No. 12 Men's Water Polo Set for NCAA Tournament Opening Round at Harvard Saturday

LEWISBURG, Pa. -- The No. 12 Bucknell University men's water polo team will travel to Cambridge, Mass. for the second time this year to take on the ninth-ranked and undefeated Harvard Crimson at Blodgett Pool on Saturday afternoon.

Setting the Scene
What: No. 12 Bucknell (22-8, 10-2 MAWPC East) at No. 9 Harvard (29-0, 10-0 NWPC)
Where: Blodgett Pool, Cambridge, Mass.
When: Saturday, Nov. 30, 12:30 p.m.
Watch: ESPN3

About the Bison

Bucknell is coming off its second MAWPC Tournament title in program history after winning the title in 2016.
Both of Bucknell's MAWPC Championships were won at Kinney Natatorium, where Bucknell boasts a 37-3 record since 2016.
Rade Joksimovic was named the MAWPC Most Valuable Player of the Tournament, while Andu Vlasceanu earned Rookie of the Tournament honors. Vlasceanu became the third Bison to win the award in the four years of the MAWPC. Sophomore goalkeeper Jack Otto took home the award in 2018, while Joksimovic earned the honor in 2016. Head Coach John McBride also was named the Coach of the Tournament.
McBride has now led the Bison to 20-win seasons in three of the past four years, including two NCAA Tournament berths and three MAWPC Championship game appearances.
During Bucknell's tournament run, the Bison stepped up defensively when it counted. Bucknell did not allow a goal in the fourth quarter during the three-game stretch. In two of those games, Bucknell was tied with both Navy and La Salle entering the fourth quarter.
Bucknell has won five of its past six games decided by five goals or less.
The senior class of Cullen Jacuzzi, Rade Joksimovic, Cooper Dolan, and Logan Schofield all played key roles in Bucknell's win against the Colonials in the championship game. The senior class has combined for 86 wins so far, tied for the second-most in a four-year stretch in program history (1979-82).
The senior quartet scored seven of Bucknell's nine goals against George Washington on Sunday, with Dolan chipping in four assists as well.
Schofield needs nine ejections drawn to reach 300 for his career, while Joksimovic became the second Bison in program history to reach 700 career points over the weekend.
The Bison will be on the road for the NCAA Tournament for their second consecutive appearance, but Bucknell will not be in unfamiliar territory.
The Bison faced the Crimson at Blodgett Pool to close the Harvard Invitational on Oct. 20, pushing Harvard until the final horn in a 9-8 defeat.
The two teams played each other extremely close, with Bucknell taking a 3-0 lead after the first period.
However, the Crimson stormed back to tie the game at six entering the fourth, eventually limiting the Bison to two goals while scoring three of their own in a 9-8 victory.

About Harvard/Series History

The Bison faced Harvard in their last NCAA appearance in 2016, dropping a one-goal decision, 13-12, to the host Crimson.
The Bison trailed by four in the final quarter, but a goal by then-freshman Joksimovic with 16 seconds left in regulation helped Bucknell extend the game to overtime, but a goal by Harvard in sudden-death overtime helped the Crimson advance, eventually earning a spot in the Final Four after defeating UC Davis in the next round.
Bucknell opened the game with a 4-1 lead, before Harvard used a 9-2 run of its own to reclaim the lead. Bucknell then scored the final four goals in regulation to send the game to overtime.
Joksimovic scored six times in that game, and is the only current Bison player to have appeared in the contest.
Harvard enters the game at 29-0, including an 11-0 mark at home. The Crimson have had a knack for winning close games, including the one-goal win over the Bison. Harvard has won six games by two goals or less this season, including three straight one-goal decisions at the Harvard Invite against No. 15 George Washington, No. 17 Pomona-Pitzer, and the Bison.
The Crimson took another close win, 8-7, over Princeton in the NWPC Championship game, avenging a loss to the Tigers last season.
Bucknell holds a 22-12 record against Harvard in the all-time series.

Up Next

The winner of Saturday's NCAA Play-In Game will advance to play USC on Thursday, December 5^th at 4 p.m. Eastern Time at the campus of the University of the Pacific.