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When UMass Lowell coach Norm Bazin sat before the media alongside players Connor Hellebuyck, Chad Ruhwedel and Scott Wilson on Saturday, the second-year bench boss looked almost bewildered.

"It's almost like a surreal experience for us," Bazin said after his River Hawks dispatched the New Hampshire Wildcats, securing Lowell's spot in the Frozen Four for the first time in school history.

Don't believe it. Bazin knows exactly what he's doing, and that's a credit to not only Bazin, but the school administrators who believed this Hockey East also-ran could rise from its old mill city surroundings and be a force in college hockey. Bazin began molding this team to be a winner from the moment he left Hamilton College (where he crafted a 48-31-7 mark in three seasons) and returned to his alma mater two years ago.

"He came in and he believed in us from day one, and he got us to believe in each other as well and he instilled some great work habits for everybody," said junior Josh Holmstrom, who was a freshman on the 2010-11 Lowell squad that went 5-25-4. "Every day that we come to the rink, we're trying to get better. That's been the goal the past two years. We didn't have anything really set in stone [as far as goals]. It was improve every day, and the results will take care of themselves. That's been one of the biggest things that he's taught everybody on the team -- just always work and try to get better every day."

Bazin not only has registered the best two-year win total ever at Lowell (52), but he has done it against a tough backdrop. Some state university trustees openly questioned whether the school should have a Division I hockey team as recently as 2007 (when the River Hawks went 8-21-7). That was before chancellor Marty Meehan -- a Lowell native and former U.S. congressman -- took the reins and empowered athletic director Dana Skinner to bolster the hockey program.

Former coach Blaise MacDonald did a commendable job, compiling winning records in 2008-09 and 2009-10, and recruited a number of the players who are now leading the current Lowell squad, including captain Riley Wetmore. However, the disastrous 2010-11 campaign resulted in MacDonald's ouster, and Bazin was brought home.

"We've got an outstanding school. I am very fortunate to be working at UMass Lowell," said Bazin, who graduated from Lowell in 1994. "We might be the storefront for the program, however there are so many exciting changes happening on campus. The tagline is 'progress in motion,' and that applies to the hockey club also."

Bazin and his River Hawks wasted little time putting Lowell back on the map, earning the program's first NCAA bid since 1996 with a 24-13-1 mark last season. They defeated Miami (Ohio) before falling to Union in the East Regional. This season, riding the momentum of a best-in-the-nation 22-3-1 stretch since Christmas, the River Hawks have taken the next step and are preparing to meet Yale in Pittsburgh on April 11.

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MANCHESTER, N.H. -- The UMass Lowell River Hawks prolonged decades of frustration for New Hampshire hockey fans, ending the Wildcats season with a 2-0 victory in the NCAA Northeast Regional final before 8,357 at the Verizon Wireless Center on Saturday.

In the first-ever meeting between the schools in the NCAA tournament, the top-seeded River Hawks (28-10-2) upended a game-but-undermanned Wildcats squad (20-12-7), and they did it with a stifling defense and clutch scoring. The Lowell victory avenges three losses to UNH during the Hockey East regular season and guarantees the program's first-ever trip to the Frozen Four. They'll square off against the Yale Bulldogs in Pittsburgh on April 11.

The win was particularly sweet for second-year River Hawks coach Norm Bazin, who was on the 1994 Lowell team that was denied a chance to get to the Frozen Four, losing to Minnesota in double overtime, 2-1, in the regional finals at Michigan State. The current Lowell squad, said Bazin, is capable of creating its own legacy.

"I think this team is starting to show people that they're capable of something special," he said. "And we hope this continues."

Lowell goaltender Connor Hellebuyck again was a wall for the River Hawks, stopping 28 shots to record his second shutout of the postseason (sixth of the season) and capture Most Outstanding Player honors for the regional. In six playoff games since the end of the end of the regular season -- all victories -- the freshman from Michigan has given up a grand total of five goals, and only two in his last four.

"Connor's an exceptional goalie. Obviously, he's had two great weekends, and he's been strong most of the second half," said Bazin, noting that he has the luxury of two superb goaltenders in Hellebuyck and junior Doug Carr. "You don't get very far, and you certainly don't get to a final four, without great goaltending. And he's been providing that."

Meanwhile, UNH -- known derisively in some circles as the University of No Hardware -- suffered another bitter NCAA exit, and will have another offseason to contemplate what went wrong. It was the fifth straight time the Wildcats have lost in the regional final (2005, 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2013).

"We've been here one too many times, in this situation, where we won the first game and then lost," said UNH captain Connor Hardowa. "A lot of credit to [Lowell]. They played an unbelievable game. They forced us to dump pucks when we didn't want to, and made it hard for us to break the puck out.

"I thought we played a pretty good game," said Hardowa. "There were just a couple of mistakes here and there that cost us the game, and that's just how the game goes. In this tournament, you make one mistake, it costs you the season."

After exploding for a combined 11 goals in their two semifinal wins on Friday, the River Hawks and Wildcats locked in a defensive struggle for the first 39 minutes. Then, with 30 seconds remaining in the second period, the tide turned dramatically in favor of the River Hawks. UML defender Chad Ruhwedel fired a shot from the right point, which caromed off the backboards to sophomore Scott Wilson. Wilson saw his first chip shot blocked, but he collected his own rebound and tucked it past UNH goaltender Casey DeSmith for a 1-0 Lowell lead.

"It was something we actually pre-scouted," said Bazin. "We felt that [DeSmith] was vulnerable from underneath the goal line. Whether it's true or not, we were aiming to get pucks down low. They've got such a good defensive corps, we didn't get that opportunity too many times tonight. Sometimes it works as you scripted it.

"On that goal, we certainly were aiming for that all game long, and it finally happened for us."

The Wildcats started the game behind the 8-ball, having lost top scorer Kevin Goumas (42 points) and top goal-getter Grayson Downing (15 tallies) to injuries in Friday's opening match against Denver. Still, UNH had the best early chance, with freshman Collin MacDonald narrowly missing a tap-in just minutes into the contest. For the remainder of the period, Lowell kept the Wildcats to the outside, giving Hellebuyck an unobstructed view, until UNH's Austin Block got a last-chance bid with less than 10 seconds remaining that skittered just wide.

"They play a really tough game," said UNH's John Henrion. "They strive off their forecheck. Anything in the neutral zone gets deep. It's tough for our defensemen, as it would be for any team to constantly have to go back and fetch pucks. And from there, they get on the puck. They forecheck hard."

The middle stanza produced more of the same, with both teams employing a grinding, responsible defensive style, and few first-rate scoring chances. Shots that did get through were either gobbled up or easily deflected by Hellebuyck and DeSmith. With almost 14 minutes gone, UNH's Jay Camper was set up nicely inside the right face-off circle by freshman Dan Correale, but his one-timer was blocked by Hellebuyck's right arm.

Lowell's Josh Holmstrom was got the puck between the hash marks two minutes later, but misfired on his shot and failed to put the puck on net. Finally, Wilson broke the deadlock at 19:30, finishing off a 20-second Lowell flurry. Collecting the puck at the left corner of the crease, Wilson snapped a shot that DeSmith blocked. But the sophomore from Ontario jumped on the rebound, and slipped in past the sprawling UNH netminder to give Lowell the game's first lead.

Wilson's strike was a foreboding harbinger for the Wildcats, who had managed only a 7-9-4 record when surrendering the game's first goal (compared to a 13-2-2 mark when taking the lead). The Wildcats ramped up the pressure in the third period, only to see the River Hawks match their intensity. Specifically, the Lowell forwards were tenacious in their backchecking, rarely giving their UNH counterparts any room to move and constantly harassing the Wildcats defenders.

"Discipline has really been a key word for us this season," said Ruhwedel, a junior assistant captain. "I think our team has really showed true character, and tonight was definitely one of those games."

At 13:58 Lowell freshman Adam Chapie gave the River Hawks some breathing room. Picking up the puck at his own blue line, Chapie drove down the left wing, getting position on UNH's Brett Kostolansky. Just as DeSmith attempted a poke check, Chapie flipped the puck underneath the right arm of the UNH netminder, giving Lowell a 2-0 lead.

"It was a big goal for us. He's somebody, oddly enough, who seems to flourish in tough situations," said Bazin. "He seems to excel along the wall. Credit to him, he doesn't quit on pucks. That was a big goal to add to our cushion, because a one-goal lead against UNH isn't very settling when you're a coach standing behind the bench."

The Wildcats threw caution to the wind with 2:47 remaining, pulling DeSmith for the extra attacker. In the last minute, UNH stormed the Lowell defensive zone, but Dick Umile's troops couldn't get a puck past Hellebuyck.

"He's a big boy," said Umile. "Obviously, we saw two pretty talented goaltenders in our last games in [Hellebuyck and Providence freshman John] Gillies. I'm going to have nightmares about the two of them. It's a big difference when they're that big and that quick.

"He just towers over the net," said the UNH bench boss. "He reminds me of my old days, and Kenny Dryden. He's that type of goaltender."

Next stop for the Lowell freight train? Pittsburgh.

"We'll let these guys enjoy it for a night, but that's about it," said Bazin. "Then we'll get back to work."

MANCHESTER, N.H. -- One of the refrains repeated by UMass Lowell River Hawks coach Norm Bazin during last week's Hockey East finals was simple but direct: "Why not Lowell?"

After a 6-1 dismantling of Wisconsin on Friday night, and a Saturday date in the finals of the NCAA Northeast Regional, with a chance for the program's first Frozen Four appearance hanging in the balance, the question seems more relevant than ever. "Why not the River Hawks?"

New Hampshire (20-11-7) knocked out the Denver Pioneers in Friday's nightcap with a come-from-behind win, 5-2 win, so Lowell will face the Wildcats in an all-Hockey East final on Saturday night, with the goal of improving a program-best 27-10-2 record.

"I believed in this team since day one," Bazin said Friday.

Lowell, however, started at a glacial pace this season, stumbling out of the gates with a 4-7-1 record. Among those seven losses were three defeats suffered at the hands of the Wildcats, the last on Dec. 8. After that loss, Lowell went on a 23-3-1 tear, the best in the country.

"They're a very gritty team," said UNH forward John Henrion. "They're a really tough team to play against. They're really hard-nosed. They're skilled. They've got some big, strong defensemen. And obviously their goalie [Connor Hellebuyck]. They've been playing their best hockey. It's going to be a tough test for us."

Given their success over the second half of the season, it's not surprising that the River Hawks are drawing comparisons to defending national champs Boston College, the team that Lowell edged to take the Hockey East regular-season crown. Many see Lowell's composure under pressure, and quick-strike capabilities, as a carbon copy of Eagles squads of recent vintage.

"I've got a lot of concerns [with Lowell]. They're a real good hockey team, obviously," said UNH coach Dick Umile, who lost forwards Kevin Goumas and Grayson Downing in Friday's win. "They're a very well-coached team. They've got balance throughout. They've got skilled forwards, they've got defensemen. We'll have our hands full."

Wisconsin coach Mike Eaves said it was Lowell's defensive structure that reminded him most of the BC Eagles, who defeated the Badgers in the 2010 NCAA title game.

"They do a good job of fronting, getting in front of your guys and blocking shots," said Eaves. "The other thing they did well tonight was take advantage of moments when we gave them odd-man rushes. They put the puck away."

Bazin said as long as his squad remains committed to playing team defense, he likes its chances against any opponent. "I think the guys are truly believing that they can help out every single shift, and the forwards drive the bus," said Bazin. "When their back pressure is strong, we're very good defensively. When their back pressure isn't as strong, we're not as good."

"It's a team effort," he said. "We don't go very far when we're not aggressive. But when we're aggressive on the puck, we're a good hockey club."

After a dominating finish to Friday's win over Wisconsin, the No. 1 seed River Hawks appear to be sitting in the driver's seat. "They play hard, they play as a team, and they know what it takes to win," said Wisconsin senior defenseman John Ramage. "Obviously, look at their record. They are a hot team, too. They know how to win, and they showed it in this game."

In New Hampshire, the River Hawks face an opponent with good team speed, very good special teams, a solid netminder in sophomore Casey DeSmith, but an occasional penchant for turnovers. Just the recipe for an opportunistic squad like Lowell. Still, judging from his comments after the Wisconsin rout, Bazin is focusing on his own team, not the Wildcats.

"We concentrate on our own game, and we feel if we concentrate on our own game, we have a chance against anybody. That's been the M.O. for us," said the second-year Lowell bench boss. "For us, it's about executing our team systems. And we're focused on that."

Lowell's run may have the River Hawks feeling like world-beaters, but one of Friday's stars said the team won't get ahead of itself.

"We do have a lot of confidence right now," said Lowell sophomore forward Scott Wilson. "The coaches and captains kept us pretty level-headed throughout the whole run here. Even tonight, a great win for us but [Riley] Wetmore, our captain, just pulled us aside and said tonight, 'Enjoy it for five minutes, but tomorrow we have to do business again.' It's just been a process all year, that we focus on the next one."

The next one is a big one, with a trip to the Frozen Four in Pittsburgh -- the first Frozen Four appearance in Lowell's history -- on the line. Conversely, the Wildcats have been to seven Frozen Fours, the last in 2003, so it appears that history might be on New Hampshire's side.

To which Lowell's Bazin would probably reply, "Why not Lowell?"

MANCHESTER, N.H. -- UMass-Lowell (27-10-2) served notice on Friday: not only do they deserve the Northeast Regional's No. 1 seed, but they are gunning for a spot in the Frozen Four after dismantling a white-hot Wisconsin Badgers squad, 6-1.

Norm Bazin's troops didn't have a huge edge in shots on goal (30 to 28), but they were ruthlessly efficient. Joe Pendenza got the River Hawks on the board just 7:11 into the opening period, firing a dart from the left wing that squeezed under the glove of Wisconsin's Joel Rumpel. The River Hawks doubled up shortly after intermission, when Scott Wilson feathered a deft pass to defender Christian Folin, who immediately snapped a shot that beat Rumpel low on the glove side for a 2-0 lead at 3:12. Lowell's Shayne Thompson delivered the backbreaker at 14:08 of the middle stanza, completing a sensational rush by shoveling a forehand shot past Rumpel an instant before Wisconsin defender Joe Faust sent him crashing into Rumpel, giving Lowell a 3-0 lead. In the third period, Derek Arnold's tap-in of a super Ryan McGrath feed at 13:56, finishing off another Lowell odd-man rush, gave the River Hawks an insurmountable 4-1 lead. Lowell's Adam Chapie added an empty-netter at 19:12, and Ryan McGrath buried a breakaway chance with less than four seconds remaining to finish off the Badgers.

CLUTCH PERFORMANCE: Lowell freshman goaltender Connor Hellebuyck showed the same impressive form that won him MVP honors in the Hockey East playoffs last weekend. While the River Hawks were opportunistic on offense, Hellebuyck repeatedly shut the door on the Badgers with several huge stops to protect Lowell's leads early in the game.

UNSUNG HEROES: Though not flashy, the rugged River Hawks defensive corps, led by Chad Ruhwedel, Joe Houk, Greg Amlong, Zack Kamrass, Jake Suter and Folin, constantly put a body on Wisconsin's forwards, making them pay for any play, and making crisp, clean outlet passes that kept the Badgers on their heels.

TURNING POINTS: Hellebuyck not only made the big saves, but also made timely saves. The first came 17 seconds after Lowell took a 1-0 lead, when Hellebuyck stuffed Badger Joseph Labate's cross-crease bid with his right pad. He stopped Wisconsin's Jefferson Dahl on a penalty shot to preserve that one-goal lead, and then robbed Tyler Barnes on a wraparound bid shortly after Lowell took a 2-0 lead in the second period. Even after Wisconsin finally scored a power-play goal at 8:19 of the third, trimming Lowell's lead to 3-1, Hellebuyck's calm, confident play between the pipes had to demoralize the Badgers.

SALT LAKE CITY -- Mark Lyons has been to the Sweet 16 before. But earning another trip, with his new team, felt different Saturday -- maybe even a bit more special -- because of the position he plays.

“I’m the point guard now,” the Arizona senior (and former guard at Xavier) said after he tied his career high with 27 points to help beat Harvard 74-51. “Last year I was playing off the ball with a great point guard, and I learned from him. And now, I’m back … we’re back.”

The 6-foot-1 playmaker made sure the Wildcats were back -- and on to Los Angeles for the West Regional semifinal -- by pumping up his defense as well as making 12 of 17 field goals.

Lyons and the Wildcats controlled the game from the get-go. While the 14^th-seeded Crimson missed shot after shot -- their first 13, to be exact -- sixth-seeded Arizona built a 17-2 lead. Lyons had seven points before Harvard freshman point guard Siyani Chambers finally buried the Crimson’s first field goal, a 3, with 12:16 left in the first half. But the Wildcats led by as many as 22 before taking a 40-22 halftime lead.

“I think in order for us to make this a magical moment for our team and program -- which we have been able to do at other points in this season -- you’ve got to get off to a good start against a team like that,” said Harvard coach Tommy Amaker, whose team shot just 27.6 percent against the taller, more aggressive, more confident-looking Wildcats. “We had our chances. We had some open opportunities early, and once we missed some we kind of got our heads down and they took advantage of it.”

Indeed, even when Harvard tried to chip back -- and Chambers got a chipped tooth in the process -- Lyons was there, doing what a point guard does: leading.

When a Chambers 3 cut the deficit to 44-30 with 17:22 to go, Lyons made a layup.

And when two free throws by Harvard’s Wesley Saunders cut it to 16 with 13:16 left? Lyons scored on another drive.

Harvard never really threatened, but key for the Wildcats was that they never allowed it.

“When we got the lead, Coach [Sean Miller] said, ‘Don’t let up. Don’t start walking the ball up,’ because we have a tendency to let up,” Lyons said.

Not this time.

Lyons also finished with three assists, two turnovers, a steal and a rebound. According to ESPN Stats & Information, he now will become the first player ever to compete in the Sweet 16 in back-to-back years with different teams. He also played on two Xavier squads that reached the Sweet 16, and practiced with another when he was a partial qualifier as a freshman.

“I think it’s remarkable, really,” Miller said. “It shows you how talented he is, and it also shows you the bigger the game, [it] can really bring out the best in him.”

Lyons, who averaged about 15 points during the regular season, is now averaging 25 points in this year’s NCAA tournament. And he thinks the best is yet to come.

“You know, it’s a great feeling,” Lyons said. “I’m playing for my original coach who recruited me, playing with a bunch of guys who believe in me and got faith in me. We’ve been coming together as a team. It’s great to be back in the Sweet 16 and trying to advance.”

 
SALT LAKE CITY -- It wasn’t just about Arizona being bigger. The Wildcats, led by point guard Mark Lyons, also were flat-out better. Aggressive, accurate and defensive-minded from the beginning, sixth-seeded Arizona ended 14th-seeded Harvard’s short-lived Cinderella run, 74-51, to advance to the Sweet 16.

A quick look at the victory:

Turning point: A true turning point never came, because Arizona controlled this one from the get-go. While the Crimson missed shot after shot -- its first 13, to be exact -- the Wildcats built a 17-2 lead. Freshman point guard Siyani Chambers finally buried Harvard’s first field goal, a 3, with 12:16 left in the first half, but Arizona led by as many as 22 before taking a 40-22 lead into halftime.

Players of the game: Lyons finished with a season-high 27 points on 12-for-17 shooting, and forward Solomon Hill added 13.

Chambers, who lost part of a tooth early in the second half when he caught an inadvertent elbow from Wildcat Kevin Parrom, finished with six points on 2-for-8 shooting. Forward Kenyatta Smith led Harvard with 10 points.

Stat of the game: Arizona held Belmont to 39.2 percent shooting on Thursday. This time around, it held Harvard to 27.6 percent.

Next up: Arizona advances to play either No. 10 Iowa State or No. 2 Ohio State in the West region semifinals.

He's a professional now, playing basketball for a living. But that doesn't mean Keith Wright feels any less of a connection to his alma mater.

The forward for Uppsala in Sweden's top league (where he's listed at 209 centimeters and 109 kilograms) was watching Thursday night as No. 14 seed Harvard upset No. 3 seed New Mexico 68-62.

"It is such a huge win for our program," Wright said by email Friday. "I'm so proud of those guys."

Part of Tommy Amaker's first full recruiting class in 2008, Wright helped establish the winning culture that's flourishing in Cambridge right now. The 2010-11 Ivy Player of the Year played 33 minutes in the 12th-seeded Crimson's loss to No. 5 seed Vanderbilt in last season's NCAA tournament, finishing with eight points and nine rebounds.

After the Crimson upset the Lobos, Wright said he was able to video chat with some of his former teammates and coaches.

"For Coach Amaker to do what he did with the squad this year, given the circumstances, is unbelievable," Wright said. "All of the alums are so proud to be a part of what Harvard had become."

That includes some of Wright's other former teammates, like Oliver McNally and Houston Rockets star Jeremy Lin.

After the buzzer sounded in Salt Lake City, Lin tweeted his excitement.

Wright did the same:

its 6 am..i have a game tonight…but i can't go back to sleep now…hahaha IM TOO HYPED for the little homies #gocrimson

— Keith Wright (@KWright44) March 22, 2013

Hours later, Wright sounded just as excited.

"It was just awesome to see. You can give credit to Coach Amaker but the players buying into his system and the brand of Harvard basketball is the most important part," Wright said. "Players like Wes Saunders stepping up and the emergence of Siyani Chambers was great to see. Kenyatta [Smith] finally coming into his own towards the end of the season … I'm just a proud alum, man.

"I feel extremely blessed to be a part of the Harvard program and community. We are all a family!"

Jack McCluskey is an editor for ESPN.com and a frequent contributor to ESPNBoston.com. Follow him on Twitter @jack_mccluskey.

Though it might seem like it happens in an instant, history is made slowly.

So when the buzzer sounded in Salt Lake City and the Crimson flooded onto the court to celebrate the school's first NCAA tournament victory, they had indeed made history. But they didn't just magically appear on that stage at the Big Dance, didn't just magically turn into Ivy League contenders and then champions.

Harvard has traveled a long road to this point, a yearslong journey that isn't over yet.

The journey started six years ago, when the school decided to make a fresh commitment to the program, on and off the court, and chose Tommy Amaker as its next coach.

Building toward history

It's hard to overstate just what a historic achievement No. 14 seed Harvard's 68-62 win over No. 3 seed New Mexico really is.

Amaker is the 17th coach in Harvard's long basketball history, which stretches all the way back to 1900 (although Harvard didn't field teams from 1909 to 1920). Entering the 2012-13 season, the Crimson had played 2,268 games (winning 1,015 and losing 1,253) but had never won a postseason game of any kind (0-2 in the NCAA tournament, 0-1 in both the NIT and the CollegeInsider.com tournament).

Of course, before Amaker took the 2009-10 team to the CollegeInsider.com tourney following a buzzer-beating loss to Princeton for the Ivy League's automatic NCAA bid, only one Harvard team had even played in a postseason tournament.

And that was in 1945-46.

Amaker took over in Cambridge before the 2007-08 season, having been fired by Michigan following the 2006-07 season. Amaker's Wolverines finished that season at 22-13 overall, including an 8-8 record in the Big Ten, with a second-round loss in the NIT.

What Amaker found by the Charles was a program that needed major upgrades both on and off the court. The Crimson needed better locker rooms, they needed better facilities and they needed more on-court talent.

But asked Friday about his "vision" for the Harvard program, Amaker said he didn't have to do anything special to make it a reality.

"I love the word 'vision,' first of all, and we use that a lot because that was real and truthful from day one of what I felt in my heart about Harvard. It's an incredible brand. It's a magical name, and that's not a knock to any other wonderful place or institution or university," Amaker told reporters in Salt Lake City. "I just think that it speaks for itself in so many ways of being considered the very best.

"I didn't have to overcome, or we didn't have to try and feel like we were overcoming anything. What we tried to do is present a vision and present Harvard as an option, as an opportunity. I never used the word 'sell.'"

Amaker did inherit some talent, including a point guard named Jeremy Lin, but otherwise the cupboard was close to bare early. (Lin, of course, went on to star in the Ivy League and then bounced around the NBA before bursting onto the scene with the Knicks last season. He now plays for the Houston Rockets.)

With Lin and a first recruiting class that included players such as Oliver McNally and Keith Wright, who would become stalwarts and two-year co-captains as juniors and seniors, Amaker set about building a winning culture in Cambridge.

That was a big deal because while the Crimson have had success in other sports, before Amaker arrived the men's basketball program never had.

Keeping the momentum going

The success the Crimson have had this season is surprising for a number of reasons, the most obvious being all the talent they lost after last season. McNally and Wright graduated, and their would-be senior co-captain replacements also left before the 2012-13 season began.

Kyle Casey, the do-it-all forward and former Ivy League rookie of the year, and Brandyn Curry, the steady, speedy point guard, both chose to withdraw from school after being implicated in an academic cheating scandal that involved more than 100 students.

Their abrupt departure could have submarined the season. Where there should have been two experienced, knowledgeable and talented hands on the helm, suddenly there were none.

But that was true only briefly.

"The facts are what they are, and it wasn't anything that any of us would prefer to have happen at our school across the board with so many kids and families and folks involved in something like that which is somewhat from what I've seen," Amaker said Friday.

"But I think our guys have been able to adjust just like I would expect most young kids to be able to do. They've done it exceptionally well. I've been very impressed with how they have been able to do that."

After losing Casey and Curry, Amaker turned to senior Christian Webster and junior Laurent Rivard. The duo would have to lead, and hope youngsters such as Wesley Saunders, Steve Moundou-Missi and Kenyatta Smith (all sophomores) and Siyani Chambers (a freshman) would follow.

At first, the sudden added responsibility was jarring.

"Of course [the loss of Casey and Curry] was a big blow to our team," Rivard said on a conference call with reporters Monday, "but the coaching staff was quick to tell us that it was an incredible opportunity for the team and for each of us individually.

"We embraced that role and we did what we could to get the team to where it's at now."

Webster, who had 11 points against New Mexico to cross the 1,000-point mark for his career, said they've grown into their roles as the season has gone on.

"If you look at us from earlier in the season to now, it's like a change in worlds," Webster said in the call Monday. "It's gotten so much better."

Rivard, a native of Saint-Bruno, Quebec, played a big role in the upset of the Lobos. The sharpshooting guard was 5-for-9 from behind the arc, including three big 3s in the first half, to help the Crimson build a lead first and later come back after the Lobos had rallied to take the lead.

His 17 points were only one off the team lead (Saunders had 18), and without his consistent ability to slip free of his defender -- mostly New Mexico forward Cameron Bairstow -- and hit open shots, Harvard almost certainly would have lost.

And while Rivard was only a two-star recruit coming out of Northfield Mount Hermon -- the prep school in Gill, Mass., that he transferred to in order to increase his recruiting profile -- that doesn't mean the shooter wasn't coveted.

After Rivard helped Harvard beat Boston College during his freshman season, Steve Donahue was asked whether the marksman had taken the Eagles by surprise.

"I know Laurent very well," Donahue said that day in January 2011, after Rivard scored a game-high 23 points in a 78-69 Harvard win in Conte Forum. "We recruited him very hard at Cornell. Terrific basketball player."

But as is becoming more and more common, the recruit chose to go to Harvard instead. And that has made all the difference.

"I think the back-to-back games in the Ivy League is going to help us a lot," Rivard said Friday of Harvard's preparation for Arizona. "It's a little different here now. I guess we have a day off in between.

"But during the Ivy League season, we would win or lose on Friday night and we had to turn the page whether we felt good about how we played or not, but we had to turn the page and focus on the next opponent. That's what we're doing today. We have practice right now. We're going to start focusing on Arizona, and I think it's going to help us."

Since 2010, the Crimson have added more three-star recruits (five) than the rest of the Ivy League combined (three, two for Yale and one for Penn), according to ESPN Recruiting Nation. And that total doesn't include the 2012-13 Ivy League rookie of the year, the first freshman to be voted first-team All-Ivy, Siyani Chambers (a two-star recruit).

Next season, the Crimson lose only the senior Webster, and should not only add another solid recruiting class -- including coveted prospect Zena Edosomwan, who turned down the likes of California, USC, Wake Forest, Washington, UCLA and Texas to commit to Harvard -- but also welcome back Casey and Curry (assuming the cheating scandal is settled).

So after winning a third straight Ivy League title, making a second straight NCAA appearance and capturing the first postseason win in school history, all in a season in which it was supposed to be weakened, Harvard likely will be even better in 2013-14.

Just imagine the history that Crimson team could make.

Jack McCluskey is an editor for ESPN.com and a frequent contributor to ESPNBoston.com. Follow him on Twitter @jack_mccluskey.

SALT LAKE CITY -- When Siyani Chambers chose Harvard, he hoped to be the Crimson’s starting point guard ... someday.

He dreamed of leading his team on an NCAA tournament run ... someday.

The fact that someday is today?

“Amazing," the 6-foot Ivy League rookie of the year said Friday, less than 24 hours after 14th-seeded Harvard knocked off No. 3 New Mexico for the program’s first NCAA tournament victory.

That word could describe his development, too.

“He’s the leader on our team," said senior guard Christian Webster, whose team will face sixth-seeded Arizona on Saturday for the right to advance to the Sweet 16. “Laurent [Rivard] and I are the captains, but he’s the leader. He drove this team."

It’s a role the 19-year-old ball handler never expected, at least not this soon, when he arrived on Harvard’s campus less than a year ago. First recruited by Crimson coach Tommy Amaker when he was in the eighth grade, Chambers decided pretty quickly that he wanted to play for the former Duke guard because of what he could learn.

But Chambers also thought he would have some time to be a pupil, while playing behind Brandyn Curry, a Cousy award candidate last season. That is, until September, when Curry and fellow senior Kyle Casey withdrew from Harvard following an academic scandal.

When the freshman heard the news, his head spun. “I was definitely nervous -- very, very nervous," Chambers said. “All of a sudden, it’s your first year, you’re coming in trying to learn the whole process about everything: playing, dealing with school and basketball.”

To persevere, he said, he leaned on his teammates -- and they leaned back, looking for the vocal freshman to glue together a team whose chances of winning the Ivy League all of a sudden seemed precarious, at best.

But Minnesota’s Mr. Basketball exceeded expectations probably because he had no other choice, gaining confidence (and his team’s confidence in him) by becoming a steady assist man and scorer early; he even hit the game-winning basket with four seconds left against Boston University on Dec. 11.

“He’s a special kid, and certainly he plays basketball in a special way, and I think you get excited when you watch him play," Amaker said. “I know when we recruited him, we wanted him to play in that manner; sometimes I thought he held himself back a little bit, and I told him if you ever come to play for us ... we want you to be dazzling because you’re capable of it.”

His season stats -- 12.6 points and 5.8 assists per game -- were dazzling enough to make him the first freshman named first-team All-Ivy League.

But the way he melded his team dazzled, too. Sophomore Wesley Saunders emerged as a go-to scorer (16.5 PPG). Rivard became a scary outside threat (five 3s against the Lobos on Thursday). Kenyatta Smith and Steve Moundou-Missi improved in the post. Harvard finished the regular season 19-9, winning the Ivy League.

So maybe it was fitting that as the seconds ticked down on Harvard's historic upset Thursday, Chambers was the one with the ball in his hands, grinning and carefully watching the clock. That moment is a feat the Crimson hope to repeat against another bigger, more heralded team Saturday.

And one Chambers never imagined when he thought about his goals a year ago.

“I just wanted to come in and learn as much as possible, so when it was my time I could step in and be able to contribute to the game," he said, remembering. “... When I first decided to come here, I did not think this is what I would be stepping into.

“But I’m glad I came here, and I’m glad this happened.”

Now.

SALT LAKE CITY NEWS AND NOTES

SAFETY FIRST: One teammate compared Wichita State sophomore Tekele Cotton to a strong safety. Shockers coach Gregg Marshall? He thinks the guard is more like a free safety.

Whatever the football analogy, you get the picture: The 6-2, 202-pound athlete is hard-nosed, hard-bodied and hard-focused on making stops. And if he can stymie a certain Gonzaga player like he did Pittsburgh guard Tray Woodall on Thursday (the senior was brought to tears after his 1-for-12, two-point performance), Cotton knows his team has a better chance to upset the No. 1 team in the country.

“I look forward to being that guy, to chase around their player like I did yesterday," said Cotton, who is also averaging 6.3 points and 3.9 rebounds per game this season. “So I look forward to chasing around Kevin Pangos. I have no problem with it; I enjoy it.”

Pangos, the Zags’ standout sophomore guard, is averaging 11.6 points per game this season and scored the final five points in top-seeded Gonzaga’s six-point survival against 16th-seeded Southern on Thursday. He said the key to competing with a physical team such as the ninth-seeded Shockers is to be physical right back.

“We don’t shy away from that; our team is tough," Pangos said. “We don’t back down from that at all.”

This should be an interesting matchup. The Shockers held Pitt to 35.2 percent shooting from the field -- and just 5.9 percent on 3-pointers. The Zags are third in the nation in field-goal percentage, making 50.4 percent of their shots.

NO ALARM HERE: Zags coach Mark Few wasn’t particularly rattled that the game against Southern went down to the wire; a win is a win is a win right now.

“At this point of the year, I don’t think we need to worry about aesthetics or, you know, differences," he said. “I know it’s cliché, ‘survive and advance,’ but there really is no other alternative. We’re not getting style points and we’re not getting graded -- you know, you either win or your season is over.”

QUOTE-WORTHY: “We know we’re in for a fight, especially the confidence that they have. When you win a game like that, it doesn’t just all of a sudden leave you; many times it carries through for the rest of the weekend. For us, it’s not about being consumed with Harvard, as much as it is about being consumed with ourselves, making sure we’re ready to go.” -- Arizona coach Sean Miller

Houston Rockets point guard Jeremy Lin, the best player to ever come out of Harvard, tweeted the following after his alma mater pulled off an upset of historic proportions last night in the NCAA tournament:

YYYYYEEEEESSSSSSSSS!!! HARVARD winssss!!! hahahahhah i told you.... #threepointgoggles #bracketbusters twitter.com/JLin7/status/3…

— Jeremy Lin (@JLin7) March 22, 2013

SALT LAKE CITY -- A year ago, Harvard guard Laurent Rivard was in awe just seeing the midcourt NCAA logo; after all, the Crimson hadn’t made the tournament in six decades.

So helping the program to its first tournament victory -- a 68-62 win over No. 3 New Mexico that marked the biggest seed upset by an Ivy League team?

That, he said, was indescribable. Although he tried: “You imagine it … it’s something everyone dreams about,” Rivard said after scoring 17 points and going 5-for-9 from 3-point range, “but it’s a different feeling when it actually becomes real.”

The win seemed improbable for a plethora of reasons: The Lobos (29-6) were bigger (7-footer Alex Kirk finished with 22 points and 12 rebounds), and more seasoned by playing in a conference many considered one of the nation’s toughest. Heck, some even thought UNM was robbed by the tournament committee when it didn’t earn higher than a No. 3 seed.

But Harvard countered with a four-guard lineup that was sharpshooting (52.4 percent overall, including 8-for-18 from 3-point land) and that frustrated Lobos leading scorer Kendall Williams into a forgettable, 1-for-6 night. Led by their tallest starter, 6-foot-8 Kenyatta Smith, the Crimson also aggressively banged with Kirk and 6-9 Cameron Bairstow (15 points, nine rebounds).

“We knew they were going to be tough,” Smith said. “We just had to be confident.”

And they were, particularly down the stretch.

New Mexico, trailing for most of the game, took a 53-52 lead with 6:26 left on yet another Kirk inside move. But Harvard, even with its three bigger guys in foul trouble, countered with a 7-0 run -- beginning with another 3 from Rivard and including a jumper from guard Wesley Saunders (18 points) -- to rebuild its cushion. The Lobos never got closer than four after that.

“For me to see the composure that we had is meaningful to me as a coach,” Harvard’s Tommy Amaker said. “We had the lead. We lost the lead. We had to make plays and to have an answer each time when things got really tight there. We had to make pressure free throws. … But we didn’t wilt or cave in.”

Somehow, the Crimson (20-9) didn’t seem to feel the pressure of being a No. 14 seed on the brink of making history.

“I was just playing in the moment, enjoying the moment,” freshman point guard Siyani Chambers said. “… It felt like, just getting here, was our night.”

Indeed, not long ago it seemed like a long shot that the Crimson would make the tournament at all -- much less advance to the round of 32.

First there were the offseason academic problems that led the team’s co-captains -- Kyle Casey and Brandyn Curry -- to withdraw from school.

And although those departures gave Chambers (5 points, 7 assists in 40 minutes Thursday) the opportunity to develop more quickly, the team wasn’t quite the runaway favorite it might have been to dominate the Ivy League -- as evidenced by back-to-back road losses at Princeton and Penn in early March.

Yet the Crimson endured. And prevailed.

And forget about last year’s awe-inspiring NCAA logo. Now, there’s a new daydream: the Sweet Sixteen.

“Before this, we wanted to be the Cinderella story,” Smith said. “And I guess now, we kind of are.”

The Crimson have been here before (even if "here" is actually a new arena in a new city in a new state against a new opponent) and they're hoping that helps.

Playing Vanderbilt in the second round of the NCAA tournament in Albuquerque, N.M., last season provided experience that could prove valuable against New Mexico in the second round of the NCAA tournament in Salt Lake City, Utah, this season. At least that's the idea.

"I thought we did a terrific job [in the Big Dance] last year, being the first time in so many years," Tommy Amaker said in a conference call Monday morning.

The Crimson started slowly before rallying in the second half to make it close late against Vanderbilt, getting to within five points of the Commodores before falling 79-70.

But the roster Harvard takes into the tourney in 2013 is vastly different than the one it took into the tourney in 2012. Four-fifths of the starting five is gone: Oliver McNally and Keith Wright both graduated, and Kyle Casey and Brandyn Curry both withdrew from school after being implicated in an academic cheating scandal.

Laurent Rivard is the lone remaining starter, one of three current Crimson players who played more than 10 minutes in the loss to the Commodores last season. (Rivard played 25 minutes, Christian Webster played 20 and Wesley Saunders played 11.)

Nine of the 14 players on the Harvard roster were in the program for the trip west last season, but besides Rivard, Webster and Saunders only Steve Moundou-Missi (six minutes) and Jonah Travis (one minute) actually set foot on the floor during the game.

"I think we'll just be a little bit more confident, a little bit more relaxed," Webster said. "When you go into this tournament, it's nerve-wracking when you come to the stadium and you see the big, blue [NCAA] logo and you see the TV cameras and you know that this is what everybody in America is watching. It's a big deal.

"And last year I think we were a little nervous. … I think that will help us just focus on the game and just play ball."

"When you have a point of reference there is a different comfort level that I think players and people adjust to," Amaker said, referring to the past tournament experience. "What does that mean? You're not really sure."

Star point guard Siyani Chambers, a freshman from Golden Valley, Minn., who took the Ivy League by storm on his way to rookie of the year honors, obviously wasn't there for last season's run. It'll all be new for him, and how he reacts to the situation will go a long way toward determining Harvard's chances.

When Chambers plays well, Harvard plays well. When Chambers struggles (as he did in losses at St. Joseph's, at UConn and at Memphis in the nonconference schedule), Harvard struggles.

Will his teammates' time in the tourney in 2011-12 help him on Thursday? That remains to be seen.

"This year knowing what to expect, and [having] kinda been through it once before will certainly allow them to be a little bit more relaxed about the environment and the situation," Amaker said. "Now does that mean we're gonna play perfectly? I doubt that.

"But certainly it gives us a point of reference that we hope will serve us well."

Jack McCluskey is an editor for ESPN.com and a frequent contributor to ESPNBoston.com. Follow him on Twitter @jack_mccluskey.

Siyani Chambers is not easily rattled.

The rookie point guard immediately was thrust into the starting lineup this season, thanks to the unexpected loss of would-be senior cocaptain Brandyn Curry to a widespread academic cheating scandal at Harvard. No matter -- all Chambers did was dominate the Ivy League, earning rookie of the year honors.

All he did was finish first in the Ancient Eight in assists (5.7 per game, 1.6 more than Ivy player of the year Ian Hummer of Princeton), fourth in free throw percentage (81.9), fifth in 3-point shooting percentage (44.0) and sixth in scoring (12.9 points per game).

Oh, and the 6-foot, 170-pound freshman hardly rested all season long -- playing the most minutes per game (37.8) in the Ivy League.

So perhaps it’s no surprise that Chambers finds himself in the spotlight as Harvard prepares to take on New Mexico in the NCAA tournament on Thursday in Salt Lake City (9:50 p.m. ET, TNT).

On Tuesday, ESPN.com’s Myron Medcalf named Chambers one of 10 mid-major stars who could bust brackets come game time.

That puts Chambers, a Golden Valley, Minn., native, alongside the likes of Saint Mary’s Matthew Dellavedova and Creighton’s Doug McDermott, names known throughout the college hoops nation.

But wait, there’s more.

ESPN Insider Chad Ford broke down the West Region from the perspective of NBA draft decision-makers, and had this to say about Tommy Amaker’s point guard: “He’s not Jeremy Lin, but Chambers has been awesome as a freshman.”

And true to form so far, Chambers appears to be taking this latest experience in stride.

While his teammates sat at the podium Sunday night for the post-Selection Show news conference, near-constant smiles on their faces, the rookie had his game face on.

Then he was asked if this first year in Cambridge -- filling a huge role for the team, helping deliver a third straight Ivy title and a second straight NCAA berth -- could have gone any better.

“I don’t think so,” Chambers said, with a small laugh.

“In high school and coming up, you’re always watching this stuff and you’re always like, ‘Man, I wish I could be a part of it,’” he said. “And to finally be here and hear our team’s name called, it’s just very, very, very exciting for me personally and I know it’s very exciting for the team, as well.”

And if the past proves to be prologue with Chambers, the excitement’s only beginning.

Jack McCluskey is an editor for ESPN.com and a frequent contributor to ESPNBoston.com. Follow him on Twitter @jack_mccluskey.

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- Anticipation can be a strange thing.

Waiting for something to come, good or bad, happy or sad, you can be filled with joy or drowned in dread.

For Harvard on Sunday, there was no question -- something good (a berth in the Big Dance) was coming. But as the names were ticked off and the lines of the bracket filled up, bit by bit, the feeling built.

When will our name be called? Where will we go? Who will we play?

After all those questions finally had been answered (at approximately 6:32 p.m. ET; Salt Lake City; New Mexico Lobos), Harvard coach Tommy Amaker told a story that showed the wait had weighed on them all.

As the coach and four of his players -- cocaptains Christian Webster and Laurent Rivard, and young stars Wesley Saunders and Siyani Chambers -- climbed the Murr Center stairs on their way to the post-selection show news conference, Amaker had a question for his still-giddy guys.

“Did you guys think they forgot about us?” the coach asked.

The answer?

“They seemed to be very confident that we were going to get our name called,” Amaker said, with a smile.

Confident or not, the wait felt just as long for them as it did for the fans who gathered to cheer them on.

“I mean, it was nerve-wracking to wait that long to hear our names called,” Saunders said. “But after it was called, it was a great relief. It was just a culmination of all the hard work that all of us have put together, and [of] just overcoming all the obstacles that we faced this year. It was a great feeling.”

One worth waiting for.

Jack McCluskey is an editor for ESPN.com and a frequent contributor to ESPNBoston.com. Follow him on Twitter @jack_mccluskey.

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- It was a day of celebration, of continuing a tradition passed down from one generation to the next.

A day to wear the bright color so closely associated with the group of people being honored.

Oh, and it was also St. Patrick's Day.

In Cambridge on Sunday, the crimson-clad Harvard faithful gathered for what is fast becoming an annual event: A viewing party in the Murr Center's Hall of History for the NCAA tournament selection show.

For the second straight year, Tommy Amaker's team assembled before flat screen TVs, velvet ropes setting them off from the crowd, to see who and where they would play in the postseason.

There were a few anxious moments, the crowd letting out an audible sigh of relief when No. 2 seed Ohio State was matched with No. 15 seed Iona in the Dayton regional, as the names were called and the brackets filled up. And then there was a roar.

After landing a No. 14 seed and a matchup with No. 3 seed New Mexico in Salt Lake City, the Crimson and their fans let loose. It had been a long 30 minutes, but now they knew who their dancing partner would be.

A few minutes later, the Crimson talked about what this accomplishment means to them, considering all they’ve been through this season.

“We’re proud to have an opportunity to represent our conference and our institution,” Amaker said. “I can’t say enough about these guys and what they’ve been able to accomplish this year.”

After going 65 years between its first NCAA appearance and its second, Harvard now has made two in a row -- and if not for a Princeton buzzer-beater in an Ivy League playoff game in 2011, the streak would be at three.

This season's success might be the most surprising. Amaker lost his two would-be senior captains, Kyle Casey and Brandyn Curry, to an academic cheating scandal prior to the season; both withdrew from school to preserve their eligibility while the process works its way out. Combined with the graduation of four-year vets Oliver McNally and Keith Wright, the mantle was left on the shoulders of youngsters such as Wesley Saunders and Siyani Chambers.

In the preseason, Harvard was picked to finish third in the Ivy League. Then conference play began, and the Crimson proved they were still a force to be reckoned with in the Ancient Eight. Until a late-season hiccup (back-to-back losses at Princeton and Penn) threw a wrench into the machine, it seemed the young Crimson were headed for a wire-to-wire Ivy win. But rather than wallow in self-pity after the bad weekend, the Crimson came home and took care of business against Columbia and Cornell (and got help from Princeton, which lost at Yale and at Brown) to seal the Ivy title and NCAA berth.

“I think it means a lot,” Amaker said of making back-to-back tournaments, despite the change in leadership on the court. “For us to have our name called on Selection Sunday, it’s very meaningful. I think it’s certainly something I’m sure that will sink in with us at some point, but we certainly know it’s taken a lot to get to this point.

“We’re proud of it, we were proud last year. And if you can continually become a contender in your conference -- and certainly we’ve been fortunate to win it now for three years and two years to be involved in the NCAA tournament -- I just think it’s an incredibly impressive few years for Harvard basketball.”

For Christian Webster, a co-captain and Harvard’s lone senior, this berth meant even more than last season’s did.

“I’d say so,” Webster said. “Just overcoming all the adversity we had to go through this season -- that’s one of the greatest feelings you can ever have, is overcoming adversity. And us being able to get to this point, with no one thinking we can get here -- it’s just an awesome feeling.”

For the second straight season, the Crimson are headed west for the Big Dance. Last season the Crimson, a No. 12 seed, flew to Albuquerque, N.M., to take on No. 5 seed Vanderbilt.

In the immediate aftermath of the selection show, the Crimson said they didn’t know much about the Lobos (29-5, Mountain West champions). Most of the players at the post-show news conference have never been to Utah (Laurent Rivard said he had, but not since the sixth grade).

They’re not sure when they’ll be leaving for Salt Lake City; plans might be complicated by an approaching winter storm.

But as Amaker said, these are the problems they were hoping to have. And on Sunday night, they were just happy to be back in this position for another year, with another group.

“With the youth of our team, the way these guys have responded -- accepting different roles, stepping forward, young guys stepping in,” Amaker said. “You can’t say enough about what this team has done for this season.”

This Harvard team has done enough to ensure that its season isn’t done quite yet.

There’s still dancing to do.

Jack McCluskey is an editor for ESPN.com and a frequent contributor to ESPNBoston.com. Follow him on Twitter @jack_mccluskey.