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Yale at Harvard, 8:00 PM Eastern, American Sports Network
As we enter the final weekend of the regular season for those conferences not already deep into conference tournament play, there is little question as to which game was going to be chosen for tonight’s UTR Game of the Day. The MAC will be winding up play tonight and determining which teams receive its conference tournament byes. While that is very important (including a huge game between Buffalo and Bowling Green that could be the difference between a team having to play 2 games and 5 games in the MAC tournament), the showdown in the Ivy League is the clear cut choice for tonight. The winner of tonight’s Yale at Harvard game will only need to win their regular season finale on Saturday (or have tonight’s loser lose again in their finale) to clinch the automatic bid. In an absolute worse case scenario, tonight’s winner will guarantee at least a tie for the regular season crown and a berth in a one game playoff.
Yale enters play tonight at 10-2 in conference and 21-8 overall. Their two conference losses both came at home, to Harvard by 2 points and to Columbia. Luckily for the Bulldogs, their last two games are on the road. Yale is led by Justin Sears, though keep an eye on Jack Montague, a strong three-point shooter, and Matt Townsend as options beyond Sears. If the Bulldogs can pick up the victory tonight, a win at Dartmouth tomorrow night (7:00 PM) will give the Bulldogs their first NCAA tournament appearance since 1962. This would end the second longest NCAA tournament drought among teams that have been at least once before, with only conference-mate Dartmouth (which has not been in the field since 1959) having a longer streak.
Harvard is looking to lock up its fourth straight Ivy League championship and NCAA tournament berth this weekend. The Crimson enter play tonight at 10-2 in conference and 20-6 overall. While they did win at Yale earlier this year, a pair of startling losses in Ivy League play (at home to Dartmouth and at Cornell), plus a handful of close calls that they pulled out, have left us scratching our heads about what appeared to be, in terms of talent at least, not only the best team in the Ivy League but a team with Top 25 potential. Despite their setbacks this season, the team led by Wesley Saunders, Siyani Chambers and Steve Moundou-Missi needs to simply hold serve in a pair of home games this weekend to return to the Big Dance (Saturday night they host Brown, 6:00 PM, CBS Sports Network). The atmosphere should be electric in Cambridge tonight, and there is no reason not to expect a tough close game that could come down to the final possessions.
OTHER HIGHLIGHTED REGULAR SEASON GAMES
-TEXAS TECH AT BAYLOR (Big Twelve). I’ve been really impressed with how Baylor has been playing lately, despite their recent loss at Texas. I think they’re safe for a protected seed so long as they hold serve in their remaining games.