25th-ranked Crimson set sights on Tigers

Feb 11, 2012 - 3:59 PM Princeton, NJ (Sports Network) - The 25th-ranked Harvard Crimson will look to add onto their best start in school history as they head to Jadwin Gym to take on the dangerous Princeton Tigers in Ivy League action.

This will be the first of two scheduled meetings between the Crimson and Princeton this season. The Tigers hold a 127-39 lead in the all-time series. Harvard is currently in sole possession of first place in the conference with a 7-0 league record, while Princeton is 3.5 games back with a 3-3 mark in Ivy League action.

Harvard basketball has never had the spotlight shining on it like has this season. While alum Jeremy Lin was making national headlines with a sensational performance in the NBA, Harvard continued its success on Friday as it downed the Penn Quakers 56-50 in Philadelphia to pick up their ninth win in a row. Harvard displayed its excellent defense against the Quakers, and forced Penn's star point guard Zack Rosen to go 6-of-21 from the floor. The Crimson's only two losses this season have come to Connecticut and Fordham, both on the road. Head coach Tommy Amaker led the squad to some impressive victories this season, including triumphs over Florida State, UCF, and Saint Joseph's. While scoring 65.7 ppg on the offensive end, the Harvard Crimson ranked third in the nation in scoring defense with an allowed average of just 53.6 ppg.

Corbin Miller, who averages 3.4 ppg this season, came up big off the bench for Harvard on Friday night as he scored 17 points in 18 minutes to push his team past Penn. Kyle Casey contributed 15 points in the victory while Keith Wright grabbed a team-high 13 rebounds. Laurent Rivard leads the team in scoring with 11.3 ppg, while Keith Wright carries averages of 10.7 points and 7.7 rebounds per game. Brandyn Curry controls the offense and hands out 5.0 assists per outing.

Princeton is going to be a very difficult opponent for Harvard. The Tigers are only 12-10 overall, but they have picked up some surprising victories along the way, including road wins over Florida State and Rutgers. Head coach Mitch Henderson's squad defeated Dartmouth 59-47 on Friday night to add their second win in three tries. The Tigers carry a scoring offense average of 64.0 ppg while they allow opponents to score 61.9 ppg.

Ian Hummer is pacing the Tigers with 16.5 points and 7.6 rebounds per game. Douglas Davis is second on the team with 13.6 ppg and has hit a team-high 59 three-pointers. Davis led the charge on Friday with 20 points on 7-of-13 shooting from the floor. Brendan Connolly added 10 points in 15 minutes off the bench in the contest. Ian Hummer will need to completely bounce back after a terrible 0-of-11 shooting night against Dartmouth.