NEW HAVEN, Conn. — Harvard seemed destined for its first undisputed Ivy League title, and first NCAA tournament bid since 1946. That is until Princeton’s Doug Davis turned destiny around yesterday after hitting a leaner to beat the buzzer, and beat the Crimson 63-62 in the Ivy League tiebreaker.
“I took a fade and it went in. I fell on the ground, and that was worst decision I ever made; everybody jumped on me,” said Davis, who had a team-high 15 points, none more important than the last pair. He pump-faked Oliver McNally in the air and shot the Tigers into NCAA tournament.
Tigers fans stormed the court at Payne Whitney Gym, pinning Davis under a mass of celebrating bodies. He still was there, buried under fans and teammates the entire time the refs reviewed the shot, eventually calling it good.
Like the Tigers needed to be told.
“I didn’t know what happened. I blanked out and next thing I was screaming,” said Dan Mavraides (11 points). “It was like my life flashing before my eyes. Four years here, from the worst team in history to the champions of the Ivy League.”
It’s been an arduous climb for Princeton (25-6), both the past few seasons and the past few days, coming back from coach Sydney Johnson’s 6-23 debut four years ago to erasing a 40-32 second-half deficit yesterday for an Ivy League-record 24th NCAA bid.
Johnson’s debut season marked the most losses in a campaign in the university’s proud history. But the Tigers improved every season, all while moving away from the slow-down game where they milked the clock like a shrewd hourly employee.
Harvard (23-6) — led by ex-Seton Hall coach Tommy Amaker — closed its regular-season by beating the visiting Tigers on March 5 to clinch their first share of the Ivy League.
Johnson made his players watch the celebration to inspire them. They won Tuesday at Penn to force a play-in, and yesterday it was their turn to celebrate.
Christian Webster’s layup put Harvard up 40-32, but the Tigers mounted an 6-0 run capped by Ian Hummer’s tip-in, and hung around until they could find their moment. It came when Ivy League Player of the Year Keith Wright (16 points, six boards, four blocks) picked up four fouls in exactly seven minutes.
Princeton trailed 50-46 with 7:02 to play when Wright sat. Davis hit a left-wing jumper and then a right-wing 3 to put Princeton ahead 51-50. After a 58-all tie they traded leads, Hummer putting Princeton ahead 61-60 with 38 seconds left and Harvard’s Brandyn Curry answering with 11 seconds remaining. That set up Davis’ dramatics.
“I met my wife here, my best friends. I love this program,” said Johnson, who played on a 24-win Tigers team in 1997. “Harvard is really good. But I do think we’re in a different (category). We’re over here in this corner where there are expectations of winning. That’s a different responsibility. These guys carried so much weight; it’s a big challenge.”
