Harvard Men’s Basketball will face Columbia in its final regular season game on Friday, March 6 at 7:00 p.m. at Lavietes Pavilion. The match also serves as Senior Night for the Crimson, who are still vying for a share of the Ivy League title.
Entering the game, Harvard holds a 16-10 overall record and is 9-4 in Ivy League play, which places them second in the conference standings. Yale leads with a 10-3 conference record. Columbia stands at fifth place with a 16-11 overall record and 5-8 in conference games. For Harvard to claim a share of the Ivy title, they must defeat Columbia while Princeton needs to beat Yale on Saturday.
Harvard has beaten every other Ivy League team at least once this season and has swept Brown and Princeton. The Crimson have won seven Ivy League titles in their history (2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2018, and 2019).
The team has secured the No. 2 seed in the upcoming Ivy League Tournament and will face No. 3 seed Penn in the semifinals on March 14 at Newman Arena in Ithaca, New York. The other semifinal features No. 1 seed Yale against No. 4 seed Cornell.
In recent play, sophomore guard Robert Hinton made a decisive basket with just over three seconds left to help Harvard overcome a significant deficit and defeat Princeton on February 27. This win marked their seventh consecutive road victory this season.
Harvard clinched its spot in the tournament after beating Cornell on February 21. This appearance marks Harvard’s first qualification for “Ivy Madness” since the event was last held before its cancellation due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
Over an eleven-game stretch from January to late February, Harvard achieved a strong record of nine wins and two losses. Key contributors during this period include Robert Hinton (18.5 points per game), Tey Barbour (16.1), Thomas Batties II (13.8), and Chandler Piggé (11). These four players have scored nearly four-fifths of all points for Harvard this year.
The Crimson’s success has been notable on the road, winning six out of seven away conference games and recording victories over several opponents including Columbia earlier this season.
Statistically, Harvard ranks among national leaders in free throw percentage (second nationally), scoring defense (27th), fewest fouls per game (fifth), and three-point percentage defense (65th). Within the Ivy League itself, they lead or are near the top in several defensive categories.
Robert Hinton leads Harvard with averages of over seventeen points per game while also contributing across rebounds, assists, and steals categories; he was named Ivy League Player of the Week twice this season and was included on an early watch list for mid-major player honors.
Senior Chandler Piggé provides leadership as well as steady production with averages exceeding twelve points per game along with five rebounds; he has increased his output each year during his collegiate career.
Sophomore Tey Barbour is among NCAA leaders in three-point shooting accuracy while also averaging double figures in scoring; he captured Player of the Week honors during February.
Junior forward Thomas Batties II adds further depth by leading the team in rebounds while ranking high within both conference and national statistics for blocks and three-point shooting percentage.
Additional contributions come from guards Ben Eisendrath—who excels defensively—and Austin Hunt—who is efficient from both field goal range and beyond the arc.
Historically, Columbia leads the all-time series between these programs but Harvard has won their last fourteen meetings.
Looking ahead, should Harvard win against Columbia they would remain eligible for a share of this year’s league championship depending on results elsewhere before moving into postseason play against Penn at Cornell’s Newman Arena on March 14.
