2010–11 Harvard Crimson men's basketball team

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2010–11 Harvard Crimson men's basketball
Ivy League Co-Champion
2011 NIT, First Round
ConferenceIvy League
Record23–7 (12–2, 1st-T Ivy League)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Captains
Home arenaLavietes Pavilion
Seasons
2010–11 Ivy League men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
Princeton 12 2   .857 25 7   .781
Harvard 12 2   .857 23 7   .767
Yale 8 6   .571 15 13   .536
Penn 7 7   .500 13 15   .464
Columbia 6 8   .429 15 13   .536
Cornell 6 8   .429 10 18   .357
Brown 4 10   .286 11 17   .393
Dartmouth 1 13   .071 5 23   .179
As of March 17, 2011
Rankings from
AP Poll

The 2010–11 Harvard Crimson men's basketball team represented Harvard University in the Ivy League athletic conference during the 2010–11 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team played its home games in Boston, Massachusetts at the Lavietes Pavilion, which has a capacity of 2,195. The team was led by fourth-year head coach Tommy Amaker. By earning a share of the 2010–11 Ivy League men's basketball season title, the team became the first men's basketball Ivy League champion in school history.[1] This was the 100th season for Harvard basketball.[2]

After the annual 14-game double round robin schedule, Harvard and Princeton tied as co-champion, resulting in a one-game playoff to determine the league's automatic bid to the 2011 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament. After losing, the team earned an at-large bid to the 2011 National Invitation Tournament, where they lost in the first round. It was the school's first appearance in the National Invitation Tournament.[3]

The seniorless team was captained by Keith Wright and Oliver McNally.[4] Wright, a junior, was a unanimous All-Ivy first team selection and named Ivy League Men's Basketball Player of the Year. Sophomores Kyle Casey and Brandyn Curry were named All-Ivy second team and sophomore Christian Webster was an honorable mention. The team established a new school record for single-season wins, a record for conference game wins and by going undefeated at home set a record for home wins.

Preseason

The team was coming off a

1946 Tournament.[7] It also entered the season as the only member school not to have won at least one Ivy League men's basketball championship since the league was formed during the 1956–57 season.[1] Of the 34 men's and women's sports in which Harvard competes, this was the only sport that they had never won a championship. They had only finished in second three times in the past and only one of those was outright.[2]

Most preseason publications predicted

Sporting News projected that Cornell would finish in first followed by Princeton and Harvard.[8] Breaking a three-year streak by Cornell, the Ivy League media poll selected Princeton as the top team with twelve first place votes, Harvard second with four first place votes and Cornell third with one first place vote.[8] It was the first Princeton team to be the preseason selection since the 2004–05 Princeton team.[8]

Season

Tommy Amaker moments after clinching Harvard's first Ivy League title

During the season, the team lost to its only ranked opponent, #4

As the season wound down, there was much ado in the press about a possible Harvard Ivy League championship.

Coaches' Poll.[28] It was the first time in program history that they received votes in the Coaches' Poll.[20]

Postseason

On March 8, Princeton defeated Penn to force a one-game playoff at the

free throw percentage (80.8%), led by Oliver McNally who was 2nd as an individual with a 92.6% and Christian Webster who was 12th with an 89.4%.[42] Harvard had no seniors on the team and was expected to be a contender again the following season.[43]

Schedule

Date
time, TV
Rank# Opponent# Result Record Site (attendance)
city, state
Regular season
November 13, 2010*
4:00 pm
at George Mason L 53–66  0–1
Fairfax, VA
November 17, 2010*
7:00 pm
Holy Cross W 72–49  1–1
Boston, MA
November 20, 2010*
3:00 pm
at Mercer W 75–69  2–1
Macon, GA
November 24, 2010*
4:00 pm
at Bryant W 69–66  3–1
Smithfield, RI
November 28, 2010*
1:00 pm
Colorado W 82–66  4–1
Lavietes Pavilion (954)
Boston, MA
December 1, 2010*
7:00 pm
Fordham W 80–57  5–1
Lavietes Pavilion (774)
Boston, MA
December 4, 2010*
1:00 pm
at Michigan L 62–65  5–2
Ann Arbor, MI
December 7, 2010*
7:00 pm
WPI W 69–54  6–2
Lavietes Pavilion (578)
Boston, MA
December 11, 2010*
2:00 pm
Boston University W 87–71  7–2
Lavietes Pavilion (1,487)
Boston, MA
December 22, 2010*
7:00 pm, ESPN3
at No. 4 Connecticut L 52–81  7–3
Hartford, CT
December 29, 2010*
7:00 pm
Monmouth W 74–69  8–3
Lavietes Pavilion (819)
Boston, MA
December 31, 2010*
2:00 pm
MIT
W 84–58  9–3
Lavietes Pavilion (1,153)
Boston, MA
January 5, 2011*
7:00 pm
at Boston College W 78–69  10–3
Chestnut Hill, MA
January 8, 2011
4:00 pm
at Dartmouth W 68–53  11–3 (1–0)
Hanover, NH
January 15, 2011*
2:00 pm
at 
George Washington
W 67–62  12–3
Washington, DC
January 22, 2011
2:00 pm
Dartmouth W 59–50  13–3 (2–0)
Lavietes Pavilion (1,469)
Boston, MA
January 28, 2011
7:00 pm
Columbia W 77–66  14–3 (3–0)
Lavietes Pavilion (1,601)
Boston, MA
January 29, 2011
6:00 pm
Cornell W 78–57  15–3 (4–0)
Lavietes Pavilion (2,195)
Boston, MA
February 4, 2011
7:00 pm, ESPNU
Princeton L 61–65  15–4 (4–1)
Princeton, NJ
February 5, 2011
7:00 pm
at Penn W 83–82 2OT 16–4 (5–1)
Philadelphia, PA
February 11, 2011
7:00 pm
Yale W 78–75  17–4 (6–1)
Lavietes Pavilion (1,763)
Boston, MA
February 12, 2011
7:00 pm
Brown W 85–78  18–4 (7–1)
Lavietes Pavilion (1,377)
Boston, MA
February 18, 2011
7:00 pm
at Cornell W 73–60  19–4 (8–1)
Ithaca, NY
February 19, 2011
7:00 pm
at Columbia W 61–42  20–4 (9–1)
New York, NY
February 25, 2011
7:00 pm
at Brown W 74–68  21–4 (10–1)
Providence, RI
February 26, 2011
6:00 pm
at Yale L 69–70  21–5 (10–2)
New Haven, CT
March 4, 2011
7:00 pm
Columbia W 79–64  22–5 (11–2)
Lavietes Pavilion (2,195)
Boston, MA
March 5, 2011
7:00 pm, ESPN3
Princeton W 79–67  23–5 (12–2)
Lavietes Pavilion (2,195)
Boston, MA
Ivy League Playoff
March 12, 2011
4:00 pm, ESPN3
vs. Princeton L 62–63  23–6
Payne Whitney Gymnasium 
New Haven, CT
NIT
March 15, 2011*
7:30 pm, 
ESPN
(6 BC) at (3 BC) Oklahoma State
NIT First Round
L 54–71  23–7
Stillwater, OK
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from
Eastern Time
.

Honors

In season

Each week the Ivy League selects a player of the week and a rookie of the week.[44]

Player of the Week Rookie of the Week
Name School Class Position Name School Position
November 15, 2010 Keith Wright Harvard Jr. F
November 22, 2010 Christian Webster Harvard So. G
November 29, 2010 Keith Wright Harvard Jr. F
December 6, 2010 Laurent Rivard Harvard G
January 3, 2011 Laurent Rivard Harvard G
January 17, 2011 Laurent Rivard Harvard G
January 31, 2011 Kyle Casey Harvard So. F
February 14, 2011 Keith Wright Harvard Jr. F
March 7, 2011 Brandyn Curry Harvard So. G

Postseason honors

Keith Wright was an

CollegeInsider.com Lou Henson All-American and a National Association of Basketball Coaches First Team All-District selection.[45] The Ivy League selected its postseason awards on March 9.[46]

Player of the Year: Keith Wright, Harvard (Jr., F,
Suffolk, VA
)
All-Ivy League (ALL CAPS: Unanimous)

First Team All-Ivy: KEITH WRIGHT, Harvard (Jr., F, Suffolk, VA)
Second Team All-Ivy: Kyle Casey, Harvard (So., F,
Huntersville, NC
)
Honorable Mention: Christian Webster, Harvard (So., G,
Washington, DC
)

Notes

  1. ^ a b c d e "Harvard tops Princeton 79–67 to share Ivy title". ESPN. March 5, 2011. Retrieved March 6, 2011.
  2. ^ a b c May, Peter (March 3, 2011). "Harvard Basketball Seeks First Ivy Title". The New York Times. Retrieved March 17, 2011.
  3. ^ "2010-11 Ivy League Men's Basketball Weekly release: Postseason • March 14, 2011" (PDF). Ivy League. March 14, 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 8, 2012. Retrieved November 7, 2011.
  4. ^ Walsh, Timothy J. (November 11, 2010). "Finding Mister Wright". Harvard Crimson. Retrieved March 6, 2011.
  5. ^ a b c "Amaker Named Finalist For Jobe Award". Harvard University. March 10, 2010. Archived from the original on July 11, 2011. Retrieved March 31, 2010.
  6. NBA.com. July 22, 2010. Archived from the original
    on March 10, 2011. Retrieved March 5, 2011.
  7. ^ "NCAA basketball tournament History". ESPN. Archived from the original on February 28, 2011. Retrieved March 5, 2011.
  8. ^ a b c "Ivy League Men's Basketball Abound with Preseason Honors Entering the 2010–11 Season". IvyLeagueSports.com. October 15, 2010. Archived from the original on December 16, 2010. Retrieved March 6, 2011.
  9. ^ "Kemba Walker scores 20 for 9th straight game as UConn routs Harvard". ESPN.com. December 22, 2010. Archived from the original on February 27, 2011. Retrieved March 5, 2011.
  10. ^ "Harvard 78, Boston College 69". ESPN.com. January 5, 2011. Archived from the original on February 28, 2011. Retrieved March 5, 2011.
  11. ^ "Harvard rides second-half surge past Colorado". ESPN.com. November 28, 2010. Archived from the original on February 28, 2011. Retrieved March 5, 2011.
  12. ^ Kessler, Martin (November 29, 2010). "Harvard Men's Basketball Notches First Win Over Big 12 School: Crimson easily handles Colorado, 82–66, at Lavietes Pavilion". Harvard Crimson. Retrieved March 6, 2011.
  13. ^ "Christian Webster, Harvard top BU to stay perfect at home". ESPN.com. December 11, 2010. Archived from the original on February 26, 2011. Retrieved March 5, 2011.
  14. ^ "Laurent Rivard, Keith Wright power Harvard to victory vs. MIT". ESPN.com. December 31, 2010. Archived from the original on February 28, 2011. Retrieved March 5, 2011.
  15. ^ "Stu Douglass rallies Michigan past Harvard". ESPN.com. December 4, 2010. Archived from the original on February 28, 2011. Retrieved March 5, 2011.
  16. ^ a b Friedman, Dick (March 11, 2011). "Harvard, Princeton meet in a winner-take-all game for Ivy title". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved March 14, 2011.
  17. ^ "2011 NCAA Men's Basketball Rankings – AP Top 25 Week 12 (Jan. 24)". ESPN. January 24, 2011. Retrieved March 6, 2011.
  18. ^ "2011 NCAA Men's Basketball Rankings – AP Top 25 Week 13 (Jan. 31)". ESPN. January 31, 2011. Retrieved March 6, 2011.
  19. ^ "2011 NCAA Men's Basketball Rankings – AP Top 25 Week 16 (Feb. 21)". ESPN. February 21, 2011. Retrieved March 6, 2011.
  20. ^ a b "2011-12 Ivy League Men's Basketball: Week 2 • November 14, 2011" (PDF). IvyLeagueSports.com. p. 4. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 12, 2012. Retrieved November 14, 2011.
  21. ^ a b "Princeton and Harvard Keep Pace". The New York Times. February 25, 2011. Retrieved March 17, 2011.
  22. ^ "Harvard and Princeton Win, Setting Up Ivy Showdown". The New York Times. March 4, 2011. Archived from the original on March 5, 2011. Retrieved March 17, 2011.
  23. ^ Plutnicki, Ken (March 4, 2011). "A Harvard Sweep? Don't Remind Me". The New York Times. Retrieved March 17, 2011.
  24. ^ Zucker, Jeffrey A. (March 2, 1984). "It's the Biggest Weekend Of the Year Cagers Face Cornell In Quest of Ivy Title". Harvard Crimson. Retrieved March 17, 2011.
  25. ^ May, Peter (March 5, 2011). "Harvard Has Piece of Title but Wants the Rest of It". The New York Times. Archived from the original on March 6, 2011. Retrieved March 17, 2011.
  26. ^ "2010-11 Highlights" (PDF). IvyLeagueSports.com. p. 5. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 8, 2012. Retrieved May 29, 2011.
  27. ^ "2010-11 Highlights" (PDF). IvyLeagueSports.com. p. 4. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 8, 2012. Retrieved May 29, 2011.
  28. ^ "2011 NCAA Men's Basketball Rankings – Week 18 (Mar. 7)". ESPN. March 7, 2011. Retrieved March 8, 2011.
  29. ^ "Princeton tops Penn, sets up one-game playoff with Harvard". ESPN. March 8, 2011. Retrieved March 9, 2011.
  30. ^ "2011 Men's Basketball Playoff Information". IvyLeagueSports.com. March 11, 2011. Archived from the original on March 11, 2011. Retrieved March 12, 2011.
  31. ^ "Princeton Forces a Playoff for the Ivy's N.C.A.A. Bid". The New York Times. March 8, 2011. Retrieved March 17, 2011.
  32. ^ "Princeton KO's Harvard on last-second jumper to earn NCAA bid". ESPN. March 12, 2011. Retrieved March 12, 2011.
  33. ^ Pennington, Bill (March 12, 2011). "Princeton Pauses but Still Beats Buzzer on Way to N.C.A.A. Bid". The New York Times. Retrieved March 17, 2011.
  34. ^ a b Golen, Jimmy (March 11, 2011). "Let's Play Two: Ivies hope to put 2nd team in NCAA". Forbes. Retrieved March 17, 2011.[dead link]
  35. ^ "Men's Basketball – Team RPIs (2010–2011)". RealTimeRPI.Com. March 13, 2011. Archived from the original on March 15, 2011. Retrieved March 13, 2011.
  36. ^ "2011 NCAA tournament selections". ESPN. March 13, 2011. Retrieved March 13, 2011.
  37. ^ "Playoff Defeat Sends Harvard to the N.I.T." The New York Times. March 13, 2011. Retrieved March 17, 2011.
  38. ^ "2010-11 Highlights" (PDF). IvyLeagueSports.com. p. 1. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 8, 2012. Retrieved May 29, 2011.
  39. ^ "Colorado, Virginia Tech lead NIT field". ESPN. March 13, 2011. Retrieved March 14, 2011.
  40. ^ "Oklahoma State routs Harvard in NIT opener". ESPN. March 15, 2011. Retrieved March 16, 2011.
  41. ^ "2010-11 Highlights" (PDF). IvyLeagueSports.com. p. 9. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 8, 2012. Retrieved May 29, 2011.
  42. ^ "2010-11 Highlights" (PDF). IvyLeagueSports.com. p. 13. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 8, 2012. Retrieved May 29, 2011.
  43. ^ Hillesland, Zach (March 13, 2011). "Selection Sunday Analysis". The New York Times. Retrieved March 17, 2011.
  44. ^ "2010–11 Ivy League MEN'S BASKETBALL" (PDF). IvyLeagueSports.com. March 7, 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 13, 2011. Retrieved March 8, 2011.
  45. ^ "2010-11 Highlights" (PDF). IvyLeagueSports.com. p. 3. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 8, 2012. Retrieved May 29, 2011.
  46. ^ "Men's Basketball All-Ivy – 2010–11". IvyLeagueSports.com. March 9, 2011. Archived from the original on March 13, 2011. Retrieved March 12, 2011.

External links