2010–11 Harvard Crimson men's basketball team
Encyclopedia
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 Cambridge, 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. This was the 100th season for Harvard basketball.
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 Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
. After losing, the team earned an automatic 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
.
The seniorless team was captain
ed by Keith Wright and Oliver McNally. Wright, a junior, was a unanimous All-Ivy first team selection and named League 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.
during which it set a school record for wins (21), non-conference wins (11), home wins (11), and road/neutral wins (10). However, the team lost its star Jeremy Lin
to the National Basketball Association
. The team entered the season not having participated in the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament since the 1946 Tournament
. 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
. 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.
Most preseason publications predicted Princeton
would finish in first place and Harvard would finish in second place, although the Sporting News projected that would finish in first followed by Princeton and Harvard. 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. It was the first Princeton team to be the preseason selection since the .
(December 22), but defeated power conference opponents Boston College (January 5) of the Atlantic Coast Conference
and Colorado
(November 28) of the Big 12 Conference
. The Colorado victory was the team's first ever against a Big 12 opponent. In addition to defeating Boston College, the team defeated other cross-town rivals (December 11) and (December 31). The team also lost to Amaker's former team (as a coach), Michigan
(December 4). The Harvard gameplan involved fast breaks initiated by its defensive and an inside-outside game. Although Harvard never appeared in the 2010–11 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings
, for a few weeks (January 24, January 31 and February 21 and March 7) during the season they received a vote in the AP Poll
.
As the season wound down, there was much ado in the press about a possible Harvard Ivy League championship. The most recent Harvard team to be in contention for a championship entering the final weekend was the 1984 team. On March 5, Harvard clinched a share of the league championship for the first time since the Ivy League was formed. By defeating Princeton
at home on March 5 and earning a split of the season series, they clinched at least a share of the 2010–11 Ivy League men's basketball season
Championship with a 12–2 conference record. Princeton fell to 11–2 with one conference game remaining to force a one-game playoff for the conferences automatic bid to the 2011 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
. Harvard finished the season a perfect 14–0 at home, which surpassed the prior season's record of eleven home wins. Harvard will enter the 2010–11 NCAA Division I men's basketball season
with a 17-game home streak (10th longest in the country). Harvard's 12 conference game wins was also a school record. On March 7, Harvard received a vote in both the AP Poll and the Coaches' Poll. It was the first time in program history that they received votes in the Coaches' Poll.
at Yale University
in New Haven, Connecticut
. Princeton won the playoff by a 63–62 margin. However, many thought Harvard had a chance to make the tournament in spite of the loss as an at-large team. Four of Harvard's regular season losses were to postseason contenders, and Cornell represented the conference well the year before. Entering selection Sunday (March 13), Harvard ranked 35th in the Ratings Percentage Index
(RPI). However, Harvard was not selected. Unfortunately, neither of Harvard's quality wins (against Colorado and Boston College) helped them because both teams were left out of the NCAA tournament and relegated to number one seed status in the NIT tournament. It was the Ivy League's first NIT invitation since the 2003
when Brown participated. As a regular season champion not invited to the NCAA tournament, they were an automatic selection for the 2011 National Invitation Tournament
, where they were seeded #6. On March 15, Harvard was defeated by by a 71–54 margin in the first round. The final record of 23–7 established a school record for number of wins, surpassing the prior season's total of 21. Harvard finished the season ranked 40th nationally by the Collegiate Basketball News RPI, CollegeRPI.com RPI and NCAA RPI. The team finished second in the nation in 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%. Harvard had no seniors on the team and was expected to be a contender again the following season.
!colspan=9| Regular season
|-
!colspan= 9|Ivy League Playoff
|-
!colspan=9|NIT
honorable mention All-American, a CollegeInsider.com Lou Henson All-American and a National Association of Basketball Coaches
First Team All-District selection. The Ivy League selected its postseason awards on March 9.
Player of the Year: Keith Wright, Harvard (Jr., F, Suffolk, VA)
All-Ivy League (ALL CAPS: Unanimous)
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
in the Ivy League
Ivy League
The Ivy League is an athletic conference comprising eight private institutions of higher education in the Northeastern United States. The conference name is also commonly used to refer to those eight schools as a group...
athletic conference during the 2010–11 NCAA Division I men's basketball season
2010–11 NCAA Division I men's basketball season
The 2010–11 NCAA Division I men's basketball season began on November 8, 2010 with the preliminary games of the 2010 Coaches Vs. Cancer Classic, and ended with the 2011 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament's championship game on April 4, 2011 at Reliant Stadium in Houston...
. The team played its home games in Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...
at the Lavietes Pavilion
Lavietes Pavilion
The Ray Lavietes Basketball Pavilion at the Briggs Athletic Center is a 2,195-seat multi-purpose arena in the Allston neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts...
, which has a capacity of 2,195. The team was led by fourth-year head coach
Head coach
A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches...
Tommy Amaker
Tommy Amaker
Harold Tommy Amaker is the current head coach of the Harvard University men's basketball team. He has also served as head basketball coach for the University of Michigan men's basketball team and at Seton Hall University. He played point guard and later served as an assistant coach at Duke...
. By earning a share of the 2010–11 Ivy League men's basketball season
2010–11 Ivy League men's basketball season
The 2010–11 Ivy League men's basketball season marks the continuation of the annual tradition of competitive basketball among Ivy League members that began when the league was formed during the 1956–57 season, continuing from the predecessor Eastern Intercollegiate Basketball League, which was...
title, the team became the first men's basketball Ivy League champion in school history. This was the 100th season for Harvard basketball.
After the annual 14-game double round robin
Round-robin tournament
A round-robin tournament is a competition "in which each contestant meets all other contestants in turn".-Terminology:...
schedule, Harvard and Princeton
2010–11 Princeton Tigers men's basketball team
The 2010–11 Princeton Tigers men's basketball team represented Princeton University in intercollegiate college basketball during the 2010–11 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The head coach was Sydney Johnson, who was in his fourth season. The team's tri-captains were senior Kareem Maddox,...
tied as co-champion, resulting in a one-game playoff
One-game playoff
A one-game playoff, sometimes known as a pennant playoff or play-in game, is a tiebreaker in certain sports—usually but not always professional—to determine which of two teams, tied in the final standings, will qualify for a post-season tournament...
to determine the league's automatic bid to the 2011 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
2011 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The following sites were selected to host each round of the 2011 tournament:First Four*March 15 and 16**University of Dayton Arena, Dayton, OhioSecond and third rounds*March 17 and 19**Verizon Center, Washington, D.C....
. After losing, the team earned an automatic bid to the 2011 National Invitation Tournament
2011 National Invitation Tournament
-Colorado bracket:-Boston College bracket:-Virginia Tech bracket:-NIT Final Four - NIT Semifinals and NIT Championship Game:Played at Madison Square Garden in New York City-See also:* 2011 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament...
, where they lost in the first round. It was the school's first appearance in the National Invitation Tournament
National Invitation Tournament
The National Invitation Tournament is a men's college basketball tournament operated by the National Collegiate Athletic Association. There are two NIT events each season. The first, played in November and known as the Dick's Sporting Goods NIT Season Tip-Off , was founded in 1985...
.
The seniorless team was captain
Captain (sports)
In team sports, a captain is a title given to a member of the team. The title is frequently honorary, but in some cases the captain may have significant responsibility for strategy and teamwork while the game is in progress on the field...
ed by Keith Wright and Oliver McNally. Wright, a junior, was a unanimous All-Ivy first team selection and named League 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 2009–10 season2009–10 Harvard Crimson men's basketball team
The 2009–10 Harvard Crimson men's basketball team represented Harvard University in the Ivy League athletic conference during the 2009-10 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team played its home games in Cambridge, Massachusetts at the Lavietes Pavilion, which has a capacity of 2,195...
during which it set a school record for wins (21), non-conference wins (11), home wins (11), and road/neutral wins (10). However, the team lost its star Jeremy Lin
Jeremy Lin
Jeremy Shu-How Lin is an American professional basketball player for the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association...
to the National Basketball Association
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
. The team entered the season not having participated in the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament since the 1946 Tournament
1946 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
-External links:* on Shrp Sports * , source for much of the information on this page....
. 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
1956–57 NCAA University Division men's basketball season
-Season headlines:* This was the first year where NCAA basketball was split into two levels of play – the University and College divisions.-Major rule changes:Beginning in 1956–57, the following rules changes were implemented:...
. 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.
Most preseason publications predicted Princeton
2010–11 Princeton Tigers men's basketball team
The 2010–11 Princeton Tigers men's basketball team represented Princeton University in intercollegiate college basketball during the 2010–11 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The head coach was Sydney Johnson, who was in his fourth season. The team's tri-captains were senior Kareem Maddox,...
would finish in first place and Harvard would finish in second place, although the Sporting News projected that would finish in first followed by Princeton and Harvard. Breaking a three-year streak by Cornell
Cornell Big Red men's basketball
The Cornell Big Red men's basketball team represents Cornell University , located in Ithaca, New York, in NCAA Division I men's competition. The Big Red's appearance in the 2008 NCAA Tournament was their first trip to "The Big Dance" since 1988...
, 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. It was the first Princeton team to be the preseason selection since the .
Season
During the season, the team lost to its only ranked opponent, #4 Connecticut2010–11 Connecticut Huskies men's basketball team
The 2010–11 Connecticut Huskies men's basketball team represented the University of Connecticut in the 2010–2011 NCAA Division I basketball season. The Huskies were coached by Jim Calhoun and played their home games at the XL Center in Hartford, Connecticut, and on campus at the Harry A. Gampel...
(December 22), but defeated power conference opponents Boston College (January 5) of the Atlantic Coast Conference
Atlantic Coast Conference
The Atlantic Coast Conference is a collegiate athletic league in the United States. Founded in 1953 in Greensboro, North Carolina, the ACC sanctions competition in twenty-five sports in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association for its twelve member universities...
and Colorado
2010–11 Colorado Buffaloes men's basketball team
The 2010–11 Colorado Buffaloes men's basketball team represents the University of Colorado in the 2010–11 college basketball season. Head coach Tad Boyle is in his first season at Colorado. The Buffaloes compete in the Big 12 Conference and played their home games at the Coors Events Center...
(November 28) of the Big 12 Conference
Big 12 Conference
The Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference of ten schools located in the Central United States, with its headquarters located in Las Colinas, a community in the Dallas, Texas suburb of Irving...
. The Colorado victory was the team's first ever against a Big 12 opponent. In addition to defeating Boston College, the team defeated other cross-town rivals (December 11) and (December 31). The team also lost to Amaker's former team (as a coach), Michigan
2010–11 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team
The 2010–11 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team represents the University of Michigan during the 2010–11 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team played its home games in Ann Arbor, Michigan at the Crisler Arena, which has a capacity of 13,751, for the forty-fourth consecutive year...
(December 4). The Harvard gameplan involved fast breaks initiated by its defensive and an inside-outside game. Although Harvard never appeared in the 2010–11 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings
2010–11 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings
Two human polls make up the 2010–11 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings, the AP Poll and the Coaches Poll, in addition to various publications' preseason polls.-Legend:-AP poll:...
, for a few weeks (January 24, January 31 and February 21 and March 7) during the season they received a vote in the AP Poll
AP Poll
The Associated Press College Poll refers to weekly rankings of the top 25 NCAA teams in one of three Division I college sports: football, men's basketball and women's basketball. The rankings are compiled by polling sportswriters across the nation...
.
As the season wound down, there was much ado in the press about a possible Harvard Ivy League championship. The most recent Harvard team to be in contention for a championship entering the final weekend was the 1984 team. On March 5, Harvard clinched a share of the league championship for the first time since the Ivy League was formed. By defeating Princeton
2010–11 Princeton Tigers men's basketball team
The 2010–11 Princeton Tigers men's basketball team represented Princeton University in intercollegiate college basketball during the 2010–11 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The head coach was Sydney Johnson, who was in his fourth season. The team's tri-captains were senior Kareem Maddox,...
at home on March 5 and earning a split of the season series, they clinched at least a share of the 2010–11 Ivy League men's basketball season
2010–11 Ivy League men's basketball season
The 2010–11 Ivy League men's basketball season marks the continuation of the annual tradition of competitive basketball among Ivy League members that began when the league was formed during the 1956–57 season, continuing from the predecessor Eastern Intercollegiate Basketball League, which was...
Championship with a 12–2 conference record. Princeton fell to 11–2 with one conference game remaining to force a one-game playoff for the conferences automatic bid to the 2011 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
2011 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The following sites were selected to host each round of the 2011 tournament:First Four*March 15 and 16**University of Dayton Arena, Dayton, OhioSecond and third rounds*March 17 and 19**Verizon Center, Washington, D.C....
. Harvard finished the season a perfect 14–0 at home, which surpassed the prior season's record of eleven home wins. Harvard will enter the 2010–11 NCAA Division I men's basketball season
2010–11 NCAA Division I men's basketball season
The 2010–11 NCAA Division I men's basketball season began on November 8, 2010 with the preliminary games of the 2010 Coaches Vs. Cancer Classic, and ended with the 2011 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament's championship game on April 4, 2011 at Reliant Stadium in Houston...
with a 17-game home streak (10th longest in the country). Harvard's 12 conference game wins was also a school record. On March 7, Harvard received a vote in both the AP Poll and the Coaches' Poll. It was the first time in program history that they received votes in the Coaches' Poll.
Postseason
On March 8, Princeton defeated Penn to force a one-game playoff at the Payne Whitney GymnasiumPayne Whitney Gymnasium
The Payne Whitney Gymnasium is the gymnasium of Yale University. Built in the prevailing Gothic architecture style of the campus in 1932, it is a remarkable building, possessing a Gothic tower, a third-floor swimming pool, a polo practice room, and a rooftop running track. It is the second-largest...
at Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
in New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven is the second-largest city in Connecticut and the sixth-largest in New England. According to the 2010 Census, New Haven's population increased by 5.0% between 2000 and 2010, a rate higher than that of the State of Connecticut, and higher than that of the state's five largest cities, and...
. Princeton won the playoff by a 63–62 margin. However, many thought Harvard had a chance to make the tournament in spite of the loss as an at-large team. Four of Harvard's regular season losses were to postseason contenders, and Cornell represented the conference well the year before. Entering selection Sunday (March 13), Harvard ranked 35th in the Ratings Percentage Index
Ratings Percentage Index
The Rating Percentage Index, commonly known as the RPI, is a quantity used to rank sports teams based upon a team's wins and losses and its strength of schedule. It is one of the systems by which NCAA basketball and baseball teams are ranked...
(RPI). However, Harvard was not selected. Unfortunately, neither of Harvard's quality wins (against Colorado and Boston College) helped them because both teams were left out of the NCAA tournament and relegated to number one seed status in the NIT tournament. It was the Ivy League's first NIT invitation since the 2003
2003 National Invitation Tournament
-Semifinals & Finals:*Third Place - Texas Tech 71, Minnesota 61St. John's later vacated the title due to an ineligible player....
when Brown participated. As a regular season champion not invited to the NCAA tournament, they were an automatic selection for the 2011 National Invitation Tournament
2011 National Invitation Tournament
-Colorado bracket:-Boston College bracket:-Virginia Tech bracket:-NIT Final Four - NIT Semifinals and NIT Championship Game:Played at Madison Square Garden in New York City-See also:* 2011 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament...
, where they were seeded #6. On March 15, Harvard was defeated by by a 71–54 margin in the first round. The final record of 23–7 established a school record for number of wins, surpassing the prior season's total of 21. Harvard finished the season ranked 40th nationally by the Collegiate Basketball News RPI, CollegeRPI.com RPI and NCAA RPI. The team finished second in the nation in 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%. Harvard had no seniors on the team and was expected to be a contender again the following season.
Schedule
|-!colspan=9| Regular season
|-
!colspan= 9|Ivy League Playoff
|-
!colspan=9|NIT
2011 National Invitation Tournament
-Colorado bracket:-Boston College bracket:-Virginia Tech bracket:-NIT Final Four - NIT Semifinals and NIT Championship Game:Played at Madison Square Garden in New York City-See also:* 2011 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament...
In season
Each week the Ivy League selects a player of the week and a rookie of the week.| 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 Associated PressAssociated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
honorable mention All-American, a CollegeInsider.com Lou Henson All-American and a National Association of Basketball Coaches
National Association of Basketball Coaches
The National Association of Basketball Coaches , headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri, is an American organization of college men's basketball coaches...
First Team All-District selection. The Ivy League selected its postseason awards on March 9.
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, Medway, MA); Brandyn Curry, Harvard (So., G, Huntersville, NC)
- Honorable Mention: Christian Webster, Harvard (So., G, Washington, DC)
External links
- Harvard Crimson @ ESPN.comESPN.comESPN.com is the official website of ESPN and a division of ESPN Inc. Since launching in 1995 as ESPNet.SportsZone.com, the website has developed numerous sections including: Page 2, SportsNation, ESPN 3.com, ESPN Motion, My ESPN, ESPN Sports Travel, ESPN Video Games, ESPN Insider, ESPN.com's...
- Season stats @ ESPN.comESPN.comESPN.com is the official website of ESPN and a division of ESPN Inc. Since launching in 1995 as ESPNet.SportsZone.com, the website has developed numerous sections including: Page 2, SportsNation, ESPN 3.com, ESPN Motion, My ESPN, ESPN Sports Travel, ESPN Video Games, ESPN Insider, ESPN.com's...