By: Rich Douglas
The Harvard Crimson have high hopes this season as they look to claim their 3rd straight Ivy League title after a 65 year drought. This may be the best team Harvard has put on the court in the last three years after only losing Christian Webster to graduation.
Harvard is off to a fast start this season after going 4-0 through an easy part of their preseason schedule. The team's most efficient player thus far is junior Forward Wesley Saunders who ranks among the nation's leaders in offensive efficiency. Coach Tommy Amaker's offense stresses just that, offensive efficiency. Their low possession slow tempo style of play lulls opposing defenses to sleep, but has been especially effective with their 45% offensive rebound rate.
While their generally an undersized squad, their frontcourt has been excellent in cleaning up the boards and providing offense as well. While both stand at just 6'7 from the PF/C spots, Kyle Casey and Steve Moundou-Missi have defensive rebound rates at 24% and 21% respectively. The big men are combining to shoot 54% from the field and will likely dominate in conference play.
After shooting the 8th best 3-Point % in the nation last season at 39.8%. The Crimson have gotten off to a slow start from beyond the arc. They will no doubt get better as their 25% success rate is just a result of a small sample size. Siyana Chambers shot 42.4% from deep last season, while Laurent Rivard shot at 40.2%. Both are off to slow starts and will surely find their range soon.
It seems as though Harvard is due for another NCAA Tournament Berth this year. They should steamroll the Ivy League and have winnable non-conference games against some decent opponents like Colorado and Boston College.
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