CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Harvard University men's basketball hosts Princeton University on Friday, Feb. 23 at 7:00 p.m. (ESPN+) and the University of Pennsylvania on Saturday, Feb. 24 at 7:00 p.m. (ESPN+) at Lavietes Pavilion as the Crimson hosts its final home games of the regular season and honors its senior class at Saturday's game vs. the Quakers.

What to Know

• Harvard will honor the two members of its senior class – Justice Ajogbor and Christian Rich – prior to Saturday's game against Penn for their hard work and dedication to the program over their careers.
• On the Feb. 17 edition of ESPN's College GameDay, Jay Bilas selected first-year guard Malik Mack as his "Dude of the Day." Commenting on Mack, Bilas said, "He is poised, he's a shot maker, not afraid of the moment, and playing for one of the greatest point guards in ACC history -- his mentor, Tommy Amaker."
• Entering this weekend's action, Harvard stands in a tie for fourth place in the Ivy League standings with a 4-5 conference mark. The Crimson stands knotted with Columbia in the standings with Harvard holding the head-to-head tiebreaker with the Lions due to its season sweep of the two-game series.
• Closing out a two-game sweep of Columbia, first-year guard Malik Mack tallied 21 points and seven assists, sophomore forward Chisom Okpara scored 19 points, and senior forward Justice Ajogbor posted 13 points, 11 rebounds, and six blocks as Harvard rallied past the Lions in the second half to take an 80-75 victory on Feb. 17 in New York.
• 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 18.5 points per game and as one of just two first-years in the top 100. Overall, he ranks 65^th in the NCAA in scoring and 61^st in assists per game (4.7). His 32-point effort at UMass (Nov. 17) stands as the fifth-highest scoring output from a first-year in a game against another Division I institution this season in the nation.
• Mack has averaged 18.5 points, 4.7 assists, and 3.7 rebounds per game, while shooting 37.9 percent from 3-point distance. He ranks first in the Ivy League in assists per game, second in points per game, and second in free throws made (86). In Ivy only play, he leads the conference with 5.1 assists per game. Mack has scored in double figures in 18 of 19 games played this season, netted 20 or more points seven times, notched 25 or more points three times, and eclipsed 30 points once. He has dished out five or more assists in each of 10 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). 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). Mack posted 21 points and seven assists at Columbia (Feb. 17). 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 16.7 points and 5.0 rebounds per game on the year, while shooting 49.6 percent from the field. He ranks fifth in the Ivy League in points per game, 13^th in rebounds per game, and first in free throws made (90). He has scored in double figures 20 times in 21 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), netted 19 points at Columbia (Feb. 17), and scored 18 points at Princeton (Jan. 6) and at Penn (Jan. 20).
• Junior guard Louis Lesmond has averaged 9.7 points and 3.0 rebounds per game on the year, while shooting 37.5 percent from 3-point distance. He ranks third in the Ivy League in total 3-pointers made (51) and fifth in 3-pointers per game (2.3). Lesmond has made three or more 3-pointers in each of 11 games this year and has scored in double figures 12 times. 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 8.8 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 1.7 assists per game, while shooting 82.5 percent on free throws. In Ivy only play, he stands ninth in the league in field goal percentage (52.6) and 10^th in rebounds per game (5.7). 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 8.1 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 2.5 blocks per game on the year. He ranks first in the Ancient Eight in blocks per game (2.3), sixth in rebounds per game (6.6), and sixth in field goal percentage (54.6). In Ivy only play, he leads the league in blocks per game (2.3) and stands fifth in field goal percentage (55.6). He has posted three or more blocks in each of eight games this year. He scored a career-high 15 points at Colgate (Nov. 22). He posted a double-double on 13 points, 11 rebounds, and six blocks at Columbia (Feb. 17). 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 6.8 points and 4.2 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 2.2 points, 2.2 assists, and 1.9 rebounds 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 3.4 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 38^th in the NCAA in fewest fouls per game (15.1) and 72^nd in blocks per game (4.2). In the Ivy rankings, the Crimson stands second in blocks per game (4.23) and third in field goal percentage defense (42.5) and 3-point percentage defense (32.5). In Ivy only play, the team ranks second in blocks per game (4.00).
• Harvard trails Princeton in the all-time series, 51-138. The Crimson holds a 14-18 mark against the Tigers under Tommy Amaker. Last season, Harvard dropped two narrow decisions (69-66 and 58-56) to Princeton.
• Harvard holds a 46-139 record all-time vs. Penn in a series that dates back to the 1902-03 season. Under Tommy Amaker, The Thomas G. Stemberg '71 Family Endowed Coach for Harvard Men's Basketball, Harvard has registered a 20-13 mark vs. the Quakers. Harvard took this year's earlier matchup with a 70-61 win in Philadelphia.

Next Up

Harvard plays its final back-to-back of the season at Brown on Friday, Mar. 1 at 7:00 p.m. (ESPN+) and at Yale on Saturday, Mar. 2 at 7:00 p.m. (ESPN+). The Crimson then plays at Dartmouth on Tuesday, Mar. 5 at 7:00 p.m. (ESPN+) in its regular season finale.