Harvard buzzing as playoff nears

The amount of attention payed this week to Harvard men's basketball is likely unprecedented — much like their Ivy League championship and possible NCAA berth. The Crimson prepare for tomorrow's playoff with Princeton at Yale with that ticket to the big dance in the forefront of their minds.

ESPN's Andy Katz led his blog post last night with a look at Harvard's momentous occasion. He reports that coach Tommy Amaker received a voicemail from an 85-year old Harvard hoops alum — who played on the last Harvard team to make the NCAA tournament in 1946.

"We're gaining momentum now," Amaker told Katz. "This has been fun and exciting. This is what we envisioned. I'm hoping we can take this to a different stage."

Harvard's student paper The Crimson previewed the winner-take-all showdown in New Haven this morning. The Harvard players see the playoff as a fitting way to end the season:

“It would’ve been nice [to avoid a playoff], but it wouldn’t have been right,” sophomore forward Kyle Casey told the Crimson. “This is the way it should be, and everyone’s excited to play them again ... it’s definitely going to be a fight.”