2014 NCAA Tournament: Harvard Crimson upset the Cincinnati Bearcats

Mar 20, 2014; Spokane, WA, USA; Cincinnati Bearcats forward Titus Rubles (2) and Harvard Crimson forward Steve Moundou-Missi (14) fight for the ball in the first half of a men

Tommy Amaker’s number 12 seed Harvard Crimson have once again advanced to the round of 32, this time by beating the number five seed Cincinnati Bearcats. The Crimson won in wire to wire fashion (the last lead Cincinnati had was six to five).

It was just another day at the office for Harvard’s balanced attack. Wesley Saunders led the way with 12 points, while Siyani Chambers and Laurent Rivard each chipped in 11.

Harvard went into the locker room at half time with a 36 to 29 lead, while Cincinnati showed its offensive inconsistency. There were quite a few spurts where the Bearcats simply could not get the ball to go through the hoop. After Sean Kilpatrick, who finished with 18 points, the rest of the team was ugly with the ball in their hands.

Mick Cronin’s team managed to pull within one by way of its full court press with 3:12 to go, but they never managed to get over the hump. Harvard never got away from their game plan and continued to get good shot after good shot. Even though they struggled from the free throw line throughout the contest, they made clutch free throws at the end to seal the deal.

Going forward for the Crimson they will play the winner of the Michigan State Spartans and Delaware Blue Hens. Many have picked Tom Izzo’s Spartans to win the whole thing, so Amaker must have his boys ready for the quick turnaround on Saturday.