Athletics | April 15, 2013

Harvard basketball shocks New Mexico in 2013 NCAA tournament upset

The Crimson shocks New Mexico in NCAA tournament upset, loses in 2nd round.

From The May-June 2013 Issue

Photograph by Jim Urquhart/Reuters/Corbis Images

Scoring the biggest win in the history of the Harvard men’s basketball program, the Crimson upset powerful New Mexico—whom some had picked to reach the Final Four—68-62, to record Harvard’s first win in an NCAA basketball tournament and first against a top-10 opponent. Here, sophomore guard Wesley Saunders, who led the Ivies by averaging 16.5 points per game, gets past seven-foot New Mexico center Alex Kirk. Harvard finished atop the Ivy League for the third consecutive year. After Harvard defeated New Mexico, Arizona easily handled a cold-shooting Crimson squad, 74-51, in the next round. But with only one senior leaving, Harvard’s hoopsters may come back even stronger next year.

Published in the May-June 2013 print issue under the headline “Harvard Makes Hoops History,” in the John Harvard's Journal section.

Related topics

You might also like

Skier holding a Harvard Crimson flag points at the camera

Harvard Students, Alumni to Compete at the 2026 Olympics

Six Crimson athletes are headed to the XXV Winter Games in Milano Cortina.

Two bare-knuckle boxers fight in a ring, surrounded by onlookers in 19th-century attire.

England’s First Sports Megastar

A collection of illustrations capture a boxer’s triumphant moment.

A man skiing intensely in the snow, with two spectators in the background.

Introductions: Dan Cnossen

A conversation with the former Navy SEAL and gold-medal-winning Paralympic skier

Most popular

Historic red brick building with large windows and tree shadows in foreground.

Harvard’s Epstein Probe Widened

The University investigates ties to donors, following revelations in newly released files.

A seated statue of a man reading, with an American flag waving in the background.

U.S. Military to Sever Some Academic Ties with Harvard, Hegseth Says

The defense department will discontinue graduate-level professional programs for active-duty service members.

A woman gazes at large decorative letters with her reflection and two stylized faces beside them.

The True Cost of Grade Inflation at Harvard

How an abundance of A’s created “the most stressed-out world of all.”

Explore More From Current Issue

A stylized illustration of red coral branching from a gray base, resembling a fantastical entity.

This TikTok Artist Combines Monsters and Mental Heath

Ava Jinying Salzman’s artwork helps people process difficult feelings.

Four men in a small boat struggle with rough water, one lying down and others watching.

Politics and Law

The 1884 Cannibalism-at-Sea Case That Still Has Harvard Talking

The Queen v. Dudley and Stephens changed the course of legal history. Here’s why it’s been fodder for countless classroom debates.

A girl sits at a desk, flanked by colorful, stylized figures, evoking a whimsical, surreal atmosphere.

Undergraduate Column

The Trouble with Sidechat

No one feels responsible for what happens on Harvard’s anonymous social media app.