CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – For the third time in four years, the No. 9 Harvard men's water polo team (29-0, 10-0 NWPC) has advanced to the NCAA Tournament. The Crimson will host the first opening round game of the tournament at Blodgett Pool, facing No. 13 Bucknell (22-8, 10-2 MAWPC) on Saturday, Nov. 30 at 12:30 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ESPN3.
Earlier this season, the Crimson edged then No. 14 Bucknell 9-8 at the Harvard Invite. In 2016, Harvard also hosted the Bison in the NCAA opening round game, which it won 13-12 to advance to the championship bracket.
Harvard and Bucknell both earned their spots in the NCAA Tournament by way of winning their respective conference titles. Bucknell secured the MAWPC crown defeating No. 18 George Washington 9-4 while Harvard earned its 29th win of the season with an 8-7 victory over No. 19 Princeton.
How to Follow
Livestream: ESPN3 | International
NCAA Notes
Tournament Bracket
Twitter: @HarvardH2OPolo
What to Know
- During the NWPC Tournament, head coach Ted Minnis, first-year Alexandru Bucur and sophomore Noah Hodge were named Coach of the Tournament, Rookie of the Tournament and MVP of the Tournament, respectively.
- Hodge, seniors Charlie Owens and Austin Sechrest and junior Dennis Blyashov were named to the All-Tournament First Team.
- Sophomore Alex Tsotadze was named to the All-Tournament Second Team while junior Jackson Enright received All-Tournament Honorable Mentions.
Up Next
Should the Crimson secure a win over Bucknell, the team will head to the University of the Pacific to face Southern California (14-5) in the second opening round game. That contest is set to take place on Dec. 5 at 4 p.m. EST (1 p.m. PST) at the Chris Kjeldsen Pool in Stockton, Calif.
