By Brian Willwerth 

BOSTON, MA – On Saturday afternoon, the Harvard men’s basketball team made its case for why it should remain ranked in the Top 25.

Harvard went on a 16-0 run late in the first half to break open what had been a rather close game from the start, and then pulled away to beat Boston University, 76-52, at Agganis Arena.

Harvard had three players in double-figures. Kyle Casey led the way with 20 points; Laurent Rivard added 18 and Christian Webster poured in 14. The Crimson shot 55% from the field, including 9-15 from 3-point range, and defensively, they held the Terriers to 30% shooting.

Once Harvard started pulling away, BU had a hard time getting off quality shots. Darryl Partin (12 points) was the Terriers’ leading scorer.

This was the first time BU has hosted a ranked team since the Terriers played at home against St. Joseph’s in 2003. The big crowd of 3,010 was hoping for an upset, but sadly a very, very good Harvard team outclassed their team.

It doesn’t get any easier for the Terriers, as they play at Villanova on Tuesday.

The Crimson will take a break for exams. Does Harvard (9-1) deserve to stay in the Top 25? Now that I’ve seen them in person, I say – absolutely. Their only loss came earlier this week, on the road against No. 9 Connecticut and there is no shame in losing to Jim Calhoun’s team at Gampel Pavilion.