of-11 shooting vs. Siena (Nov. 20). Ledlum notched his first double-double of the year on 10 points and 10 rebounds vs. Elon (Nov. 13). He posted team highs in points (15) and rebounds (eight) vs. Louisiana (Nov. 11) and game highs in points (22) and rebounds (seven) at Morehouse (Nov. 7).
• Ledlum returns after averaging 16.7 points and 9.3 rebounds per game last season over 13 contests, missing the latter portion of the season due to injury. A Third Team CoSIDA Academic All-America honoree in 2021-22, he gained 2022-23 Blue Ribbon Preseason All-Ivy League accolades.
• Junior guard Sam Silverstein has tallied 11.3 points and 4.7 rebounds per game, while shooting 56.9 percent from the field and 93.8 percent from the free throw line. He ranks third in the Ivy League in minutes per game (33.6). Silverstein scored a career-high 17 points with five rebounds and three assists at Fordham (Nov. 27). He notched 13 points and five steals vs. Siena (Nov. 20). Over the Crimson's first week he posted 13 points and eight boards vs. Elon (Nov. 13), scored 14 points vs. Louisiana (Nov. 11), and netted 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting with five rebounds at Morehouse (Nov. 7). He played in all 26 games last winter in his first season of action with the Crimson.
• First-year forward Chisom Okpara has averaged 9.3 points and 5.4 rebounds per game on the year. He dropped a career-high 24 points on 10-of-13 field goals with eight rebounds vs. Siena (Nov. 20). He posted 11 points on 4-of-5 field goals vs. Louisiana (Nov. 11) and grabbed 10 rebounds at Northeastern (Nov. 16). Okpara gained Ivy League Rookie of the Week on both Nov. 14 and Nov. 21.
• Senior guard Luka Sakota has registered 7.0 points and 3.6 rebounds per game on the year. Sakota has scored in double figures three times on the year, including 14 points vs. Elon (Nov. 13). He netted 10 points vs. Louisiana (Nov. 11) and tallied 11 points and six rebounds at Morehouse (Nov. 7). Sakota started all 26 games during the 2022-23 season and averaged 11.3 points and 3.5 rebounds per game.
• Sophomore guard Evan Nelson exploded for 23 points, six assists, and three steals, while making 8-of-12 field goals, 4-of-6 triples, and 3-of-3 free throws vs. Elon (Nov. 13). For the year, he has averaged 6.4 points and a team-best 3.6 assists per game, while shooting 46.2 percent from 3-point distance. He ranks second in the Ivy League in assists per game and third in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.6).
• Senior guard Idan Tretout has compiled 7.3 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game. He totaled 10 points and six rebounds at Fordham (Nov. 27) and notched 12 points and four boards vs. Elon (Nov. 13). Tretout tallied 8.5 points and 3.0 rebounds per game last season over 13 games, missing the latter portion of the season due to injury.
• Sophomore guard Louis Lesmond has netted 5.8 points per game on the year. He scored nine points on three 3-pointers vs. Elon (Nov. 13) and hit a pair of 3-pointers at Morehouse (Nov. 7). He posted 7.9 points and 2.6 rebounds per game last season, while scoring in double figures seven times out of 20 games played.
• Junior forward Justice Ajogbor ranks second in the Ivy League with 1.4 blocks per game. He has started all seven games for the Crimson in the frontcourt and has tallied multiple blocks in each of three games this year.
• As a team, Harvard ranks third in the Ivy League in points per game allowed (66.6), third in opponent field goal percentage (.400), and second in opponent 3-point percentage (.304).

Next Up

Harvard hosts back-to-back home games against Massachusetts on Friday, Dec. 2 at 7:00 p.m. (ESPN+) and Tufts on Sunday, Dec. 4 at 2:00 p.m. (ESPN+). Tickets for Crimson home games are available at tickets.gocrimson.com.