M. Hoops Begins Patriotic Mission

The Raiders invade Lavietes Pavilion tomorrow for a 2 p.m. match-up with the Crimson men’s basketball team. The showdown with Colgate University will be Harvard’s seventh game of the year and its first against a Patriot League foe.

Harvard (4-2) is coming off a 51-41 loss to cross-town rival Boston University. Against the Terriers, Harvard shot only 26.7 percent from the floor and 18.9 percent in the second half.

The Raiders (4-2) have the highest scoring average in the Patriot League, averaging 77.0 points a game. The scoring has been led by four different players, all averaging in double figures. Harvard will have to make its baskets and play good defense to try and restrain the high-scoring Colgate squad.

“As always [the key to the game] is our defense,” said junior guard Brady Merchant. “[Good defense] has always kept us in the game or won it for us.”

In last year’s matchup, the Crimson was defeated at Colgate, 88-79. Harvard was led in that contest by Dan Clemente ’01 who scored 29 points and pulled down nine boards in the losing effort.

Harvard is led by a combination of strong guard play and senior center Tim Coleman’s dominance in the paint. The Crimson has been helped by a strong bench with Merchant leading the way. Merchant has averaged 6.5 points and 18 minutes per game.

Another point where Harvard is looking to improve is its turnovers. Against Boston University, the Crimson gave away the ball 21 times.

“Our biggest problem has been turnovers—we are making 20-some a game,” said captain Andrew Gellert. “We are concentrating in practice and in games on making solid and crisp passes.”

Junior guard Patrick Harvey leads the team in scoring, averaging 18.8 points a game. Coleman leads the squad in rebounding, averaging 9.2 per game.

Colgate is led by captain Pat Campolieta, who is averaging 16.3 points and eight rebounds per game. A 6’6 forward who is bound to cause trouble for the Harvard defense around the net, Campolieta has recorded two double-doubles on the year including 22 points and 10 rebounds versus Yale on Dec. 3.

Campolieta is in ninth place on the all-time Colgate scoring list and fifth in steals. Campolieta needs 773 points to move into first place on his school’s all-time list. But to do that he would need to average over 30 points per game the rest of the year. Campolieta does have a chance, however, of overtaking current Golden State Warrior Adonal Foyle who sits in second place, just 475 points away.

The Raider starting lineup looks to have a size advantage on the Crimson. In the middle for Colgate is center Martin Marek, who takes up a lof of space at 6’9, 255 pounds.

Along with a quality starting line-up, Colgate features a deep bench including forward Howard Blue who is averaging 13.8 points and 6.2 boards per game.

Colgate is currently on a two-game winning streak with victories over Cornell and Yale. This will be the third out of four Ivy matches for the Raiders this year. Colgate takes on Dartmouth in its last Ivy match-up on Dec. 21.

This will be the 14th meeting between the two schools. Colgate leads the series 10-3 and has won the last three in a row.

“Senior Tim Coleman is the only one of us to beat Colgate,” Merchant said. “It’s something on the back of all our minds.”

Colgate has jumped out to a good start in Coach Emmett Davis’s fourth season. Its only losses have come to Northern Arizona and No. 9 Syracuse. While losing these tough games, Colgate has knocked off Long Island and Oral Roberts along with its Ivy wins.