Harvard men’s basketball will begin a three-game road trip this Saturday, February 21, facing Cornell at Newman Arena in Ithaca, New York. The game is set for 2:00 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPN+. Harvard currently holds second place in the Ivy League with a 14-10 overall record and a 7-3 mark in conference play. Cornell stands fourth in the league at 12-11 overall and 5-5 in Ivy games.
The Crimson has notched wins over every other Ivy League team this season except Cornell. There are two scenarios that would allow Harvard to secure a spot in the Ivy League Tournament this weekend: with a win against Cornell combined with either a Brown victory over Princeton or Dartmouth defeating Columbia.
Harvard has been on an impressive run, winning seven out of eight games from January 10 to February 13. During that stretch, the team shot nearly 47 percent from the field and over 38 percent from beyond the arc, while making more than 82 percent of its free throws. Four players—sophomore guard Robert Hinton, sophomore guard Tey Barbour, junior forward Thomas Batties II, and senior guard Chandler Piggé—averaged double figures during these games.
The team also boasts five consecutive road wins dating back to December 28, highlighted by strong shooting performances both inside and outside the arc as well as at the free throw line. Key contributors during this streak include Hinton (18.6 points per game), Batties II (14.8), Barbour (14.8), and Piggé (14.0).
In their most recent outing on February 13, Harvard edged Brown by three points thanks to standout efforts from Hinton (20 points) and Barbour (17). Over the first half of Ivy League play, Harvard posted a record of five wins and two losses to share first place with Yale.
The Crimson’s offensive output is driven by four players averaging double-digit scoring for the season: Hinton (17.2), Piggé (13.2), Barbour (12.9), and Batties II (12.3). These four have accounted for nearly 79 percent of Harvard’s total points this year—a figure that rises to almost 83 percent during conference play.
Individually, several players have shown significant improvement compared to previous seasons:
– Chandler Piggé increased his scoring average from just under two points per game in 2022–23 to over thirteen this year.
– Thomas Batties II raised his average from fewer than seven points per game last year to more than twelve.
– Tey Barbour grew his production from under five points per game as a freshman to almost thirteen now.
Defensively, Harvard leads the Ivy League in scoring defense and free throw percentage while ranking among conference leaders in steals and blocks per game. Nationally, they are second in free throw percentage and rank eighth for fewest fouls committed per contest.
Robert Hinton leads the Crimson offensively with averages of over seventeen points, nearly five rebounds, more than two assists, and above one steal per game while shooting better than fifty percent from the floor and eighty-one percent at the foul line. He was named Ivy League Player of the Week twice this season.
Chandler Piggé contributes across multiple categories including scoring (13.2 ppg), rebounding (4.6 rpg), assists (3 apg), and steals (1.7 spg). He was recognized last season as an Honorable Mention All-Ivy selection.
Tey Barbour provides outside shooting prowess—he ranks among NCAA leaders with a forty-percent success rate on three-pointers—and has increased his scoring output during league play.
Thomas Batties II offers interior presence through rebounding and shot-blocking; he is second among all Ivies for three-point accuracy at nearly forty-eight percent.
Other key contributors include Ben Eisendrath—who ranks highly in steals—and Austin Hunt who supplies depth off the bench with efficient shooting numbers.
Under head coach Tommy Amaker (“The Thomas G. Stemberg ’71 Family Endowed Coach for Harvard Men’s Basketball”), Harvard trails Cornell in their all-time series but has gone 22-14 against them during Amaker’s tenure.
Following Saturday’s matchup against Cornell, Harvard will close its regular-season road schedule next week with visits to Princeton on February 27 at 7:00 p.m., followed by Penn on February 28 at 6:00 p.m., both available via ESPN+.
