Men’s Basketball Begins Road Swing at UC Irvine on Tuesday

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Harvard University men's basketball begins a six-game road swing as it plays at the University of California, Irvine on Tuesday, Dec. 20 at 10:00 p.m. ET/7:00 p.m. PT (ESPN+) at the Bren Events Center, tipping off its longest road trip of the year, which includes a game at No. 4/4 Kansas on Thursday.

What to Know

Harvard and UC Irvine have met three times with the Crimson trailing the Anteaters in the all-time series, 1-2. In the last meeting between the two teams, Harvard took a 77-73 win on Jan. 4, 2020 at Lavietes Pavilion.
Over a stretch of five games in 10 days between Thanksgiving and the finals break, the Crimson posted a 3-2 record during that span, topping Loyola Chicago (61-55) on Nov. 25), Holy Cross (72-38) on Nov. 30, and Tufts (76-59) on Dec. 4. Harvard nearly beat Fordham, trimming a 13-point deficit to two points late in the second half, before falling to the Rams, 68-60, on Nov. 27. The Crimson led for over 30 minutes against UMass prior to dropping a narrow 71-68 decision on Dec. 2.
Senior guard/forward Chris Ledlum has averaged team highs in points (18.9), rebounds (7.6), and steals per game (2.1), scoring in double figures in 10 of 11 games and netting 20 or more points four times. Ledlum ranks second in the Ivy League in points per game, first in rebounds per game, and first in steals per game, while ranking fifth in blocks per game (1.0). In the NCAA, he stands 27^th in field goals made (81) and 45^th in points per game.
Ledlum poured in a career-high 30 points with nine rebounds and a career-best five steals vs. Loyola Chicago (Nov. 25). In the Crimson's battle with UMass (Dec. 2), Ledlum posted a double-double on 25 points and 10 rebounds. 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). 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 8.3 points and 5.5 rebounds per game, while shooting 90.0 percent from the free throw line. He ranks fourth in the Ivy League in minutes per game (32.5) and sixth in steals per game (1.5). Silverstein scored a career-high 17 points with five rebounds and three assists at Fordham (Nov. 27) before grabbing a career-best 10 rebounds at Holy Cross (Nov. 30). 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).
First-year forward Chisom Okpara has averaged 8.7 points and 4.3 rebounds per game on the year, while shooting 50.7 percent from the field. He dropped a career-high 24 points on 10-of-13 field goals with eight rebounds vs. Siena (Nov. 20) before tallying 16 points and six rebounds vs. Tufts (Dec. 4). 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 8.2 points and 3.8 rebounds per game on the year, while shooting 36.4 percent from 3-point distance. Sakota has scored in double figures five times on the year. He hit a career-high six 3-pointers for a season-best 18 points vs. Tufts (Dec. 4). Sakota scored 14 points vs. Elon (Nov. 13) and 13 points at Holy Cross (Nov. 30). He netted 10 points vs. Louisiana (Nov. 11) and tallied 11 points and six rebounds at Morehouse (Nov. 7).
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 7.1 points and a team-best 3.8 assists per game, while shooting 35.7 percent from 3-point distance. Nelson has distributed five or more assists in each of four games this season. He ranks fourth in the Ivy League in assists per game and second in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.8).
Senior guard Idan Tretout has compiled 6.3 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 2.0 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.
Junior forward Justice Ajogbor ranks second in the Ivy League with 1.4 blocks per game and has added 4.9 points and 3.1 rebounds per game. Ajogbor tallied career highs in points (14), rebounds (six), and minutes (26) vs. UMass (Dec. 2). He has started all 11 games for the Crimson in the frontcourt and has tallied multiple blocks in each of five games this year.
As a team, Harvard ranks second in the Ivy League in points per game allowed (63.6), opponent field goal percentage (.407), and steals per game (8.82), while standing third in blocks per game (3.82). The Crimson sits 23^rd in the NCAA in fewest fouls per game (14.0) and 48^th in steals per game (8.8).