HARVARDDADGRAD
Postdoc
Posts: 2685
Loc: New Jersey
Reg: 01-21-14
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02-01-16 02:20 PM - Post#200727
Although not favored to win the league, I know I was encouraged by Harvard's ability to go on runs, shoot three's and go inside to Zena. Efforts in Hawaii and against BU, Providence and Kansas suggested that - at times - this team could compete. I hoped that maybe there was a formula that could overcome Siyani's injury and ominously bad free throw shooting.
After four games, the results are disappointing, but not altogether surprising. Each game was winnable, with Harvard going on long runs and taking leads:
Columbia
14-0 and 29-9 to start the game
Up 54-53 and shooting 1&1 with 7.2 seconds left
Zena misses last 8 minutes and Evan in foul trouble
Cornell
10 pt run early in 1st quarter - Up 10-2
(1st half ends with 15-5 Cornell run with Zena on the bench)
22-4 to open second half
Up 65-64 with 3:30 remaining
Dartmouth II
14-2 to open second half
Up 40-29 after 28:20
Dartmouth I
19-4 run before/after halftime
Unfortunately, the difference between Harvard being 3-1 or even 4-0 seems to be the absence of an experienced ball handler at crunch time, free throw shooting, and, this weekend, a need to rest Zena for long stretches.
Free throws are particularly troublesome. Had Harvard matched Dartmouth (II) and Cornell from the line, Harvard wins. Had Harvard made any of its final three free throws (thereby triggering the second half of one and one's), it is not unlikely that it beats Columbia.
As Kevin Whitaker reports in NYC Buckets:
"For several seasons, Harvard has been the team that can’t lose close games. Whether it was overtime squeakers or playoff game-winners, the Crimson always seemed to come out on top, going 16-3 in Ivy games decided by five points or less from 2012-15. Columbia, meanwhile, was the league’s hard-luck team, going 5-17 in such games."
Law of averages? More likely missing Siyani.
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