The New Mexico men’s basketball team takes on Harvard on Thursday in the NCAA tournament second round in Salt Lake City. Seeded No. 3 in the West Region, UNM will tip off with the No. 14 seed Crimson at 7:50 p.m. The game will be televised on TNT.
The Daily Lobo had a Q-and-A with Martin Kessler, the Harvard Crimson men’s basketball beat writer. Kessler is a senior sociology student at Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass. A former sports chair of the newspaper, he has been covering the men’s basketball team for four seasons.
Daily Lobo: What are your thoughts on the season Harvard has had? Describe the strengths and weaknesses.
Martin Kessler: The 2012-13 season has been a surprising success for Harvard. The Crimson lost four of its five starters from last year’s team that reached the NCAA tournament and returned just two contributors. But two unproven underclassmen — rookie point guard Siyani Chambers and sophomore wing Wesley Saunders — stepped up to lead Harvard back to the tournament.
Listed at a generous 6 foot, 170 pounds, Chambers makes up for what he lacks in size with his quickness and court vision. At 6 feet seven inches, the lengthy Saunders is Harvard’s top perimeter defender and best athlete. His jump shot is still a work in progress, but Saunders’ ability to get to the basket makes him the Crimson’s top offensive threat. Harvard surrounds the pair with shooters Laurent Rivard and Christian Webster and shot-blocker Kenyatta Smith in the post. Forward Steve Moundou-Missi has provided a spark off the bench.
While perimeter scoring is the team’s biggest strength, interior defense is its biggest weakness. Harvard coach Tommy Amaker has gone with a small lineup for the majority of the season and opposing teams have been able to take advantage of that. And if Smith or Moundou-Missi — the Crimson’s best defensive options in the post — gets in foul trouble on Thursday it could be a very long night for Harvard.
DL: What kind of offensive style does Harvard play? What about on the defensive end?
MK: When the Crimson’s shot are falling, Harvard is a tough team to beat. That being said, Harvard’s offense is not designed to launch 3-pointers. The Crimson likes to slow the tempo, work the ball around the perimeter and let Saunders or Chambers break down their defender. Saunders is especially strong at getting to the free throw line, while Chambers is good at kicking it back out to Rivard or Webster on the perimeter. On the other end, the Crimson plays almost exclusively man-to-man defense with Saunders and Chambers matching up with opponents’ top two perimeter threats.
DL: What are the program’s thoughts on playing New Mexico in the second round?
MK: While I can’t speak for the players or coaching staff, I think the initial reaction among Harvard fans was one of relief. Heading into Selection Sunday, many Crimson fans were expecting — and dreading — potential matchups with Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, or Duke. But after doing some more research on New Mexico — the Mountain West doesn’t get too much attention out East — I think most casual fans quickly realized that the Crimson’s chances against the Lobos are similar to the team’s chances against the top teams from the Big Ten or ACC: not very good.
DL: What does Harvard need to do to pull off an upset in this tournament?
MK: You’ve stumped me here. In all seriousness, it will be very difficult for the Crimson to come away with a victory, but it’s not impossible. If Harvard can avoid a slow start, shoot the ball well and keep the Lobos off the offensive glass, the Crimson should give viewers a reason to keep the game on their televisions until the final buzzer.
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DL: Harvard has received only bids to the tournament three times, and the last two have come in the last two years. Is the Crimson a team on the rise? What makes this stretch different than in the past?
MK: In a league that was historically dominated by Penn and Princeton, Harvard is certainly finding its way. The Crimson has won at least a share of the past three conference championships and is expected to make it four in a row next season. What has produced this turnaround? I can give you a two-word answers or a 6,996-word answer. Since I’m assuming your readers have basketball to watch, I’ll go with the shorter answer: (Harvard coach) Tommy Amaker. Since coming to Cambridge from Michigan, Amaker has transformed the program by getting talented athletes to turn down offers from more traditional basketball schools to enroll at Harvard.
DL: Schools in the Ivy League are known for their high academic requirements. How is the league athletically in basketball as a whole? Does the Ivy League feature many varied styles of play like the Mountain West Conference?
MK: Have you ever tried playing basketball in a swimming pool? That’s kind of what Ivy League basketball looks like. Just kidding. While certainly not at the same level as the nation’s top conferences, the level of athleticism in the Ivy League is on the rise. That being said, the Crimson and second-place Princeton tend to slow the pace and use the shot clock. Other teams like Penn like to push the tempo and play aggressive defense, which has given Harvard trouble this season.
DL: The Pit is known as one of the loudest college basketball venues in the nation. “A mile high and louder,” they call it. What kind of fan support does Harvard get for games? Have the recent NCAA tournament runs increased interest? How much emphasis is placed on Harvard athletics in general?
MK: Fan support is on the rise and sellouts at Harvard’s 2,195-person gym are no longer a rarity. I don’t think many students come to Cambridge expecting to be huge basketball fans, but it’s becoming harder and harder to avoid. Lavietes Pavilion is becoming the spot on campus from 7 to 9 p.m. on Friday and Saturday nights and many students seem to have a decent understanding of what’s going around the league on a week-to-week basis. The same cannot be said for any other of Harvard’s teams.
The Crimson asked Daily Lobo reporter J.R. Oppenheim questions as well. The Q-and-A can be found at TheCrimson.com/blog/the-back-page/article/2013/3/19/harvard-new-mexico-daily-lobo.
