Harvard head coach Tommy Amaker is no stranger to playing at Reynolds Coliseum.
Amaker and the 18-11 Crimson play 23-11 NC State at 7:30 p.m. Sunday night. Amaker played point guard at Duke from 1983-1987, and then became an assistant coach at his alma mater. Eventually, he became head coach at Seton Hall, Michigan and has held the Harvard spot since 2007. Amaker’s various teams have played in the NIT nine times and the NCAA Tournament on five occasions. The 2003-04 Wolverines squad won the NIT title.
Harvard swept Yale during the regular season, but also got swept by Cornell and lost to Dartmouth and Brown to finish 10-4 in the Ivy League. Yale won the third matchup in the league tournament title game 97-85, despite Harvard junior guard Bryce Aiken pouring in 38 points.
Harvard played without reigning Ivy League Player of the Year Seth Towns, who suffered a knee injury. The 6-7, 215-pounder averaged 16.0 points and 5.7 rebounds per game last year, and shot an impressive 44.1 percent from three-point range.
Here is a scouting report on Harvard:
Season Overview
Harvard got off to a rocky 2-3 start but also didn’t have Aiken until Jan. 21. Among the games he missed was a 77-57 loss at North Carolina on Jan. 2. The Crimson were in a “must win their league tournament” scenario, but couldn’t top Yale in a third matchup.
Yale torched Harvard by making 32 of 53 shots from the field for 60.4 percent, and then sank 28 of 30 free throws. Five players scored in double figures for Yale, and that proved insurmountable.
Harvard overcame poor three-point shooting to top Georgetown 71-68 on the road Wednesday in the opening round of the NIT Tournament. The Crimson featured four players in double figures, led by Aiken’s 18 points, and out-rebounded the Hoyas 39-30.
Rankings
In the NET rankings, Harvard finished ranked No. 129 in the country. KenPom.com has the Crimson at No. 117, and ESPN’s College Basketball Power Index (BPI) has Hofstra at No. 124.
The Crimson is ranked No. 51 in the old RPI formula used by the NCAA — according to RealTimeRPI.com.
For comparison, NC State is 26nd in BPI, 33rd in the NET, 36th in KenPom.com and 97th in RPI.
Shooting
Harvard shoots 37.1 percent on three-pointers and 71.1 percent at the free-throw line this season. Freshman shooting guard Noah Kirkwood is shooting 41.0 percent on three-pointers and Aiken is right behind at 40 percent. An impressive eight players have made at least 16 three-pointers this season.
Harvard ranked sixth in the Ivy League at 71.5 points per game, but second in field-goal percentage at 45.8 and third in three-point percentage (36.3).
Rebounding
Harvard uses strength in numbers with seven players averaging at least 3.0 rebounds per game, adding up to 36.3 boards a contest. Junior forward Justin Bassey (6-foot-5, 215 pounds) paces the squad at 6.6 rebounds per game.
Harvard ranked fourth in the Ivy League in rebounds per game, but its plus-4.5 rebounding margin was second, right behind Yale. The Crimson also ranked first in defensive rebounding at 31.5 a game.
Defense
The Crimson finished fourth in the Ivy League at allowing 69.9 points per game, and fifth with opponents shooting 43.6 percent from the field. Four Ivy League teams allowed more three-point field goal attempts, with opponents shooting 355 of 703 for 36.3 percent. The latter statistic ranked third in the league.
Junior post player Chris Lewis anchored the defense with 1.8 blocks per game, but Harvard rarely stole the ball, ranking seventh out of eight teams at 5.7 steals a contest.
Depth
Harvard played six players off the bench at least five minutes, and four of them played at least 12 minutes. Junior guard Christian Juzang paces the bench crew with 8.2 points and 2.5 assists per game, and he’s shooting 35.8 percent from the field.
Junior backup center Robert Baker had 11 points in the win over Georgetown. The slender 6-11 205-pounder chips in 5.0 points and 4.0 rebounds in 15.8 minutes per game. Sophomore forward Danilo Djuricic and freshman forward Kale Catchings provide depth in the post, and junior center Henry Welsh, the younger brother of former UCLA center Thomas Welsh, provides more size at 6-10 and 250 pounds. Sophomore wing Rio Haskett has also appeared in all 30 games.
Star Watch
Harvard landing junior point guard Bryce Aiken was a signature recruit for the Crimson in the class of 2016. The Elizabeth (N.J.) The Patrick School standout was ranked No. 102 nationally by Rivals.com and picked Harvard over Miami (Fla.), USC and Seton Hall.
The 6-0, 175-pounder made an instant impact right away, averaging 14.5 points per game his freshman year, but missed chunks of the last two years. He missed the first 13 games of this season, but it didn’t take him long to round into form. By his fifth game, he scored a season-high 44 points in a 98-96 triple overtime win against Columbia on Feb. 8. He later scored 36 points in the rematch against Columbia on March 9, and he had 38 points in the Ivy League Tournament loss against Yale.
Aiken leads Harvard with 22.4 points per game and he’s shooting 40 percent on three-pointers and 86.4 percent at the free-throw line. He has scored at least 12 points in all but one game he has played in, and has made at least four three-pointers in five contests.
Likely starters:
NC State
PG — 11 Markell Johnson (6-1, 175, Jr., 12.4 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 4.2 apg, 1.0 spg)
SG — 13 C.J. Bryce (6-5, 195, R-Jr., 11.5 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 1.8 apg, 1.1 spg)
G — 10 Braxton Beverly (6-0, 180, Soph., 9.5 ppg, 1.6 rpg, 2.5 apg)
F — 2 Torin Dorn (6-5, 210, 5th-Sr., 13.5 ppg, 7.1 rpg, 1.3 apg, 1.0 spg)
C — 33 Wyatt Walker (6-9, 240, R-Jr., 4.9 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 0.9 apg)
Harvard
PG — 11 Bryce Aiken (6-0, 175, Jr. 22.4 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 2.8 apg, 1.2 spg)
SG — 10 Noah Kirkwood (6-7, 215, Fr., 10.8 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 1.8 apg)
SF — 23 Weisner Perez (6-6, 220, Sr., 1.8 ppg, 1.6 rpg, 0.0 apg)
PF — 20 Justin Bassey (6-5, 215, Jr., 9.1 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 1.8 apg)
C — 0 Chris Lewis (6-9, 235, Jr., 10.2 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 0.9 apg, 1.8 rpg)
Stats To Watch
First 20 minutes: Harvard is 14-2 this season when leading at halftime, and that isn't a fluke, with the Crimson going 16-2 a year ago when leading at the half.
Keep up with personnel: Harvard leads the country with 16 different players earning at least one start this season.
Battle on the boards: Harvard might not have gaudy rebounding numbers, but the Crimson are 17-6 when they out-rebound an opponent.
Game Within The Game: Harvard's Chris Lewis vs. NCSU's DJ Funderburk
Junior point guard Bryce Aiken was a major recruiting coup for Harvard in the class of 2016, but so was center Chris Lewis. Rivals.com ranked Lewis the No. 114 overall player in the country out of Alpharetta (Ga.) Milton High, and he picked Harvard over offers from Auburn, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Memphis, Miami and Notre Dame.
The son of former NFL player Mo Lewis, he has been steady during his three years at Harvard. He averaged 12.8 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game last year, but is slightly down this season. He’s played a few minutes less at 23.7 a contest, and averaged 10.2 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.8 blocks.
The 6-9, 235-pounder started the season strong, but then hit a wall of sorts in conference action. He has scored in single digits in seven of his last nine games, but did have 10 points and six boards against Georgetown.
NC State redshirt sophomore center DJ Funderburk will give up 25 pounds, but he is averaging 8.9 points and 4.4 rebounds per game off the bench.
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