The kids from Cambridge, MA did it again – they pulled an “upset.”
In similar fashion to last year’s NCAA men’s basketball tournament, the Harvard Crimson defeated a higher ranked seed in the opening round. In 2013, it was the 3-seed New Mexico Lobos that went home early. This year, Harvard ousted 5-seed Cincinnati in a game that did not feel like an upset.
6-foot-5, guard Wesley Saunders led the Crimson with 12 points, four assists and three rebounds. He also led in two areas that don’t show up on the stat sheet: experience and leadership. Saunders played a prominent role in Harvard’s upset of New Mexico last year and showed no signs of feeling the pressure against Cincy as he had helped pull an even bigger upset previously. The sophomore guard only turned the ball over once while shooting 4 of 9 from the field and 4 of 6 from the line. He was the spark plug that kept Harvard in the game, when at times they would begin to build up a lead but then succumb to the Bearcats press defense and to their own poor foul shooting (17-28).
Saunders wasn’t the only one that set the tone for Harvard. Early in the game forward Kyle Casey received an underhanded dish in the lane and slammed home a ferocious dunk. Casey’s slam sent an early message to Cincinnati that Harvard wasn’t an underdog.
The Crimson also benefitted from strong performances from freshman guard Siyani Chambers, who recorded 11 points and contributed 37 minutes, and sophomore forward Steve Moundou-Missi who added nine points and seven team-leading rebounds.
Despite Harvard being a 12-seed, they never appeared to be the underdog from the Ivy League as they were pegged to be. They set the tone early and played with a lead for majority of the game. Chambers had a huge performance and showed toughness for a freshman who had only previously played non-AP ranked opponents. Saunders had big baskets at key moments and proved to be the team leader that he had been all season.
Harvard will play the 4-seeded Michigan State Spartans in the Round of 32. The Spartans are lead by forward Adreian Payne, who had 41 points against Delaware in the first round, and guard Gary Harris. Michigan State has been considered by many as a Final Four and national title contender. Given this, Harvard will be considered a big underdog in their next matchup on March 22nd.
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