Harvard finished this past season 17-12 (10-4 Ivy), second in the Ivy League, before losing in overtime to eventual champion Penn in the Ivy semifinal. The Crimson’s season was defined by a combination of high-level shotmaking, good scoring defense and a bunch of close games—12 of Harvard’s 29 games were decided by five points or fewer or went to overtime. Their season showed flashes of both their talent/upside as well as some holes in the roster.
This is an offensively skilled group that, if intact, returns four starters—including two legitimate Ivy Player of the Year candidates.
Those POY candidates are rising junior shooting guard Robert Hinton and rising senior combo forward Thomas Batties II, a pair that gives Harvard real shot creation and matchup flexibility. Stylistically, Hinton has shades of CJ McCollum in his ability to create separation into pull-up jumpers. Both Hinton and Batties are high-major caliber players who would make legitimate contributions at that level.
They are complemented by point guard Ben Eisendrath and combo guard Tey Barbour, both rising juniors.
We’ll get into Hinton and Batties, but first a few sentences on Barbour and Eisendrath, along with losing Chandler Piggé.
Barbour is dangerous as a catch-and-shoot 3-point shooter and cutting to the basket. He led the team in 3-pointers made (78-197), shooting 40%, and was 52% finishing around the rim (per basketball reference and Bart Torvik, respectively). He spaces the floor intelligently and constantly moves without the ball.
Eisendrath is one of the most poised lead guards in the Ivy. His control of the ball and decision-making make him the connective tissue of the team. He rarely wastes dribbles and operates with a maestro-like command of the offense. He only averaged 3 APG but if you watch the film and see him live it’s clear he moves the ball where it needs to go to get a good shot.
The Piggé Loss
Replacing Piggé won’t be straightforward. There were very few perimeter players this past season with his combo of physical strength, downhill force, and defensive disruption. Alongside Shelton Henderson (Miami FL), Pigge was arguably the most physically imposing perimeter player in all of college basketball.
But it wasn’t just Pigge’s physical tools—it was also his production.
He averaged 13 pts, 5 rebs, 3 ast and 1.7 steals per game, was capable of pushing in transition or scoring in the half court, and defended multiple positions.
Harvard doesn’t have a clean replacement on the roster, but given their perimeter talent, they should be able to absorb the loss.
Projected Starting Lineup
PG – Ben Eisendrath (6-2)
G – Robert Hinton (6-5)
G – Tey Barbour (6-4)
F – Thomas Batties II (6-7)
F/C – TBD
There is a possibility Harvard leans into a four-guard lineup, inserting rising junior Austin Hunt, but that would come at the expense of size, which is already a concern.
Harvard had the upside to win the Ivy tournament and compete with high-major teams, but their season ended with an OT loss in the conference tourney.
Going into next season, the Crimson will need to address their interior defense and rebounding, as their lack of interior play reared its head this season, especially in non-conference games. They lost to Boston College, Furman and St. John’s in games where they never established themselves (save for the first 10 minutes of the St. John’s game). They were out-rebounded 33-25 and 39-22 vs. Furman and St. John’s, respectively.
Harvard’s scoring defense (allowing 66.7 PPG) was actually best in the Ivy and top-25 nationally, but they still need more interior presence to fully unlock their perimeter talent. If they can somehow get size inside, Hinton and company are too good of shotmakers and playmakers to not separate themselves within the league. But against more physical teams, their margin for error will shrink significantly without interior resistance.
Let’s take a look at some of their returning players.
Robert Hinton (rising junior) | SG, 6-5, 200 lbs
- 33.5 MPG | 16.8 PPG | 4.8 RPG | 2 APG | 1.4 SPG | 49% FG | 29% 3P | 83% FT
- Only 28% of his non-around-the-rim 2PT field goals were assisted (he can create his own shot)
Stylistically, has some CJ McCollum in his game:
Thomas Batties II (rising senior) | F, 6-7, 225 lbs
- 33 MPG | 12.3 PPG | 5.4 RPG | 2.3 APG | 1.5 BPG | 0.7 SPG | 47% FG | 45% 3P | 87% FT
- 45% from three on 4.4 attempts — legitimate floor-spacing forward with shot-blocking and switching presence defensively
Tey Barbour (rising junior) | G, 6-4, 190 lbs
- 33.6 MPG | 13.6 PPG | 5.2 RPG | 1.4 APG | 0.7 SPG | 46% FG | 40% 3P | 82% FT
- 40% from three with the most makes on the team — efficient perimeter scorer who rebounds well for his position and is a good cutter
Ben Eisendrath (rising junior) | G, 6-2, 180 lbs
- 29 MPG | 5.3 PPG | 2.2 RPG | 3.3 APG | 1.6 SPG | 43% FG | 90% FT