The Agony of Defeat

Cinderella is leaving Salt Lake City battered, bruised, and—in the case of freshman point guard Siyani Chambers—without one of her teeth. After a shocking 68-62 victory over New Mexico on Thursday, the story was very different for the Crimson Saturday night against the Arizona Wildcats in a 74-51 loss.

Playing junior tennis in Texas, I vividly remember a stretch my sophomore year of high school where in nine of 10 tournaments—spanning almost three-quarters of a year—I lost in the second round every time. Although very different sports across the board, watching the Crimson Saturday I saw a lot of same the problems.

In tennis tournaments, the seeds and better players get the byes and await you in later rounds. Against superior players, imposing your game and not playing on their terms can is the toughest part. While Harvard imposed its game on the Lobos, speeding up the pace of play and denying New Mexico stars Kendall Williams and Tony Snell open shots, Arizona came out from the tip and made the Crimson play the Wildcats’ game. Early on, scrambling Harvard defenders adjusted to their opponents’ play; every Wildcat jumper was taken without a defender in sight.

Higher seeds, whether in basketball or tennis, are those teams and players that know how to win. Teams have single digits by their name because they know how to win; being able to run with a lead is something favorites do well. Against New Mexico, Harvard came out and delivered the first punch. The Crimson scored the first nine of the first 11 points of the game and didn’t shy from the moment. Arizona hit Harvard with consecutive haymakers and didn’t let the team back up off the mat. Harvard needed nearly eight minutes to get its first basket and was down 21 points 12 minutes into the game. Coming out against a tougher opponent, Harvard looked intimidated and outmatched early on.

As the game goes on, both tennis and basketball have inherent breaks in the flow of the game that help players regroup and refocus on their game. For me, the break between sets was crucial in the fresh start that it provided. Halftime proved to be the same for the Crimson, but it was too little, too late. The Crimson were outscored by only five points in the second half and adjusted well after a miserable first half. Although Harvard posted equally dismal shooting splits in the second half (it finished 28 percent from both the field and the three-point line), it was able to get the shots it wanted from the field. The Crimson turned the ball over only eight times in the game and extended possessions with 11 offensive rebounds (nine in the second half). Harvard forced 12 turnovers and generated nine more shots and three more free throws than their opponents but simply could not convert. Sophomore wing Wesley Saunders drew foul after foul on Wildcat bigs on drives, but had his worst shooting day from the field (one for 11) of the season and failed to reach double-digits for the first time all year.

At the end, however, the higher seeds are higher seeds because of they know how to finish. Arizona jump-started their season with a 65-64 victory over Florida at home where they held the Gators scoreless over the past 2:35 and showed grit all weekend in wins over Belmont and Harvard. Against both teams, Arizona led by double digits at half and every time its opponent made a run, it shut it down with stiff defense and fluid offense. Senior guard Mark Lyons (50 points combined in the two games) single-handedly kept both lower seeds at bay by driving into the paint at will and finishing with a variety of moves. Arizona weathered the loss of frontcourt players Kevin Parrom, Brandon Ashley, and Grant Jerrett to fouls and injury with consistent effort on the defensive end. Guard Nick Johnson smothered junior Laurent Rivard and seven-footer Kaleb Tarczewski and forward Solomon Hill combined to shut down Wesley Saunders.

Tennis and basketball matches both end with handshakes, a gruff acknowledgment that your opponent was the better player that day. Against an opponent bringing McDonald’s All-Americans off the bench, Harvard was outsize and outmatched. There is no shame in what happened Saturday for Tommy Amaker’s squad; in Harvard most successful season ever, the team acquitted itself well in the second half. With Casey, Curry, and Edosomwan on the way, the 2012-2013 edition will be better than this year’s squad. Sometimes, you just shake your opponent’s hand and tell them ‘Good game’. For Harvard, it was one of those days.