M. Hoops Heads to Empire State

Another last second victory, another night on the court for the Harvard men's basketball team and sophomore guard Pat Harvey.

Coming off its dramatic 80-78 win against Hartford, the Crimson (10-6, 3-1 Ivy) goes full steam into its conference schedule this weekend when it travels to face Ivy League foes Cornell and Columbia.

In its last non-conference game of the season Monday night, Harvard needed a buzzer-beating lay-up by Harvey to lift the Crimson past the Hawks, imitating his heroics from Harvard's bout at home against Dartmouth earlier in the season. The victory completed a remarkable unblemished record (5-0) against the America East conference.

The upcoming games will determine whether or not the 2001 edition of the Crimson will become the first Harvard team to advance to the NCAA tournament since 1946. This team can also claim Harvard's first Ivy League basketball championship ever.

"This league is going to be so close this year, and every win is important," Crimson captain forward Dan Clemente said.

Harvard's road to the championship continues tonight in Ithaca, N.Y. against upstart Cornell. The Big Red (5-12, 1-3) hope to bounce back from a 91-84 loss to Stony Brook on Monday.

Cornell is led by senior forward Ray Mercedes, who averages 12.9 points per game and is fourth on the Big Red's all-time scoring list. He scored 17 points and grabbed six rebounds in the loss at Stony Brook. His versatile up-and-down game will certainly pose problems for Crimson defenders.

Joining Mercedes in the frontcourt is sophomore forward Jake Rohe, one of the most improved players in the Ivy League. Rohe, after averaging only two points and two rebounds per game last season, has stepped up for the Big Red as a secondary interior option, averaging close to nine points and over six rebounds a game this season.

In the backcourt, Cornell

Boasts freshman sensation Ka'Ron Barnes, who averages 10.3 points per game and leads the Ivy League in scoring among freshmen. He was named Ivy League rookie of the week for January 9th and has received the honor three times already this season. Guiding the Big Red attack is junior point guard Wallace Prather, who will undoubtedly hamper the Crimson's backcourt trio of Harvey, Elliot Prasse-Freeman, and Drew Gellert with relentless defense.

The Crimson's crusade through the Empire State will continue Saturday night as Harvard travels down to New York City to meet Columbia. The Lions (6-11, 1-3) hope to build on their 42-38 victory over Cornell last weekend.

The Lions lead the league in scoring defense as they head into their weekend match-up against the Crimson, the Ivy League scoring leaders.

Defense will key Columbia's strategy against Harvard. The Lions will use their height, with eight players 6'6 or above on the roster. In the game against Cornell, sophomore center Chris Wiedemann, the league's top shot-blocker, had a league-high five blocks, including a game saving block in the last minute against Prather to seal the victory for the Lions. The Lions' defense also held Cornell to only 11 first-half points.

Junior forward Craig Austin, who was honored as Ivy League player of the week this past week, is the Lions' most important player. Austin scored a career high 35 points against Albany in a 78-66 win last Monday. He also added 17 points in the victory over the Big Red. He converted seven of nine three-point attempts over those two games.

Complementing Austin in the frontcourt is forward Joe Case, second on the team in scoring at just under ten points per game. The Crimson will catch Case on a hot-streak, as he shot a combined 61% from the field in last week's games.

Harvard enters the weekend on a two-game winning streak and as winners of five of its last seven games.

Over the weekend, all eyes will once again lay upon Clemente. Second in the Ivies in scoring at 18.9 ppg, Clemente tallied 20 points in the victory over Hartford, scoring the majority of those points in the second half after being shut down in the first half by the Hawks' defense.

Clemente leads the team in scoring and rebounding and his clutch shooting will certainly determine the outcome of this weekend's slate of games.

Sophomore center Brian Sigafoos also needs to step up this weekend.

After starting the season coming off the bench, the former junior varsity team member has provided much needed size and interior presence for the Crimson. At 6'11, Sigafoos towers over the majority of Ivy League centers and gives the Crimson another inside scoring and rebounding option along side Clemente. Sigafoos finished with 12 points and six rebounds in the victory over Hartford, his second collegiate start.

Completing the league-leading offense for Harvard is the backcourt trio of Prasse-Freeman, Gellert, and Harvey. Prasse-Freeman leads the league in assists and leads the team in three-point shooting. He will pass the ball early and often to Harvey, who is second on the team in scoring at 15.1 ppg. Gellert assists this offensive one-two punch nicely. He is fourth in the nation in steals and a solid rebounder.

It will also be tough for Harvard to succeed without its bench. Sophomore guard Brady Merchant, one of the best sixth men in the league, provides scoring punch and athleticism off the bench.

Junior guard Alex Lowder and senior guard Bryan Parker will also play key minutes in these two games.

After its inability to put away a weaker Hartford team this past week (the Crimson led by eight with a little over a minute left in the game), Harvard will hope to sustain its offensive and defensive pressure for the duration of the games this weekend.

"We were a little rusty coming off exams," Harvey said. "We turned the ball over a lot, which really negated our shooting and all our steals. We knew we needed one tune-up game because you don't want to come out sloppy for a league game."

The Crimson cannot overlook Cornell and Columbia if it is to compete for the Ivy League Championship, as conference powers Penn and Princeton loom just around the corner.