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Ivy League champion Harvard headlines Great Alaska Shootout field

With nearly all major contributors from this season’s NCAA tournament team due back (led by Siyani Chambers and Wesley Saunders) and the return of point guard Brandyn Curry and forward Kyle Casey, the Harvard Crimson are the trendy pick in the eyes of many when it comes to the mid-major program that can make some noise in 2013-14.

But with the release of the bracket for the 2013 Carr’s Safeway Great Alaska Shootout on Thursday, the question for Harvard is whether or not their non-conference schedule will give them enough shots at high-caliber opponents.

Tommy Amaker’s team is one of eight in the field, with the event taking a big hit due to Iowa’s decision to instead participate in the Battle 4 Atlantis. The Hawkeyes have generated some conversation on the heels of their Postseason NIT run, with many believing that Fran McCaffery’s team has enough talent to be a factor in the Big Ten race.

A possible shot at Iowa would have been a great opportunity for Harvard. Instead their best possible opponent in Anchorage may very well be quarterfinal opponent Denver, which won a share of the WAC regular season title in 2012-13 and makes the move to the Summit League this summer.

Also in the field is Indiana State, which returns point guard Jake Odum and finished third in the 2012 Diamond Head Classic (beating eventual ACC champion Miami in the third place game).

The full schedule for the Great Alaska Shootout:

Wednesday, Nov. 27 – First Round
Game 1 – Tulsa vs Indiana State
Game 2 – Texas Christian vs Alaska Anchorage

Thursday, Nov. 28 – First Round
Game 3 – Pepperdine vs Green Bay
Game 4 – Denver vs Harvard

Friday, Nov. 29 – Consolation Semifinals & Semifinals
Game 5 – Tulsa/ISU loser vs TCU/UAA loser
Game 6 – Pepp./GB loser vs DU/Harvard loser
Game 7 – Tulsa/ISU winner vs TCU/UAA winner
Game 8 – Pepp./GB winner vs DU/Harvard winner

Saturday, Nov. 30
7th/8th-place – Game 5 loser vs Game 6 loser
4th/6th-place – Game 5 winner vs Game 6 winner
3rd/5th-place – Game 7 loser vs Game 8 loser
Championship – Game 7 winner vs Game 8 winner


With the release of the bracket, what Harvard does with its remaining non-conference openings becomes more important in regards to not only the possibility of an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament but also their potential seed.

Raphielle also writes for the NBE Basketball Report and can be followed on Twitter at @raphiellej.