Harvard basketball is out of the NCAA Tournament. Their run in March Madness is over, after falling to Michigan State by an 80-73 final. Unfortunately for the Crimson, they could not quite overcome sheer talent thrown against them by the heavily favored Spartans. Yet they didn’t embarrass themselves by any measurement, as they stormed back in the second half to even take a brief lead (celebrated epically by Laurent Rivard in the above GIF). Harvard highlights included their comeback run, typified  this awesome dunk from Steve Moundou-Missi:

Harvard’s highlight-filled time in the 2014 NCAA Tournament may not have been long in its duration, but the win against Cincinnati was a continuation of their success over the last few years, and the scare they gave Michigan State will provide further optimism for where the program can go.

Side note: The Harvard band killed it once again:

Trailing by 16 at one point, it appeared that Harvard might go out as their fellow Massachusetts Tournament team (UMass) had in the previous round. The Crimson responded however, causing several turnovers and finding a rhythm on offense.

Wesley Saunders led Harvard in scoring, with 22 points. The difference in the game (at least over the course of the game) came in steals, as the Crimson mustered only four, while the Spartans totaled nine. Several of the steals came early, and if there was one regret that Tommy Amaker’s team might have, it will be the slow start they got out to, particularly on offense.

Ultimately, Harvard can be very proud of their effort in the 2014 Tournament. They died hard. They marched to an upset in the first round with such certainty that some called into question whether it was really an upset at all (it was, just to be clear). Now, all eyes turn to Amaker, who has been linked with the job at Boston College. If he stays, there is no reason why they can’t make another march madness in 2015.