CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Harvard University men's basketball travels to play at Cornell University on Friday, Feb. 16 at 6:00 p.m. (ESPN+) at Newman Arena in Ithaca, New York and at Columbia University on Saturday, Feb. 17 at 6:00 p.m. (ESPN+) at Levien Gymnasium in New York, New York as the Crimson plays in its first away Ivy back-to-back of the year and opens the second half of its 14-game conference schedule.

What to Know

• Closing out the first half of Ivy League play, first-year guard Malik Mack scored 18 points to lead four Crimson in double figures as Harvard topped Dartmouth, 77-59, on Feb. 10 at Lavietes Pavilion. The Crimson held a lead as large as 25 points in the win.
• First-year guard Malik Mack – a candidate for the Lou Henson Award as the nation's top mid-major player – has established himself as one of the country's top first-year student-athletes. He stands as the nation's second-leading scorer among first-years at 18.7 points per game and as one of just two first-years in the top 100. Overall, he ranks 60^th in the NCAA in scoring and 70^th in assists per game (4.7). His 32-point effort at UMass (Nov. 17) stands as the fourth-highest scoring output from a first-year in a game against another Division I institution this season in the nation.
• Mack has averaged 18.7 points, 4.7 assists, and 3.8 rebounds per game, while shooting 40.4 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 (74). In Ivy only play, he leads the conference with 5.1 assists per game. Mack has scored in double figures in 16 of 17 games played this season, netted 20 or more points six times, notched 25 or more points three times, and eclipsed 30 points once. He has dished out five or more assists in each of nine games in 2023-24.
• Mack has gained Ivy League Rookie of the Week eight times this season, tying the Ivy League record and setting the program mark for awards in a single season. He earned the award in each of the first four weeks of the season (Nov. 13, Nov. 20, Nov. 27, Dec. 4) and has captured the honors four times in Ivy play (Jan. 16, Jan. 22, Feb. 5, Feb. 12).
• 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 20 points and six assists vs. Yale (Jan. 27). He notched 19 points vs. Cornell (Feb. 3), 18 points and eight assists vs. Columbia (Feb. 2), and 18 points and six assists at Boston College (Nov. 18). He compiled 18 points vs. Brown (Jan. 15) and vs. Dartmouth (Feb. 10).
• Sophomore forward Chisom Okpara has tallied 16.6 points and 5.2 rebounds per game on the year, while shooting 49.3 percent from the field. He ranks fifth in the Ivy League in points per game, 10^th in rebounds per game, and second in free throws made (77). He has scored in double figures 18 times in 19 games played and reached the 20-point plateau six times this season. 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 vs. Brown (Jan. 15) and 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 at Penn (Jan. 20) and posted 17 points against both Rice (Nov. 10) and Army (Dec. 8).
• Junior guard Louis Lesmond has averaged 10.0 points and 3.1 rebounds per game on the year, while shooting 38.4 percent from 3-point distance. He ranks third in the Ivy League in total 3-pointers made (48) and fifth in 3-pointers per game (2.4). Lesmond has made three or more 3-pointers in each of 10 games this year. Lesmond netted a career-high 17 points and five made 3-popinters at Penn (Jan. 20) after scoring 16 points vs. Albany (Jan. 2). He notched 14 points and made 4-of-7 3-pointers at UMass (Nov. 17) and scored 14 points and hit 4-of-8 triples vs. Dartmouth (Feb. 10).
• Sophomore guard Chandler Piggé has posted 8.9 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 1.7 assists per game, while shooting 86.1 percent on free throws. In Ivy only play, he stands sixth in the league in field goal percentage (55.8) and 10^th in rebounds per game (5.2). He has scored in double figures in each of eight games. 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 vs. Yale (Jan. 27) and 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 missed seven games from Nov. 29 to Jan. 6 due to injury – has registered 7.5 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 2.2 blocks per game on the year. In Ivy only play, he leads the league in blocks per game (1.5). He has posted three or more blocks in each of six 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 7.5 points and 4.5 rebounds per game. Batties II has totaled three double-doubles on the year and won Ivy League Rookie of the Week on Jan. 2. He notched back-to-back double-doubles 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). He scored a team-high 16 points vs. UMass Boston (Nov. 6), netted 15 points vs. Brown (Jan. 15), and added 13 points vs. Dartmouth (Feb. 10).
• Junior guard Denham Wojcik has averaged 2.1 points and 2.3 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 2.4 points and 3.1 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 3.1 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 41^st in the NCAA in fewest fouls per game (15.0) and 89^th in blocks per game (4.0). In the Ivy rankings, the Crimson stands second in blocks per game (4.05) and third in field goal percentage defense (42.5). In Ivy only play, the team ranks second in steals per game (6.29), third in blocks per game (3.43), and third in field goal percentage defense (44.7).
• Harvard trails Cornell in the all-time series, 88-96. Harvard took both games in last year's series. The Crimson has posted a 21-11 record against Cornell under Tommy Amaker, The Thomas G. Stemberg '71 Family Endowed Coach for Harvard Men's Basketball.
• Harvard trails Columbia in the all-time series, 91-98, but the Crimson has taken the last 10 matchups in the series. That 10-game win streak includes three overtime contests. Harvard swept the two-game set last year.

Next Up

Harvard hosts Princeton on Friday, Feb. 23 at 7:00 p.m. (ESPN+) and Penn on Saturday, Feb. 24 at 7:00 p.m. (ESPN+) in its final home games of the regular season at Lavietes Pavilion.