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Yale vs Harvard: 2019-20 college basketball game preview, TV schedule

By Robert Kennedy

MIAMI, FL - DECEMBER 01: Jordan Bruner #23 of the Yale Bulldogs shoots a jumper over Deng Gak #22 of the Miami Hurricanes during the HoopHall Miami Invitational at American Airlines Arena on December 1, 2018 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
MIAMI, FL - DECEMBER 01: Jordan Bruner #23 of the Yale Bulldogs shoots a jumper over Deng Gak #22 of the Miami Hurricanes during the HoopHall Miami Invitational at American Airlines Arena on December 1, 2018 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) /
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Yale Basketball takes on the Harvard Crimson in a battle of Ivy League heavyweights. Who are the players to watch and where can you catch the action?

Where: Payne Whitney Gym: John J. Lee Amphitheater, New Haven, Connecticut

 When: Friday, February 7, 5:00 pm. Television: ESPNU

Yale Bulldog Basketball is having itself a fine season. The Bulldogs, (16-4,7-0) are sitting at the top of the Ivy League standings have caught the eye of the Associated Press earning an AP Top 25 vote. Last year, Yale defeated the Harvard Crimson in the championship of the Ivy League Tournament and in so doing punched their ticket to the NCAA Tournament. Yale leads the series against the Crimson by a 121-82 record and is led by Head Coach James Jones.

The Harvard Crimson (13-6,2-2), have dropped their last two conference games against Princeton and Penn after starting Ivy League play with two back-to-back wins against Dartmouth. Harvard is in a three-way tie for second place with Brown and Penn, all with identical 2-2 conference records. Harvard Head Coach Tommy Amaker is in year 13 of leading the Crimson. He last led his team to the NCAA Tournament in 2015. Harvard won the Ivy League regular-season title last year with a 10-4 conference record.

The Yale Bulldogs field some top-level talent with #5 Azar Swain, #23 Jordan Bruner and #20 Paul Atkinson earning Ivy League Player of the Week honors. Azar Swain is a sharp-shooting 6-foot tall, 185-pound junior guard who leads the conference with 58 triples, on 35.6 percent shooting. Jordan Bruner is a 6-foot-9 senior center who leads the conference in rebounding, grabbing 9.5 boards per game. Paul Atkinson is a 6-10, 220-pound junior forward from West Palm Beach, Florida. Atkinson ranks eleventh nationally in field goal percentage, shooting 63.6 percent.

The Harvard Crimson are led offensively by # 0 Chris Lewis and #10 Noah Kirkwood. Lewis is a 6-foot-9 senior forward from Alpharetta, Georgia. His conference statistics state he’s averaging 14.8 points per game on 46.3 percent shooting. Lewis pulls down 6.3 rebounds per game and he’s shooting 9-12 from the charity stripe, for a 75 percent average. Kirkwood is a 6-foot-7 sophomore guard from Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. He is averaging 13.5 points per game, shooting 45.2 percent from the field. Kirkwood has drained nine triples in conference play sporting a 45 percent average. So far, he has knocked down 7-12 free-throws for a 58.3 percent average from the foul line.

When I conducted research for this game, there was a lot I didn’t know about the Ivy League. I didn’t know that they played conference games back-to-back. For instance, right after Yale plays Harvard on Friday evening, they turn around and play Dartmouth the very next day. It’s like that for every team, throughout Ivy League play.

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I had the chance to see Yale play Penn State down to the wire, at the Bryce Jordan Center, back in December. I was impressed with the athleticism of Jordan Bruner and the ball handling of Eric Monroe. I’m picking Yale to win this game, as it will be a bit of regular season revenge. Harvard defeated Yale during the regular season both times they met, last year.