GETTING INSIDE

For the second year in a row, Harvard has joined Cornell as the most impressive Ivy League team in the first month of the season. The Crimson knocked off the ACC’s Boston College for the second year in a row, and gave UConn all it could handle before losing by six on the road.

Meanwhile, senior guard Jeremy Lin has been the subject of features by every college basketball news outlet in the country, as the combination of his background, his stats, and his choice of colleges being perfect copy. Harvard, predicted to finish fourth in the preseason poll, suddenly became a trendy pick to knock off two-time defending champion Cornell and take the title.

The challenge for coach Tommy Amaker is taking the momentum that the non-conference slate has brought and translating that into Ivy League play. A year ago, that’s where Harvard faltered.

In 2008-09, the Crimson beat a ranked Boston College team by 12 in January. But it suffered a rude awakening in conference play, splitting its first two games with a Dartmouth squad that wasn’t supposed to be very good. It finished a disappointing 6-8 in Ivy League play.

Even then, though, Harvard was tough to beat when it was on top of its game, as it showed by being one of just three teams to topple the Big Red. When that didn’t happen, however, the team struggled.

It’s worth noting that while Harvard did play well early against marquee teams, it also lost to Army and needed three overtimes to beat William & Mary at home. Amaker will make sure that his team remembers that as much as it does the better efforts against top teams.

NOTES, QUOTES

• One big asset for Harvard early in the year has been the play of its bench. Through the first nine games of the 2009-10 campaign, the Crimson reserves had yet to be outscored.

• Not only is Jeremy Lin getting attention around the country, he’s also getting accolades at home. Lin was named the Ivy League Player of the Week three times before the holiday break, including back-to-back honors on Dec. 7 and 14.

Key Early-season Conference Game:   at Columbia, Jan. 29—Harvard opens the Ivy League season with two games against Dartmouth. Assuming it can sweep the Big Green—which it failed to do a year ago, losing at home—the next game will be a trip to face the dangerous Columbia Lions. Win on the road there, and the title talk will start to get louder. But with Cornell looming the next night, will the Crimson be living in the moment, or looking ahead?

Last Year  ‘S CONFERENCE RECORD: 6-8, tied for sixth place in the Ivy League.

Quote To Note:   “Jeremy has been one of the better players in the country. We’ve seen this out of him. He’s been as consistent as anyone. Some folks who haven’t seen him play are probably wowed by some of the things he can do, but we aren’t. That’s probably the best compliment I can give him. What you saw this afternoon, that’s who he is.”—Harvard coach Tommy Amaker told the Hartford Courant, after Jeremy Lin scored 30 points, including 22 in the second half, in a loss to UConn.

STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL

What We Learned In November:   The Crimson are as deep and talented as anyone in the Ivy League. Harvard nearly pulled off the win of the year in the Ivy League when it dropped a close game at Connecticut, and beat Boston College on the road for the second year in a row. Even though at this point everyone knows he’s coming, Jeremy Lin has still proven almost impossible to stop for 40 minutes.

December At A Glance:   Harvard goes to Washington to face Georgetown on Dec. 21, and takes a West Coast trip to meet Seattle and Santa Clara just after the New Year. But after that it’s right into the Ivy League season with a Jan. 9 opener at home against Dartmouth.

Player Rotation:   Usual Starters—F Doug Miller, F Keith Wright, G Christian Webster, G Oliver McNally, G Jeremy Lin. Key Subs—G Brandyn Curry, F Pat Magnarelli, G Dee Giger, F Kyle Casey

Roster Report:  

• Oliver McNally missed most of the Boston College game after injuring his foot in practice, but wasn’t expected to be sidelined beyond that.

• Jeremy Lin has started the year on fire, leading the Crimson in points, rebounds, assists and steals. The one downside? He’s also tops on the team in turnovers, averaging more than three per game.