For the second straight year, Harvard completed a first-round NCAA tournament upset, as the No. 12 seed dispatched East Regional No. 5 seed Cincinnati with a 61-57 victory in Spokane, Wash. Harvard became the first Ivy League team in 30 years to win NCAA tourney games in consecutive years, a feat last accomplished by Princeton in 1983 and 1984.
The Crimson, who upset New Mexico in the first round of the 2013 tournament, enjoyed strong shooting in the first half while the Bearcats repeatedly could not convert good looks at the basket, resulting in a 36-29 halftime lead. While Cincinnati repeatedly whittled Harvard’s lead in the second half, getting as close as one point at 54-53 with 3:12 left, the Crimson answered every run by Cincinnati thanks in part to a defensive effort that held the Bearcats to 38 percent from the floor.
Harvard (27-4) outrebounded Cincinnati (27-7), 42-33, and the Crimson’s balanced scoring attack featured five players with at least nine points. Siyani Chambers delivered Harvard’s most critical points, scoring the team’s final five points down the stretch, while the team was led by the 12 points by Ivy League Player of the Year Wesley Saunders and 11 points from guard Laurent Rivard, who was 3-for-5 from behind the 3-point line.
Harvard will now play the winner of Thursday night’s game between Michigan State and Delaware. For more from the game, click here.