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CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Harvard University men’s basketball hosts the University of Massachusetts at a sold out Lavietes Pavilion on Friday, Dec. 2 at 7:00 p.m. (ESPN+) with the Crimson bringing a 5-1 record in its last six games into the contest and the Minutemen carrying a four-game winning streak into the matchup.
What to Know
- The Crimson has posted an 11-17 record vs. Massachusetts in 28 all-time meetings. Harvard has captured three of the last four meetings with UMass taking last year’s matchup, 87-77, in Amherst. The two teams first met during the 1921-22 season.
- A total of 11 Crimson student-athletes scored points and the visitors held the Crusaders under 33 percent shooting in the contest as Harvard topped Holy Cross, 72-38, on Nov. 30 at the Hart Center. Senior guard/forward Chris Ledlum scored a game-high 18 points with six rebounds, senior guard Luka Sakota netted 13 points, and junior guard Sam Silverstein grabbed a game and career-high 10 rebounds.
- Harvard continues a stretch of five games in 10 days between Thanksgiving and the finals break. The Crimson has posted a 2-1 record during that span thus far, topping Loyola Chicago (61-55) on Nov. 25 and Holy Cross (72-38) on Nov. 30. Harvard nearly beat Fordham, trimming a 13-point deficit to two points late in the second half, before falling to the Rams, 68-60, on Nov. 27.
- Senior guard/forward Chris Ledlum has averaged team highs in points (18.6), rebounds (7.1), and steals per game (2.0), scoring in double figures in seven of eight games and netting 20 or more points three times. Ledlum ranks second in the Ivy League in points per game, rebounds, per game, and steals per game, while ranking ninth in field goal percentage (.558). In the NCAA, he stands 17th in total field goals (58) and 31st in total points (149).
- Ledlum poured in a career-high 30 points with nine rebounds and a career-best five steals vs. Loyola Chicago (Nov. 25). He scored a game-high 29 points on 12-of-17 shooting at Northeastern (Nov. 16) and then had 18 points on 8-of-11 shooting vs. Siena (Nov. 20). Ledlum notched his first double-double of the year on 10 points and 10 rebounds vs. Elon (Nov. 13). He posted team highs in points (15) and rebounds (eight) vs. Louisiana (Nov. 11) and game highs in points (22) and rebounds (seven) at Morehouse (Nov. 7). A Third Team CoSIDA Academic All-America honoree in 2021-22, he gained 2022-23 Blue Ribbon Preseason All-Ivy League accolades.
- Junior guard Sam Silverstein has tallied 10.3 points and 5.4 rebounds per game, while shooting 53.6 percent from the field and 88.9 percent from the free throw line. He ranks third in the Ivy League in minutes per game (33.3) and fourth in steals per game (1.8). Silverstein scored a career-high 17 points with five rebounds and three assists at Fordham (Nov. 27) before grabbing a career-best 10 rebounds at Holy Cross (Nov. 30). He notched 13 points and five steals vs. Siena (Nov. 20). Over the Crimson’s first week he posted 13 points and eight boards vs. Elon (Nov. 13), scored 14 points vs. Louisiana (Nov. 11), and netted 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting with five rebounds at Morehouse (Nov. 7).
- First-year forward Chisom Okpara has averaged 8.6 points and 4.8 rebounds per game on the year. He dropped a career-high 24 points on 10-of-13 field goals with eight rebounds vs. Siena (Nov. 20). He posted 11 points on 4-of-5 field goals vs. Louisiana (Nov. 11) and grabbed 10 rebounds at Northeastern (Nov. 16). Okpara gained Ivy League Rookie of the Week on both Nov. 14 and Nov. 21.
- Senior guard Luka Sakota has registered 7.8 points and 3.5 rebounds per game on the year, while shooting 37.5 percent from 3-point distance. Sakota has scored in double figures four times on the year, including 14 points vs. Elon (Nov. 13) and 13 points at Holy Cross (Nov. 30). He netted 10 points vs. Louisiana (Nov. 11) and tallied 11 points and six rebounds at Morehouse (Nov. 7).
- Sophomore guard Evan Nelson exploded for 23 points, six assists, and three steals, while making 8-of-12 field goals, 4-of-6 triples, and 3-of-3 free throws vs. Elon (Nov. 13). For the year, he has averaged 6.8 points and a team-best 3.6 assists per game, while shooting 41.2 percent from 3-point distance. He ranks fourth in the Ivy League in assists per game and second in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.7).
- Senior guard Idan Tretout has compiled 7.0 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game. He totaled 10 points and six rebounds at Fordham (Nov. 27) and notched 12 points and four boards vs. Elon (Nov. 13). Tretout tallied 8.5 points and 3.0 rebounds per game last season over 13 games, missing the latter portion of the season due to injury.
- Junior forward Justice Ajogbor ranks fourth in the Ivy League with 1.3 blocks per game. He has started all eight games for the Crimson in the frontcourt and has tallied multiple blocks in each of three games this year.
- Sophomore guard Louis Lesmond has netted 5.8 points per game on the year. He scored nine points on three 3-pointers vs. Elon (Nov. 13) and hit a pair of 3-pointers at Morehouse (Nov. 7). He posted 7.9 points and 2.6 rebounds per game last season, while scoring in double figures seven times out of 20 games played.
- As a team, Harvard ranks second in the Ivy League in points per game allowed (63.0), opponent field goal percentage (.392), opponent 3-point percentage (.295), and steals per game (8.75). In the NCAA rankings, Harvard stands 19th in the nation in fewest fouls per game (13.6).
Next Up
Harvard hosts Tufts on Sunday, Dec. 4 at 2:00 p.m. (ESPN+) at Lavietes Pavilion in its last game before the finals break. Tickets for Crimson home games are available at tickets.gocrimson.com.