Harvard

State of '08: Massachusetts

Shawn Siegel — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 08:51:45 -0700

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Duke or Carolina? BC or UMASS? Gonzaga or Washington.. or Washington State? What is the best program in each state? While there's not much competition in Hawaii.. there are great debates to be had in loaded regions like California, North Carolina, and Texas. The State of '08 is a ranking of every program in every state.. based mostly on recent success (the last five years) mixed in with subjective factors such as conference prestige, historical success, and overall program direction.

For more info, check out the State of '08 introduction.

MASSACHUSETTS

BOSTON COLLEGE - No other team in Massachusetts can boast of a Sweet Sixteen trip or multiple Top 25 finishes in the past decade. While BC is by no means a BCS power, the Eagles finished.500 or better in the ACC or Big East (prior to 06) from 2001 to 2007.

HOLY CROSS - From 2001 to 2007, Holy Cross was one of the nation's best mid-major programs, as the Crusaders made 4 NCAA Tournaments and were a close 4-point loss away from making a 5th. While there are definite signs of slippage, it will take another couple of bad seasons before they move down from this position.

UMASS - It's been a decade since UMASS last made the NCAA Tournament in 1998. That team was still a remnant of John Calipari's tenure, and there's only been minimal success in the following years. Travis Ford did a great job getting the program back on track in just three seasons, winning an A10 regular season title in 2007, and almost making the Big Dance last year with an RPI of 42. But Ford has bolted for T Boone's Oklahoma State money, so the future is once again a bit murky.

NORTHEASTERN - Ron Everhart did a solid job transforming Northeastern basketball, as the program won at least 19 games from 04 to 06. While Everhart never led the Huskies to the postseason, he helped them move up to the more competitive CAA, and put the program in position for future success. Current third year coach Bill Coen might finally get the Huskies over the postseason hump, as this year's squad should be one of the better teams in the conference (according to CHN'd preview).

BOSTON UNIVERSITY - After enjoying a nice stretch from 2002 to 2005, BU has fallen on lean times. Since that run of four postseason trips in a row (including one AE title in 02), the Terriers have failed to finish above 200th in the RPI. This year's team should be a little better, but a return to the postseason will have to wait.

6. HARVARD - Harvard hasn't been good in forever, and the odds of Tommy Amaker making a huge turnaround are slim. The program's biggest accomplishment in the past decade is merely finishing .500 in Ivy play (in 99,00,01,02 & 05). There's a good chance the 2009 squad will match that feat.

Last: Maryland - Next: Michigan

State of '08: The Introduction (& State list/links)

Daily Dribble: 12/15

Shawn Siegel — Thu, 14 Dec 2006 21:20:47 -0800

I took a slow Thursday of college hoops to watch some NBA Basketball on TNT. Adam Morrison and the Charlotte Bobcats faced JJ Redick and the Orlando Magic in the battle of the new white hopes (at least until Chase Budinger comes along). Morrison came through with 22 points off the bench to help lead Charlotte to a rare win. Morrison is coming off one of the worst shooting slumps of not just his young NBA career.. but of his life.. anybody's life for that matter. From December 3 to December 10, Morrison put up some the worst numbers I've seen in NBA history. December 3: 1-5 shooting, 2 points, 19 minutes. December 6: 1-10 shooting, 4 points, 35 minutes. December 8: 1-11 shooting, 2 points, 30 minutes. December 10: 1-8 shooting, 3 points, 26 minutes. Add it up.. 4 for 34 shooting (12%), 11 points, 110 minutes.. Awful. At least Morrison has shown flashes and is averaging 13 per game. Though he's supposedly healthy now, JJ has been injured and has barely made an impact with Orlando. The 5 points he scored in the loss, upped his career total to 11. JJ simply seems afraid to shoot at this point. I've never seen a guy pump fake so many times in a half of basketball. We'll give him some time before judging completely.. Anyways, back to the college game. Harvard improved to 6-4 with a road win at Central Connecticut. The Crimson haven't been over .500 in the last handful of years, so this is an impressive start. They feature one of the country's most productive 7-footers in senior Brian Cusworth. Cusworth is averaging 17 points, 8 boards, and 2 blocks per game on the season. The Ivy isn't known for dominant big man play, so Cusworth gives Harvard a unique dimenson. The win by Harvard continues what has been a pretty solid start for the Ivy League in non-conference play. The league is 31-38 (45%), which is a good amount better than last year's 39% finish. In fact, at 31-38, the Ivy has a better record than more respected leagues like the WCC (.446 to the Ivy's .449), MAC (.446), and Horizon (.406). In case you were wondering, the conference with the best overall winning percentage right now is.. the Pac-10 with an impressive 65-16 record (.802). Congrats to Northwestern for proving they're one of the worst offensive teams in recent memory. The Wildcats scored 41 and won by 2 points.. over a D3 team. This is a Wheaton team that's already lost to two D3 teams by the way.. so its not like they're a bunch of world-beaters. #19 Memphis bounced back from an embarassing loss to Tennessee by winning their second game in a row. The Tigers blew out Austin Peay, putting the game away from the tip with a 22-2 run. Chris Douglas-Roberts scored a career high 28 in the win. Memphis faces a big test next Wednesday night when they leave home to face Arizona. A loss in that game could drop the Tigers out of the Top 25. Charleston ended a 4-game slide by beating Chattanooga 62-60 last night. It was only a few years back that Charleston was winning 20+ games consistently and giving major teams problems. Right now, the Cougars are 4-6 and seem set for a season of mediocrity. Bobby Cremins has some long-term work to do, because its not even like Charleston is that young right now. Three of their starters, and their 2 leading scorers are seniors. Nothing too much happening on Friday's schedule. Eastern Washington heads to #24 Oregon in the most intriguing game. It gives high-scoring sophomore Rodney Stuckey (25 ppg) a chance to strut his stuff against a ranked opponent. Stuckey is coming off the lowest scoring game in his career, 12 points in a loss against Santa Clara, but he scored 31 in his last game against a ranked team.

Ivy Interview: Harvard's Frank Sullivan

Jon Teitel — Fri, 06 Oct 2006 17:45:30 -0700

Jon Teitel chats with Harvard head coach Frank Sullivan as part of an interview series with all eight Ivy League coaches.

1. What are your team’s goals for this season?

A: The same as every other team: win the Ivy League title.

2. What facet of the game is most important to your team’s success this season?

A: We need to develop a better level of consistency this season. We were very good throughout our non-conference schedule last year (8-5), but did not do so well in Ivy play (5-9). Every team but Penn seemed to be up and down last year, so if we can remove our deficiencies, we will be competitive all year long. Our field-goal defense needs some work: contesting shots, causing more deflections, etc. Additionally, we need to improve our assist-turnover ratio.

3. Who do you think will be your team’s most improved player this season?

A: Andrew Pusar has worked really hard over the summer, so keep an eye on him.

4. Which non-conference opponent do you think will be your biggest challenge this year?

A: The Big East and Big 10 are always difficult, so Providence and Michigan will be very tough.

5. Which of your 6 incoming freshmen (Pat Magnarelli, Tommy Balcetis, Doug Miller, Jeremy Lin, Darryl Finkton, and Alek Blankenau) do you expect to make the biggest impact this season?

A: It is always hard to figure out the rookies in advance, so we will just have to wait and see.

6. Do you consider this season to be the usual two-team race between Penn and Princeton, or do you think another team can win the conference title this season?

A: It definitely used to be a 2-horse race, but the past decade has seen a lot more parity, so I think that the chase for the title is wide open.

7. With a nucleus of 3 returning double-digit scorers (Brian Cusworth, Jim Goffredo, and Drew Housman), are you more concerned with getting role players to fill in the gaps or focusing most of your offense through these 3 guys?

A: It all starts with these 3 guys: they are all proven scorers, and have showed that they can handle the rigors of playing on back-to-back nights. We will be fairly young this year, and need a stronger bench, but we have a lot of athleticism and enthusiasm, which should help a lot.

8. Why did Cusworth decide to use his last semester of eligibility this fall rather than this winter, and how do you expect to do without him during the final 10 games of the season?

A: He has 4 classes left before he graduates, and he has to take them all during the same semester. It was his decision, so it is the right decision for him. If he decided to play in the winter, then he would have gone 9 months without getting into an actual game, which is quite a long stretch. It is good that we know the decision in advance so we can plan ahead.

9. How much of a loss will Matt Stehle be?

A: A lot of our offense went through Matt, so he will be a big loss. I think he will go down as 1 of the best basketball players in school history.

10. Who do you consider to be the favorite for Ivy Player of the Year?

A: Ibby Jaaber of Penn