The last time Harvard made it this far in the NCAA tournament, the team took a 23-point beating by the Arizona Wildcats. The Crimson once again played upset after defeating Cincinnati in the first round of the tournament to get another shot at advancing to the Sweet Sixteen. In their way is Michigan State who have no intentions of letting Harvard sneak up on them in this matchup.
The Spartans showed no signs of struggle against Delaware in their first matchup. Adreian Payne put up a career-best 41 points as Michigan State won 93-78. Three other players reached double-digits in scoring while the Spartans were reaping the benefits of having a healthy squad for the first time in months. Payne's day was the most points scored by a Spartan in an NCAA tournament. Can Payne repeat that success and keep Michigan State's championship dreams alive?
Harvard does not believe their win over Cincinnati is considered an upset. Wesley Saunders led the team with 12 points while Siyani Chambers added another 11 points. If anyone thought the Crimson's win last year over New Mexico as a No. 14 seed was some kind of fluke, Harvard proved them wrong.They became the first Ivy League team to win consecutive tournament games since Princeton did so in 1983-84.
In their win over Cincinnati, Harvard had all five starters earn double-digit point totals. They paired that with an aggressive defense that offered enough balance for the Crimson to get the win. They trailed in the early minutes of the game, but after getting a small lead, they never trailed again for the remainder of the game. Harvard is attempting to make sure the second upset win in a row helps the team build on something bigger and possibly reach the Sweet Sixteen.
