CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – It’s not every day you have a buildup like this for an Ivy League game, especially when the setting is Harvard. The Crimson have never been to the NCAA Tournament, and it wasn’t an arch-rival they were about to host. Yet Friday night’s game against two-time defending champion Cornell was sold out a month in advance, and there was much anticipation about it.
With 15 NBA scouts and several national media members present, the game lived up to its billing, but the home fans went home disappointed as Cornell played like the team of seasoned veterans that they are to take home a convincing 79-70 win. On this night, the difference in experience couldn’t be missed in how this game went.
Harvard got off to a good start, although they didn’t get out to a big lead. Cornell was able to hang with them and keep it as a back-and-forth game for a while in the first half, but then the differences showed. Harvard started turning the ball over – they had 12 in the first half, which the Big Red turned into 16 points – while Cornell kept making shots and getting offensive rebounds. Symbolic of it was an inbound pass by freshman Brandyn Curry that went over Keith Wright’s head, and after Geoff Reeves missed a fast break layup, Jeff Foote was there to collect the rebound and put it back for a 26-19 lead.
And when Louis Dale, a good but not lights-out shooter from deep, got hot from long range in the second half after Ryan Wittman had the hot hand in the first half, it was hard not to notice that they were seniors who have two Ivy League titles to their credit and have come a long way from their early days on campus.
That wasn’t always a given to help carry this team. Last year, the Big Red had a clear locker room leader in Adam Gore, a tough player who battled injuries and always competed. Dale and Wittman aren’t the leader types, and neither was selected as a team captain this year. Dale is a nice, quiet young man, while Wittman is similar and would rather just be a regular kid than a star. Head coach Steve Donohue has talked about how Wittman could have a great deal of influence on the team if he ever wanted to because his teammates have so much respect for his game.
All that said, on Friday it was hard not to think Wittman was playing not just like a senior, but a Player of the Year. He had 27 points on 10-20 shooting, including 6-12 from behind the arc, and grabbed eight rebounds. But more than that, it was when he made the plays and how he made them, from his shot selection to utilizing his pump fake better than anyone in college basketball because he sells his shot so well. He had a highlight reel play as well, and naturally it came at a crucial time. With Harvard in the midst of what would become a 12-0 run to get within five, Curry stole the ball and went in on the fast break. Wittman hustled back to block the shot and got the ball.
“I think he played with a nastiness, a confidence, a swagger tonight that he wouldn’t want his team to lose in this environment,” Donohue said of Wittman, who moved into sixth place all-time in the Ivy League in scoring. “He’s done that now the last two games, and I think it’s honestly something we’re going to need the rest of the way.”
While it was Wittman in the first half, it was Dale in the second half who buried Harvard. Dale went 4-5 from behind the arc in the latter frame, and just about all of them were of the back-breaking variety, although none more so than the one he hit with 7:12 left that followed one by Wittman to put the Big Red back up by double digits.
The senior guards were both quick to give one another credit for their success. It’s certainly true that they play off each other well, and that has come with their experience together. It’s also a testament to their high basketball I.Q. as neither is one who will kill you with mistakes.
It wasn’t just Dale and Wittman among the seniors, although they led the way. The senior-laden Big Red played all in all like such a team, shooting 50 percent from the field including 12-23 from long range, and out-rebounding Harvard 31-20. They wanted it more, and you could see the chemistry this team has developed.
“They just play so well together,” said Harvard senior Jeremy Lin. “They’re really experienced, they start four seniors, and they’ve been together for so long.”
Added Donohue: “I think we saw that tonight in stretches when Harvard made runs, I think we stayed poised and confident.”
Harvard is not out of the Ivy League race, but the Crimson need some help now. Still, one has to remember that this is a young team, which is what the Big Red were three years ago. While they are a contender now, head coach Tommy Amaker summed up the big lesson of the night for those not already aware.
“We’d like to think that we could become a contender in our league, and we’ve shown that we can do that, but being a contender and being a champion is a big gap,” said Amaker.
That was perhaps never more apparent than it was on Friday night.
