CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Harvard University men's basketball plays its first Ivy League back-to-back of the season with road contests at Brown University on Friday, Jan. 6 at 7:00 p.m. (ESPN+) at the Pizzitola Sports Center and at Yale University on Saturday, Jan. 7 at 7:00 p.m. (ESPN+) at the John J. Lee Amphitheater inside Payne Whitney Gymnasium.

What to Know

• Harvard holds a 105-76 edge in the all-time series with Brown. The two teams split last year's matchups with the Crimson winning at Brown, 65-50, and falling at home, 84-73. The Crimson had taken 19 in a row in the series from 2010-19 before the Bears captured the second meeting between the teams in 2018-19.
• The Crimson trails the all-time series with Yale, 84-121. The Bulldogs took both of last season's meetings by one possession – 58-55 in New Haven and 62-59 in Cambridge. Harvard had taken six of the previous seven meetings between the two teams prior to the 2021-22 season.
• In the Ivy League opener, senior guard/forward Chris Ledlum posted a double-double on game highs in points (22) and rebounds (13) and added game highs in blocks (three) and steals (three), but Harvard fell at Princeton University, 69-66, at Jadwin Gymnasium on New Year's Eve.
• Harvard stands in the midst of a six-game road swing with a 2-2 record thus far. The Crimson opened the stretch with a 62-57 win over UC Irvine (Dec. 20) before challenging No. 4/4 Kansas (Dec. 22) in a 68-54 setback in a trip that included approximately 5,647 flight miles. In its non-conference finale at Maine (Dec. 28), the Crimson took a 74-73 (OT) win before falling at Princeton (Dec. 31) in its Ivy League opener, 69-66, in a pair of trips that included approximately 1,020 bus miles. Harvard closes the stretch with this weekend's games at Brown (Jan. 6), and at Yale (Jan. 7).
• Harvard tallied a 9-5 record during non-conference play with victories over Northeastern (70-69), Siena (69-59), Loyola Chicago (61-55), UC Irvine (62-57), and Maine (74-73, OT) highlighting the stretch. Four of the Crimson's five setbacks came against No. 4 Kansas, two Atlantic 10 opponents (Fordham, Massachusetts), and Louisiana – the preseason pick to win the Sun Belt. During non-league play, senior guard/forward Chris Ledlum paced the Crimson with 19.3 points and 8.4 rebounds per game.
• Senior guard/forward Chris Ledlum has averaged team highs in points (19.5), rebounds (8.7), and steals per game (1.8), scoring in double figures in 14 of 15 games, netting 20 or more points six times, and posting four double-doubles. Ledlum ranks second in the Ivy League in points per game, first in rebounds per game, and second in steals per game. He also stands second in total points (292), first in field goals (114), second in free throws (45), first in offensive rebounds per game (3.1), third in blocks per game (1.3), and sixth in minutes per game (31.7). In the NCAA, he ranks seventh in field goals, 15^th in total points, 27^th in points per game, 38^th in total rebounds (132), 41^st in offensive rebounds per game (3.13), and 44^th in rebounds per game (8.8).
• Ledlum poured in a career-high 30 points with nine rebounds and a career-best five steals vs. Loyola Chicago (Nov. 25). Ledlum notched back-to-back 20-point double-doubles with a game-high 27 points and career-best 15 rebounds in the OT win at Maine (Dec. 28) prior to game highs in points (22) and rebounds (13) at Princeton (Dec. 31). 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). At No. 4 Kansas, he registered 17 points and nine boards. Ledlum notched 18 points and nine boards in the Crimson's win at UC Irvine (Dec. 20). Ledlum notched his first double-double of the year on 10 points and 10 rebounds vs. Elon (Nov. 13). He posted game highs in points (22) and rebounds (seven) at Morehouse (Nov. 7).
• Junior guard Sam Silverstein has tallied 8.1 points and 5.5 rebounds per game, while shooting 85.2 percent from the free throw line. He ranks fourth in the Ivy League in minutes per game (32.5), sixth in steals per game (1.4), and 10^th in rebounds per game (5.5). 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 8.6 points and 4.3 rebounds per game on the year, scoring in double figures six times. 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). In his first Ivy game, he netted 15 points on 6-of-7 shooting with six boards. He notched 10 points and five boards at UC Irvine (Dec. 20), posted 11 points on 4-of-5 field goals vs. Louisiana (Nov. 11), and grabbed 10 rebounds at Northeastern (Nov. 16). Okpara has gained Ivy League Rookie of the Week three times (Nov. 14, Nov. 21, Dec. 26).
• Senior guard Luka Sakota has registered 7.5 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 1.7 assists per game on the year. Sakota has scored in double figures six times on the season. 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), 13 points at Holy Cross (Nov. 30), and 12 points at UC Irvine (Dec. 20). 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 6.9 points, a team-best 3.8 assists, and 2.7 rebounds per game. Nelson has distributed five or more assists in each of five games this season. At No. 4 Kansas, he tallied 10 points and a game-best four assists. Nelson distributed a career-high seven assists at Princeton (Dec. 31). He ranks third in the Ivy League in assists per game and second in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.9).
• Junior forward Justice Ajogbor ranks second in the Ivy League with 1.4 blocks per game and has added 4.8 points and 2.9 rebounds per game. Ajogbor tallied career highs in points (14), rebounds (six), and minutes (26) vs. UMass (Dec. 2). At No. 4 Kansas, he blocked four shots and added eight points and four boards. He has started all 15 games for the Crimson in the frontcourt and has tallied multiple blocks in each of seven games this year.
• Senior guard Idan Tretout has compiled 6.4 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game. Tretout scored a career-high 17 points on 6-of-8 field goals in the OT win at Maine (Dec. 28). He totaled 10 points and six rebounds at Fordham (Nov. 27) and notched 12 points and four boards vs. Elon (Nov. 13).
• As a team, Harvard ranks second in the Ivy League in field goal percentage defense (.411) and steals per game (7.87), while standing third in points per game allowed (64.5) and blocks per game (4.20). The Crimson sits 25^th in the NCAA in fewest fouls per game (14.1).

Next Up

Following the Brown-Yale weekend, Harvard returns home to Lavietes Pavilion for the first time since Dec. 18 to host Columbia on Saturday, Jan. 14 at 1:00 p.m. (ESPN+) and Dartmouth on Monday, Jan. 16 at 2:00 p.m. (ESPN+) on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.