Smarter Than We Knew
The students who filled Harvard's sold-out Ray Lavietes Pavilion on Saturday didn't have to fall back on a trite chant like, "Safety School." They didn't need to hurry back to the Harvard dorms and hide the fact that they had just wasted a couple of precious early December study hours.
Instead, many of the 2,050 in attendance were able to razz the opponent with the creative, "We Got Tommy, We Got Tommy." And when their Crimson had finished a semi-stunning 62-51 win over Tommy (Amaker's) former school, Michigan, they did something that the smart kids in Cambridge rarely get to do.
They stormed the court.
"This was a very meaningful win for our program," said Amaker, whose team moved to 4-4. "The players brought their hunger and brought their hearts. We're hopeful that we can continue to have our home court advantage this year and play well when tested."
Harvard (picked sixth in the Ivy league) held Michigan (3-5) scoreless for the final 3:38 of the game and outscored its Big Ten opponent 34-24 in the paint.
Predictably, Amaker downplayed the revenge factor of having defeated the program that let him go after lukewarm results in his six seasons in Ann Arbor (no NCAA appearances and an 109-83 overall record). Clearly, anyone with a heartbeat would take some satisfaction in sticking it to a former employer that severed ties. Still, what may be most important for Amaker and Harvard is that they are figuring out ways to win games and be more than just competitive - especially after a 55-point loss in Amaker's debut against Stanford.
In that game, it would have be fine to chant, "Safety School." But not this past Saturday night. Not now that Harvard has "Got Tommy."
Now the Crimson faithful can storm the floor.
