CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Harvard University men's basketball hosts Brown University on Martin Luther King Jr. Day – Monday, Jan. 15 – at 2:00 p.m. (ESPN+) at Lavietes Pavilion as the Crimson plays its first Ivy League home game of the season.

What to Know

• Under the leadership of Tommy Amaker, The Thomas G. Stemberg '71 Family Endowed Coach for Harvard Men's Basketball, Harvard has engaged with the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The Crimson has made multiple trips to play Howard in Washington, D.C., including over MLK weekend in 2016 and 2019, while also touring the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial. The team has also made two trips to Atlanta in recent seasons, playing at Mercer in 2018 and at Morehouse – Dr. King's alma mater – in 2022. While in Atlanta, the Crimson has attended Sunday services at Ebenezer Baptist Church and visited The King Center, spending time at the tomb of Dr. King.
• First-year guard Malik Mack – the nation's leading scorer among first-year student-athletes (19.0 points per game) – has earned a spot on the Lou Henson Award Mid-Season Watch List (Jan. 10). The award is given annually to the most outstanding mid-major men's college basketball player in NCAA Division I competition.
• Harvard posted a 9-4 record during its non-league season – a mark that included three road victories, a 6-1 mark at home, and wins over teams from the American Athletic Conference, Atlantic 10, Coastal Athletic Association, America East, and Patriot League. The Crimson notched a 9-2 record against teams outside the Power Five conferences.
• First-year guard Malik Mack has established himself as one of the nation's top first-year student-athletes. He stands as the nation's leading scorer among first-years at 19.0 points per game. Overall, he ranks 44^th in the NCAA in scoring and ranks as the only first-year in the top 50 in points per game. His 32-point effort at UMass (Nov. 17) stands as the second-highest scoring output from a first-year in a game against another Division I institution this season in the nation.
• Mack has averaged 19.0 points and 4.4 assists per game, while shooting 44.6 percent from 3-point distance. He ranks first in the Ivy League in assists per game, second in points per game, and third in free throws made (54). Mack has scored in double figures in 10 of 11 games played this season, netted 20 or more points five times, notched 25 or more points three times, and eclipsed 30 points once. Mack gained Ivy League Rookie of the Week in each of the first four weeks of the season (Nov. 13, Nov. 20, Nov. 27, Dec. 4).
• Mack poured in a career-high 32 points at Massachusetts (Nov. 17) and scored 27 points on 8-of-16 field goals and 8-of-10 free throws against Indiana (Nov. 26) at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mack went for 26 points on 8-of-10 field goals and 6-of-6 free throws vs. American (Nov. 29). He dropped 22 points on 9-of-11 field goals and 4-of-5 3-pointers vs. Northeastern (Nov. 14). He tallied 20 points and eight assists at Rice (Nov. 10) and notched 18 points and six assists at Boston College (Nov. 18). He compiled 17 points vs. Army (Dec. 8) and added 16 points and eight assists at Colgate (Nov. 22).
• Sophomore forward Chisom Okpara has tallied 17.9 points and 5.5 rebounds per game on the year, while shooting 49.7 percent from the field and 36.1 percent on 3-pointers. He has scored in double figures 12 times in 13 games played and reached the 20-point plateau five times this season. He ranks fourth in the Ivy League in points per game, 10^th in rebounds per game, fifth in blocks per game (0.8), and first in free throws made (64). He dropped a career-high 26 points vs. Holy Cross after scoring 23 points vs. American (Nov. 29). Okpara poured in 22 points vs. Albany (Jan. 2), 21 points at Colgate (Nov. 22) and 20 points with seven rebounds at Boston College (Nov. 18). He tallied 19 points and nine boards at Loyola Chicago (Dec. 2), scored 18 points at Princeton (Jan. 6) and posted 17 points against both Rice (Nov. 10) and Army (Dec. 8).
• Junior guard Louis Lesmond has averaged 9.6 points and 3.0 rebounds per game on the year, while shooting 37.9 percent from 3-point distance. He ranks fourth in the Ivy League in 3-pointers per game (2.4) and fifth in total 3-pointers made (33). Lesmond has made three or more 3-pointers in each of seven games this year. Lesmond scored a career-high 16 points vs. Albany (Jan. 2). He notched 14 points and made a season-high 4-of-7 3-pointers at UMass (Nov. 17). Lesmond netted 12 points vs. Iona and 11 points at Colgate (Nov. 22) and vs. Army (Dec. 8).
• Sophomore guard Chandler Piggé has posted 9.4 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game, while shooting 85.2 percent on free throws. He has scored in double figures in each of six games and ranks 11^th in the Ivy League in rebounds per game. Piggé posted his first collegiate double-double on 15 points and 11 rebounds at Massachusetts (Nov. 17). He dropped a career-high 23 points on 8-of-12 field goals and 6-of-6 free throws with five rebounds at Rice (Nov. 10). He notched 14 points vs. Army (Dec. 8), 13 points at Princeton (Jan. 6), and 12 points vs. Northeastern (Nov. 14). Piggé totaled 11 points, five rebounds, five steals, and four assists vs. Albany (Jan. 2).
• Senior forward Justice Ajogbor – who will miss an indefinite amount of time due to a right hand injury but will return later in the 2023-24 season – has registered 8.4 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 2.9 blocks per game on the year. He has posted three or more blocks in each of five games this year. He scored a career-high 15 points at Colgate (Nov. 22). Ajogbor notched 12 points on 6-of-6 shooting with six rebounds at Rice (Nov. 10) before grabbing a career-high 11 rebounds vs. Northeastern (Nov. 14). He posted his first collegiate double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds against UMass Boston (Nov. 6).
• First-year forward Thomas Batties II has registered 7.0 points and 4.7 rebounds per game, while shooting 45.2 percent from the field. Batties II has registered three double-doubles on the year and won Ivy League Rookie of the Week on Jan. 2. He notched back-to-back double-doubles this season with 11 points and 10 rebounds against both Iona (Dec. 30) and Albany (Jan. 2). He posted another double-double on 10 points and 10 rebounds against Indiana (Nov. 26) at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. In his collegiate debut, he scored a team-high 16 points vs. UMass Boston (Nov. 6).
• Junior guard Denham Wojcik has averaged 2.5 points and 2.6 assists per game on the year. He netted a career-high eight points at Colgate (Nov. 22). Wojcik distributed a career-high six assists vs. Iona (Dec. 30) and has dished out five assists twice this season – vs. Northeastern (Nov. 14) and Holy Cross (Dec. 21).
• First-year forward Luca Ace-Nasteski has compiled 3.0 points and 3.3 rebounds per game. He notched 11 points in his collegiate debut vs. UMass Boston (Nov. 6). He went for eight points and six boards vs. Albany (Jan. 2).
• Junior guard Tyler Simon has added 3.6 points per game on the year. He made 4-of-7 3-pointers for a career-high 12 points vs. Holy Cross (Dec. 21).
• As a team, Harvard ranks 34^th in the NCAA in fewest fouls per game (14.6) and 73^rd in blocks per game (4.36).
• In the Ivy rankings, the Crimson stands second in blocks per game (4.36) and 3-point percentage defense (31.0).
• Harvard holds a 106-77 edge in the all-time series with Brown. The two teams have split the season series in each of the last two years. The Crimson won 19 in a row in the series from 2010-19 before the Bears took the second meeting in 2018-19.

Next Up

Harvard plays at the University of Pennsylvania on Saturday, Jan. 20 at 6:00 p.m. (ESPNU/ESPN+) in a nationally televised contest.