Crimson Athletics has again proven that Harvard isn’t just for nerds.  Earlier this evening, the Harvard Men’s Basketball team achieved a surprise first-place finish in the inaugural Battle 4 Atlantis Tournament.

The eight-team tournament took place from Thursday to Saturday at the Atlantis resort on Paradise Island in the Bahamas.  Participating in the competition were squads from around the country, including UNC Asheville, the College of Charleston and UMass Amherst.  The heavy favorites to take the trophy were the defending NCAA champions and fourth-ranked UConn Huskies.

Harvard crushed Utah in its first game in the tournament on Thanksgiving Day, 75-47.  During that match-up, senior and Preseason Ivy League Player of the Year Keith Wright scored 13 points, a feat that was doubled by freshman Corbin Miller in a career-high effort for the Crimson newbie. Friday night, Harvard beat number 22-ranked Florida State University in a closely battled 46-41 victory, with senior Oliver McNally leading the team with 9 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists.

This evening, Harvard sealed the deal with a solid 59-49 victory over the UCF Knights, who had taken out UConn to make it to the championship game. The win brings the Crimson to a 6-0 record this season, with earlier victories over MIT, Holy Cross and Loyola Marymount.

The men’s basketball team has been on an upward trajectory since last school year. In 2010-2011, Wright and McNally, along with current juniors Kyle Casey and Brandyn Curry, led Harvard to tie Princeton for its first-ever Ivy League Championship.

We look forward to following you this season, boys. Go Crimson!