Thank you for joining us here at VAVEL USA. Join me in 56 minutes for Gonzaga-BYU. Have a great night!
Our VAVEL USA Player of the Game is Columbia guard Maodo Lo, he finished with 33 points.
Final Score: Harvard 80, Columbia 70
2nd (0:00): A few turnovers as the clock runs out.
2nd (0:16): Travis fouls Osetkowski. He makes one of two. 80-70 Harvard
2nd (0:21): Saunders is fouled. He makes the first. He makes the second. 80-69 Harvard
2nd (0:32): Lo makes a jumper. 78-69 Harvard
2nd (0:46): Jonah Travis makes one of two free throws. 78-67 Harvard
2nd (0:46): Jeff Coby with the foul
2nd (0:59): Timeout Harvard
2nd (1:11): Maodo Lo turns the ball over, what a poor play there.
2nd (1:21): McComber misses the three pointer but Corbin Miller grabs the rebound. Chambers turns the ball over on the ensuing possession.
2nd (1:31): Jeff Coby sends Jonah Travis to the line. He makes just one of two. 77-67 Harvard
2nd (1:56): Lo for three! 76-67 Harvard
2nd (2:07): Jonah Travis with a layup after Harvard breaks the press from Columbia. 76-64 Harvard
2nd (2:20): Castlin's free throw attempt is good. 74-64 Harvard
2nd (2:41): Castlin misses a three pointer but Osetkowski pulls down the offensive rebound. Castlin gets a layup to bring the lead to 11. 74-63 Harvard
2nd (2:51): Chambers makes both free throws. 74-61 Harvard
2nd (2:51): Harvard kills about 30 seconds off the clock before Lo is called for another foul.
2nd (3:32): Chambers makes both free throws. Isaac Cohen pushes the ball up the floor for a quick layup. 72-61 Harvard
Media Timeout: Harvard 70, Yale 59
2nd (3:32): Lo called for the foul.
2nd (3:34): Timeout Harvard
2nd (3:48): Moundou-Missi and Castlin exchange layups. 70-59 Harvard
2nd (4:23): McComber is fouled. He makes the first free throw. The second free throw attempt is good. 68-57 Harvard
2nd (4:24): Moundou-Missi misses a jumper after pulling down the offensive rebound.
2nd (5:31): Lo misses a three pointer attempt. McComber with the put back. 68-55 Harvard
2nd (5:43): Corbin Miller with another made basket and the foul. He has scored the last eight points for Harvard. The free throw is good. 68-53 Harvard
2nd (5:49): We are back after some technical difficulties. Corbin Miller hits two big three pointers to extend the lead out to 12. It is 65-53 Harvard
Score Update: Yale 48, Penn 47. 2:19 left
Media Timeout: Harvard 59, Columbia 51
2nd (7:44): Springwater is called for a foul on the other end to bring us to the under-8 media timeout.
2nd (8:06): Noah Springwater gets on the board with a three-pointer after the timeout. 59-51 Harvard
2nd (8:20): Timeout Columbia
2nd (8:51): Corbin Miller hits a three point after a missed attempt on the other end from Osetkowski. 59-48 Harvard
2nd (9:28): DUNK! Moundou-Missi pulls down the offensive rebound and is rewarded with the dunk on the drive from Saunders. 56-48 Harvard
2nd (10:07): Osetkowski finds space and lays the ball up and in. 54-48 Harvard
2nd (10:23): Lo with a steal and a lay-up. Corbin Miller responds with a jumper on the other end. 54-46 Harvard
2nd (11:01): Isaac Cohen is called for a foul on Saunders despite getting all ball on the block. Both free throws are good. 52-44 Harvard
2nd (11:24): Osetkowski gets his shot blocked by Moundou-Missi. Castlin is fouled by Jonah Travis but he misses both of his free throws.
2nd (11:54): Wesley Saunders makes both free throws. 50-44 Harvard
Maodo Lo has 24 points for Columbia right now.
Media Timeout: Harvard 48, Columbia 44
2nd (11:54): Two consecutive three pointers from Columbia and we have ourselves a game at the under-12 timeout. 48-44 Harvard
Score Update: Penn leads Yale 41-38 with 8:25 to go
2nd (13:05): Timeout Columbia
2nd (13:10): Moundou-Missi goes to the line where he makes one of two. 48-41 Harvard
2nd (13:19): Harvard with three shots on their next possession but nothing to show for it. Lo looks for a three pointer on the other end but misses Osetkowski grabs the board but loses it out of bounds.
2nd (14:33): Lo makes the free throw to extend the Columbia run. 47-41 Harvard
2nd (14:33): STEAL! Lo with the steal and the layup and the foul! 47-40 Harvard
2nd (15:33): Isaac Cohen makes a layup on the other end. Chambers misses a three but Lo doesn't and it is a 9 point game. 47-38 Harvard
2nd (15:48): Wesley Saunders hits the free throw. 47-33 Harvard
Media Timeout: Harvard 46, Columbia 33
2nd (15:49): Isaac Cohen and Wesley Saunders exchange baskets as we reach the media timeout. 46-33 Harvard
2nd (16:46): Three pointer from Chris McComber to bring the lead down to 11. The pace picks up as Saunders makes a shot. 44-31 Harvard
2nd (17:43): Chambers misses a jumper that is pulled down by Osetkowski. Osetkowski missed a layup on the other end. Chambers makes a jumper finally to break the drought. 42-28 Harvard
2nd (18:12): Both teams miss shots on their next possessions. Moundou-Missi with a foul on Castlin. He makes both free throws. 40-28 Harvard
2nd (19:19): Maodo Lo makes a jumper which is answered by a three point from Siyani Chambers. 40-26 Harvard
And we are back for the second half.
We will be right back after a short break.
Columbia has seen 16 of their 24 points scored by Maodo Lo
Harvard has two players in double figures as Moundou-Missi has 12 points and Saunders has 10 points.
Halftime: Harvard 37, Columbia 24
1st (0:04): Kenyatta Smith misses a late layup and that will do it for the first half.
1st (0:27): Osetkowski goes to the line after the foul from Okolie. He makes only one of two. 37-24 Harvard
1st (0:58): Moundou-Missi finds space and sinks the jumper from Saunders. 37-23 Harvard
1st (1:26): Lo drives to the bucket with the layup. 35-23 Harvard
1st (2:03): Kenyatta Smith answers with a jumped off the pass from Okolie. 35-21 Harvard
1st (2:19): Cohen makes a layup after the timeout. 33-21 Harvard
1st (2:50): Lo misses another three point attempt, the ball is pulled down by Chambers who feeds Moundou-Missi for the layup. Timeout Columbia. 33-19 Harvard
1st (3:10): Kenyatta Smith makes one of two free throws. 31-19 Harvard
Media Timeout: Harvard 30, Columbia 19
1st (3:10): A foul is called on Jeff Coby as he hits Kenyatta Smith on a layup attempt. He will get free throws after the media timeout.
1st (3:56): Moundou-Missi is rewarded with the jumper after pulling down the defensive rebounds on the Lo missed three pointer. 30-19 Harvard
1st (4:43): Maodo Lo makes a layup on the other end after one free throw made from Saunders. 28-19 Harvard
1st (4:50): Jeff Coby heads to the line after he is fouled by Zena Edosomwan. He makes one of two. 27-17 Harvard
1st (5:23): Harvard dominating the offensive glass as Agunwa Okolie pulls down the board and lays the ball back up and it. 27-16 Harvard
1st (6:12): Harvard makes their next two shots sandwiched around a missed three pointer from Cory Osetkowski. 25-16 Harvard
Media Timeout: Harvard 21, Columbia 16
1st (7:04): Cohen turns the ball over for Columbia and that takes us to the under-8 media timeout.
1st (7:38): DUNK! Agunwa Okolie with the steal, he feeds Chambers who feeds Moundou-Missi for the jam! 21-16 Harvard
1st (8:11): Lo misses a layup but the offensive rebound is pulled down by Columbia.
1st (8:28): Wesley Saunders draws a foul. He makes both free throws to extend the lead back to three. 19-16 Harvard.
1st (8:56): Lo with another layup. That is seven straight points for the guard from Germany. 17-16 Harvard
1st (9:43): Timeout Harvard
1st (10:00): Lo has scored the last five points for Columbia. He hits a three, gets a steal, and a lay-up. 17-14 Harvard.
1st (11:00): Issac Cohen makes a layup after the break to bring the margin to 6. 15-9 Harvard
Media Timeout: Harvard 15, Columbia 7
1st (11:31): Harvard misses two shots on their next possession. A big rebound from Conor Vos to give the ball back to Columbia.
1st (12:09): Jonah Travis sinks a jumper on the other end. 15-7 Harvard
1st (12:21): Wesley Saunders is called for the foul on Lo. His first free throw is good. The second attempt is good as well. 13-7 Harvard
1st (12:42): Kyle Castlin looked for the layup but his effort was blocked by Jonah Travis.
1st (13:24): Saunders with a nice drive to the basket and the finish. 13-5 Harvard
1st (13:39): Lo is fouled by Moudou-Missi on a blocking attempt. His first free throw is good. The second free throw is no good. 11-5 Harvard
1st (14:00): DUNK! Zena Edosomwan with the slam on the dish from Siyani Chambers. 11-4 Harvard
1st (14:34): Lo gets on the board with a layup. 9-4 Harvard
Media Timeout: Harvard 9, Columbia 2
1st (16:03): Maodo Lo with a big steal but he cannot finish the layup! Some sloppy play comes next with turnover after turnover after turnover.
1st (16:12): Wesley Saunders goes to the line and makes one of two free throws. 9-2 Harvard
1st (16:17): Lo takes a quick three pointer but he misses. Okolie pulls down the board. A technical foul is called on Columbia.
1st (16:27): Zena Edosomwan draws a foul. He makes both free throws. 8-2 Harvard
1st (16:47): Osetkowski breaks the drought with a layup. 6-2 Harvard
1st (17:49): Maodo Lo turns the ball over as he loses the ball out of bounds. A big turnover for the Lions.
1st (17:59): DUNK! Steve Moundou-Missi with a monster jam on the fast break. 6-0 Harvard. Timeout Columbia
1st (18:59): Cory Osetkowski with a missed layup that is pulled down by Moundou-Missi. Wesley Saunders with the basket on the other end. 4-0 Harvard
1st (19:26): An early bucket from Siyani Chambers as he drives to the rack. He is fouled but cannot hit the free throw. 2-0 Harvard
1st (20:00): Columbia wins the tip and we are underway.
The starting lineups are being announced right now to big cheers from the Columbia crowd. A full crowd tonight in New York City
Harvard is wearing their white uniforms tonight.
The senior night ceremony has begun
We are now moments away from the tip-off tonight in New York City.
We've heard that tonight's game is sold out for Senior Night at Columbia. It should be a special night indeed.
Kentucky destroyed Arkansas 84-67 while Iowa State fell to Kansas State 70-69.
Florida Gulf Coast fell on the road to Jacksonville 75-67 on the final day of the regular season in the Atlantic Sun.
Virginia Commonwealth fell to Dayton 59-55. Another loss for the Rams will likely drop them to a 7-seed when the next VAVEL Bracketology comes out tonight.
Wichita State beat Northern Iowa by a score of 74-60 to win the Missouri Valley regular season championship.
St. John's defeated Georgetown 81-70 in a battle of bubble teams.
Bubble team NC State lost a big game to Boston College by a score of 79-63.
A big game in the Big Sky right now as two of the top three schools Montana and Eastern Washington are playing in Cheney. That game is tied at 56 with 12:06 left.
Taking a look around the college basketball scoreboard:
Princeton holds an early 18-8 lead while Dartmouth leads 10-8. Both games are approaching the under-12 timeout in the first half.
Two of the other three games in the Ivy League have tipped off. Princeton is playing at Brown while Dartmouth and Cornell are playing.
How do you see our game going today? Leave us your comments on my Twitter page @tenorman85.
6-foot-4 freshman guard Kyle Castlin is the other player to watch. He averages 10.3 points per game with 4.2 rebounds per game. Castlin struggled at the beginning of the season but is averaging 11 points per game over the last 12 games. He will be the second scoring option if Lo struggles or is forced to give up his shot.
6-foot-3 junior guard Maodo Lo is the leading scorer for the Lions as well as the Ivy League as a whole. He averages 17.0 points per game. Like Wesley Saunders on the Harvard side, Lo has only three games in which he has not scored in double figures. His season high came just eight days ago as he dropped 35 points on Brown. He hit 14-of-20 shots on that night.
Here is a look at the player to watch for the Columbia Lions:
Columbia has a big win in the recent weeks as they beat Yale in New Haven last Saturday. That game finished 56-50. Today, they will look to get revenge for a 72-68 loss to Harvard just 15 days ago.
The Lions have not had the best season though they have had some pretty good efforts this year. They played at Rupp Arena back on December 10th and only lost by ten points while holding Kentucky to only 56 points. That has been the lowest scoring output for the Kentucky Wildcats this season.
Columbia comes into today’s game off of a loss against Dartmouth on Friday night. Kyle Castlin and Maodo Lo combined for 33 points for the Lions on the night but the team was only able to shot 35.5% from the floor. Conversely, Dartmouth sank 60.4% of their shots AND had six players finish in double-figures.
The big man down low is 6-foot-7 senior Steve Moundou-Missi. He averages 9.0 points per game and 6.8 rebounds per game but he has the ability to own the glass. He has just five games where he has pulled down double digits in rebounds but one of those was a 17 board effort at Vermont in December. He has blocked 38 shots as well in 2015.
6-foot junior guard Siyani Chambers runs the point for the Crimson. He averages 4.2 assists per game and contributes nearly 10 points per game. If Chambers is struggling to provide assists for Harvard then it could be a long day. He averages 3.0 assists in their six losses on the year but seven of those came in a single game against Holy Cross back in November.
6-foot-5 senior guard Wesley Saunders is the team’s leading scorer averaging 16.3 points per game. He has scored in double figures in every game except for three on the season. One of the other big parts of his game is the ability to rebound at his height. He is also the second leading rebounder pulling down 6.3 rebounds per game. Saunders has six games with 10 or more rebounds including their last game against Cornell.
Here is a look at the players to watch for the Harvard Crimson:
Ironically, the most points they allowed in a single game was in a loss to the Virginia Cavaliers back on December 21st. Virginia, the top defensive team in the country, scored 76 points in the win on that day.
One thing you can be assured to see from this game is defense especially from the Harvard Crimson. Harvard comes into the day with the 11th best scoring defense allowing just 56.6 points per game on the season. Opponents have scored 70 or more points in only five games against the Crimson this year.
Harvard was on the inside track to the Ivy League crown before a big loss on Friday away to Cornell. That broke the Crimson’s eight-game winning streak. Harvard could not buy a bucket in that game making only 25.4% of their shots. They did dominate the offensive glass though with 21 offensive rebounds including four each from Steve Moundou-Missi and Wesley Saunders.
Yale’s game today starts at the same time as ours as they welcome Penn into the John J. Lee Amphitheater.
Harvard and Yale are each 9-2 in conference; they will face off next Friday in Cambridge, Massachusetts with the winner likely taking the automatic NCAA Tournament bid.
Both of our teams today have just three games remaining in their regular seasons including today. Harvard and Yale are the only two teams who can win the Ivy League.
The Ivy League is the only conference in Division 1 College Basketball that does not hold a conference tournament. The regular season champion will earn the automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament.
Good evening and welcome to VAVEL USA’s live coverage of NCAA Division 1 College Basketball. Our game tonight is a big Ivy League match-up between the Harvard Crimson (19-6, 9-2) and the Columbia Lions (13-12, 5-6) from Levien Gymnasium in New York City. My name is Matthew Evans and I will be your host for tonight’s game.