Dartmouth Travels to Harvard to Face Crimson Saturday

Saturday, February 10

Cambridge, Mass. / Lavietes Pavilion

2:00 PM

Dartmouth College

Harvard

Photo by: Ryan Yong

Dartmouth Travels to Harvard to Face Crimson Saturday

2/9/2024 10:23:00 AM | Men's Basketball

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The Big Green remain just one game behind fourth place in the Ivy League standings

By: Justin Lafleur

GAME 20
Dartmouth (5-14, 1-5 Ivy League) at Harvard (11-8, 2-4 Ivy League)
Date: Saturday, February 10, 2024 – 2 p.m.
Location: Boston, Mass. – Lavietes Pavilion
All-Time Series: Dartmouth, 100-94

Setting the Scene
The Dartmouth men's basketball team hits the road for the first time in almost a month when the Big Green travel to Harvard to face the Crimson. Opening tipoff is set for 2 p.m. on ESPN+. Dartmouth and Harvard are two teams bunched together in the Ivy League standings, with the Crimson tied for fourth at 2-4 in league play and the Big Green one game back at 1-5.

Last weekend, Dartmouth dropped a pair of home contests, falling to Cornell (56-53) and Columbia (72-56). Against the Big Red, Dartmouth fell behind 19-0 before outscoring the Big Red 46-19 for a stretch of 21:36 to take an eight-point second-half lead. However, Cornell ended the game on an 18-7 run to pull out the 56-53 victory.

It was an impressive comeback effort for Dartmouth against a Cornell team that was receiving votes in the national polls and currently stands 17-3. Senior Dusan Neskovic led the offense with a game-high 16 points while sophomore Brandon Mitchell-Day posted his second-consecutive double-double and fourth this season with 10 points and 10 boards. Dartmouth's defensive effort was impressive as in the end, the Big Green held the Big Red 29 points below their season average of 85.3 entering the game, which was 10th in the nation. It was also 14 points fewer than Cornell's previous season low of 70 points at Syracuse.

Tides turned on Saturday as the Big Green started out strong, leading for the game's first 11 minutes, but Columbia used a 27-7 run to turn a seven-point Dartmouth lead into a 13-point Lions' advantage. The Big Green couldn't recover in a 72-56 loss. Dartmouth received balanced offense, with 12 of the 13 who saw action scoring, but no one scored more than 10 points in the defeat.

Sophomore Jackson Munro has been a bright spot as of late, dishing 16 assists over his last three games, with five against Brown, five vs. Cornell then a career-high six against Columbia. It marked the most helpers by a Big Green player over a 3-game stretch since Brendan Barry also tallied 16 in December of 2018.

Heading into the weekend, Cornell and Yale are tied for first at 6-0 in the Ivy League, followed by Princeton at 4-2 then Columbia, Harvard and Brown at 2-4. Dartmouth and Penn are just a game behind at 1-5. Dartmouth will look to continue its recent success against Harvard. The Big Green have won the last three meetings, two of which came at Lavietes Pavilion. Last season, Dartmouth earned the season sweep by winning 60-59 on the road, then 87-82 at home on Senior Day.

With a win...
- The Big Green would win their fourth straight game against Brown and third straight on the road.
- Dartmouth would move into a tie with Harvard in the Ivy League standings.
- The Big Green would improve to 5-4 over their last nine games against Harvard.

Last Time Out
HANOVER, N.H. (2/3/24) — The Dartmouth men's basketball team led for the game's first 11 minutes on Saturday, but visiting Columbia staged a big 27-7 run to turn a seven-point Big Green lead into a 13-point Lions' advantage, and Dartmouth could never recover in a 72-56 loss on Saturday evening inside Leede Arena. The Big Green got balanced scoring, with 12 of the 13 who saw action scoring a point, but no one scored more than 10 points in the defeat.

Scouting Harvard
Harvard stands 11-8 on the season and 2-4 in the Ivy League. The Crimson have alternated wins and losses over the last couple weeks, most recently falling at home to Cornell by an 89-76 final. Harvard's Ivy wins have come over Penn (70-61) and Columbia (62-59). The Crimson began the season 4-0 and stood 9-4 in non-league play.

Rookie Malik Mack has been a sensation, standing second in the Ivy League at 18.8 along with a team-leading 75 assists, and has won seven Ivy League Rookie of the Week awards. Chisom Okpara isn't far behind in scoring, coming in at 17.0 points per game, which is fourth in the league. Louis Lesmond averages 9.7 while Chandler Pigge comes in at 8.9, Justice Ajogbor 7.5 and Thomas Batties II 7.2 per game. Harvard's top six scorers have scored 1,187 points this season, which is 87.4 percent of the Crimson's points.

All-Time Against the Crimson
Dartmouth holds a 100-94 lead in the all-time lead against Harvard, which includes three straight victories and two in a row at Harvard. The three wins were at Harvard to close the 2021-22 season via a 76-54 final, the Big Green's largest win in the series in 30 years and biggest in Cambridge since 1955. Then last season, Dartmouth won at Harvard (60-59) and at home (87-72). Prior to that Mar. 5, 2022 meeting, the Crimson had won the previous four meetings, two of which were at Leede Arena. The Big Green won nine of the first 11 all-time matchups, including a 26-18 victory in the first-ever meeting on Feb. 2, 1901.

Taking Down the (BU) Terriers
Dartmouth beat Boston University, 63-54, on Wednesday, Dec. 13.

- The Big Green held the Terriers to their fewest points in the all-time series since a 64-53 Dartmouth win on Jan. 27, 1962 —19 games ago.
- Junior Romeo Myrthil was the story offensively for the Big Green, scoring a career-high 18 points on just seven field goal attempts (making five). He was 3-of-4 from 3-point range, including two 3-pointers as part of Dartmouth's 9-0 run to turn a 39-39 tie into a 48-39 lead. Thursday (Dec. 14) was Myrthil's birthday, but his home country of Sweden is six hours ahead of the Eastern time zone, so Myrthil's career performance came on his birthday… in Sweden.
- Dartmouth's 54 points allowed marked a season best.
- The win snapped Dartmouth's three-game losing streak against the Terriers and marked only the Big Green's second victory in their last six tries in the series.

Double Trouble
Sophomore Brandon Mitchell-Day has four double-doubles this season.

- at Saint Louis (Nov. 25): 17 points, 10 rebounds
- at Vermont (Nov. 29): 10 points, 10 rebounds
- vs. Brown (Jan. 27): 22 points, 10 rebounds
- vs. Cornell (Feb. 2): 10 points, 10 rebounds

At Vermont on Nov. 29, Mitchell-Day recorded his second straight double-double, becoming the first Dartmouth player to do so since Chris Knight in February of 2020. Knight actually did so in three straight games, posting 27 points and 13 rebounds vs. Princeton (Feb. 22), 17 and 13 at Cornell (Feb. 28) and 19 and 10 at Columbia (Feb. 29). Against Brown on Jan. 27, Mitchell-Day's 22-point, 10-rebound double-double marked the first of his career in Ivy League play and first 20-point, 10-rebound double-double in just under a year (since Dame Adelekeun's 41-point, 10-rebound double-double vs. Columbia on Jan. 28, 2023). Mitchell-Day went on to post another double-double one game after Brown, tallying 10 points and 10 rebounds against Cornell on Feb. 2.

Granite State Supremacy
On Wednesday, Dec. 6, Dartmouth took as much as a 23-point second-half lead over UNH, easily cruising past the Wildcats, 76-64. Sophomore Jayden Williams led the offense with a career-high 28 points, knocking down eight 3-pointers on just 10 attempts; it marked Dartmouth's fifth straight game with a 20-point scorer.

The win came over a UNH team that entered 6-3 and without the Big Green's top two scorers due to injury, senior Dusan Neskovic and sophomore Brandon Mitchell-Day. Williams' eight 3-pointers were just one from tying a program record and tied for the fifth most made threes in the nation this season. It was the most made triples by a Dartmouth player since Brendan Barry knocked down eight on Dec. 14, 2018 against Boston University. Williams also set career highs in rebounds (5), assists (4) and blocks (2) to help him earn Ivy League Player of the Week honors.

As a team, the Big Green knocked down a season-high 14 3-pointers. Dartmouth did not turn the ball over until 5:41 into the second half, finishing with just five, which were its fewest since also having five on Dec. 19, 2021 at Cal. UNH had just seven turnovers, as both teams took care of the basketball. The Big Green finished with 19 assists, a season high and most since last season's finale vs. Harvard.

Block Party
The Big Green tallied nine blocks on Dec. 2 at UAlbany, their most since Dec. 21, 2013 when they also had nine against Longwood. Juniors Nikola Dimitrijevic and Romeo Myrthil each posted a career-high four blocks, while senior Jaren Johnson recorded the other.

20-Point Notables...
- Senior Dusan Neskovic became the first Big Green player with 20 points in back-to-back road games since Brendan Barry in February of 2022. Barry had 25 at Yale (Feb. 4) followed by 21 at Brown (Feb. 5).
- Prior to Neskovic, the previous time a Big Green player scored 20 in back-to-back non-conference road games since Alex Barnett in 2008. Barnett scored 28 at Providence (Nov. 18) and 32 at Vermont (Dec. 2).
- As a team, the Big Green had a 20-point scorer in three of the first four games of the season (Neskovic 23 at Duke, sophomore Brandon Mitchell-Day 20 vs. Westfield State and Neskovic 24 at Saint Louis), the first time that's happened since the 2008-09 season. That year, Barnett had all the 20-point games, posting 28 at Providence, 24 vs. Colgate and 24 against Furman.
- Dartmouth had a 20-point scorer in five consecutive games (vs. Westfield State, at Saint Louis, at Vermont, at UAlbany and vs. New Hampshire). It marked the first time since at least the turn of the century that the Big Green have had a 20-point scorer in six of the first seven games of the season.
- Against New Hampshire (Dec. 6), Jayden Williams' 28 points marked a season high for a Dartmouth player and the most by a Big Green player since Dame Adelekun scored 41 last Jan. 28 against Columbia.
- Mitchell-Day scored 22 points while Neskovic added 20 in Dartmouth's comeback win over Brown on Jan. 27, marking the first time since Jan. 21 of last season that two Big Green teammates scored 20+ in a game, when Ryan Cornish had 31 and Neskovic netted 24 at Princeton.
- Neskovic is up to four 20+ point games this season.

McRae III and Myrthil Named Captains
Dartmouth head men's basketball coach David McLaughlin announced that senior Robert McRae III and junior Romeo Myrthil will serve as the Big Green's team captains in 2023-24. The two will look to lead an experienced group that features seven returning players who led the team in scoring at least once this past season.

History in Cameron Indoor Stadium
In the season opener at Duke on Monday, Nov. 6, the Big Green were led by junior Dusan Neskovic, who scored 23 points for a second straight season opener (also 23 last Nov. 7 at Fordham). He scored 15 of those points in the second half at Duke, shooting 7-of-11 over the final 20 minutes. Neskovic finished 11-of-19 for the game, which included knocking down a second-half 3-pointer.
- Neskovic's 23 points were the most scored by a Duke opponent in the Blue Devils' home opener since Davidson's De'Mon Brooks scored 24 on Nov. 8, 2013.
- It was also the most scored by any non-conference opponent at Duke's Cameron Indoor Stadium since Kevon Harris of Stephen F. Austin had 26 on Nov. 26, 2019.

Scoring Output
Eight different Big Green players have led the team in scoring this season.

Dusan Neskovic: 9 - at Duke (11/6), at Saint Louis (11/25), at Vermont (11/29), vs. UAlbany (12/2), at Sacred Heart (12/21), at Vanderbilt (tied) (12/30), vs. Yale (1/20), vs. Cornell (2/2), vs. Columbia (2/3)
Brandon Mitchell-Day: 4 - vs. Westfield State (11/15), at Vanderbilt (tied) (12/30), at Princeton (1/15), vs. Brown (1/27)
Jaren Johnson: 2 - vs. UMass Lowell (11/10), at Le Moyne (tied) (12/16)
Ryan Cornish: 2 - vs. Marist (12/9), at Penn (1/6)
Jayden Williams: 1 - vs. New Hampshire (12/6)
Romeo Myrthil: 1 - vs. Boston University (12/13)
Connor Christensen: 1 - vs. Thomas College (12/18)
Nikola Dimitrijevic: 1 - at Le Moyne (tied) (12/16)

Sustained Success
Since Feb. 17, 2022, the Big Green are tied for the fourth best record in the league in Ivy League games (regular season or postseason).

Princeton: 20-6
Yale: 21-6
Cornell: 15-10
Dartmouth: 11-14
Penn: 11-14
Brown: 10-14
Harvard: 9-16
Columbia: 3-21

International Experience
Four members of the Big Green hail from outside of the United States — Dusan Neskovic (Bosnia and Herzegovina), Romeo Myrthil (Sweden), Nikola Dimitrijevic (Serbia) and Ben Brown (England). Neskovic is the first Big Green player from Banja Luka since Vedad Osmanovic '02, who scored 697 points. The four international players are tied with the 2021-22 team for the most international players on a Dartmouth men's basketball roster.

Follow Along
Saturday's game can be seen live on ESPN+.

What's Ahead?
Following Saturday's game, the Big Green hit the road for two next weekend, at Columbia on Friday night and Cornell on Saturday night.