Men’s Basketball Plays at Brown, Yale in First Ivy Back-to-Back of Season –

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Harvard University men’s basketball plays its first Ivy League back-to-back of the season with road contests at Brown University on Friday, Jan. 6 at 7:00 p.m. (ESPN+) at the Pizzitola Sports Center and at Yale University on Saturday, Jan. 7 at 7:00 p.m. (ESPN+) at the John J. Lee Amphitheater inside Payne Whitney Gymnasium.

What to Know

• Harvard holds a 105-76 edge in the all-time series with Brown. The two teams split last year’s matchups with the Crimson winning at Brown, 65-50, and falling at home, 84-73. The Crimson had taken 19 in a row in the series from 2010-19 before the Bears captured the second meeting between the teams in 2018-19.
• The Crimson trails the all-time series with Yale, 84-121. The Bulldogs took both of last season’s meetings by one possession – 58-55 in New Haven and 62-59 in Cambridge. Harvard had taken six of the previous seven meetings between the two teams prior to the 2021-22 season.
• In the Ivy League opener, senior guard/forward Chris Ledlum posted a double-double on game highs in points (22) and rebounds (13) and added game highs in blocks (three) and steals (three), but Harvard fell at Princeton University, 69-66, at Jadwin Gymnasium on New Year’s Eve.
• Harvard stands in the midst of a six-game road swing with a 2-2 record thus far. The Crimson opened the stretch with a 62-57 win over UC Irvine (Dec. 20) before challenging No. 4/4 Kansas (Dec. 22) in a 68-54 setback in a trip that included approximately 5,647 flight miles. In its non-conference finale at Maine (Dec. 28), the Crimson took a 74-73 (OT) win before falling at Princeton (Dec. 31) in its Ivy League opener, 69-66, in a pair of trips that included approximately 1,020 bus miles. Harvard closes the stretch with this weekend’s games at Brown (Jan. 6), and at Yale (Jan. 7).
• Harvard tallied a 9-5 record during non-conference play with victories over Northeastern (70-69), Siena (69-59), Loyola Chicago (61-55), UC Irvine (62-57), and Maine (74-73, OT) highlighting the stretch. Four of the Crimson’s five setbacks came against No. 4 Kansas, two Atlantic 10 opponents (Fordham, Massachusetts), and Louisiana – the preseason pick to win the Sun Belt. During non-league play, senior guard/forward Chris Ledlum paced the Crimson with 19.3 points and 8.4 rebounds per game.
• Senior guard/forward Chris Ledlum has averaged team highs in points (19.5), rebounds (8.7), and steals per game (1.8), scoring in double figures in 14 of 15 games, netting 20 or more points six times, and posting four double-doubles. Ledlum ranks second in the Ivy League in points per game, first in rebounds per game, and second in steals per game. He also stands second in total points (292), first in field goals (114), second in free throws (45), first in offensive rebounds per game (3.1), third in blocks per game (1.3), and sixth in minutes per game (31.7). In the NCAA, he ranks seventh in field goals, 15^th in total points, 27^th in points per game, 38^th in total rebounds (132), 41^st in offensive rebounds per game (3.13), and 44^th in rebounds per game (8.8).
• Ledlum poured in a career-high 30 points with nine rebounds and a career-best five steals vs. Loyola Chicago (Nov. 25). Ledlum notched back-to-back 20-point double-doubles with a game-high 27 points and career-best 15 rebounds in the OT win at Maine (Dec. 28) prior to game highs in points (22) and rebounds (13) at Princeton (Dec. 31). In the Crimson’s battle with UMass (Dec. 2), Ledlum posted a double-double on 25 points and 10 rebounds. He scored a game-high 29 points on 12-of-17 shooting at Northeastern (Nov. 16) and then had 18 points on 8-of-11 shooting vs. Siena (Nov. 20). At No. 4 Kansas, he registered 17 points and nine boards. Ledlum notched 18 points and nine boards in the Crimson’s win at UC Irvine (Dec. 20). Ledlum notched his first double-double of the year on 10 points and 10 rebounds vs. Elon (Nov. 13). He posted game highs in points (22) and rebounds (seven) at Morehouse (Nov. 7).
• Junior guard Sam Silverstein has tallied 8.1 points and 5.5 rebounds per game, while shooting 85.2 percent from the free throw line. He ranks fourth in the Ivy League in minutes per game (32.5), sixth in steals per game (1.4), and 10^th in rebounds per game (5.5). Silverstein scored a career-high 17 points with five rebounds and three…