Five Varsity Teams Resume Play After Exam Layoff

Resuming activity after the exam period lay-off, the Crimson varsity basketball team will be a definite underdog when it meets Boston College tomorrow night and Yale on Saturday.

Tomorrow night's encounter is the first for the quintet since its defeat by Dartmouth, 67-64, two weeks ago. That loss was the third League defeat for the Crimson against only one victory. Overall, the varsity's record is 9 and 4.

In Thursday's game, scheduled for 8:30 at the I.A.B., the quintet will be meeting a team that is rated number one in the Greater Boston area and which is probably one of the four best teams in New England.

The Eagles gained their eleventh win Tuesday night by narrowly edging the University of Massachusetts. They suffered their lone defeat last Saturday night when they succumbed in the closing minutes to St. Peter's of Jersey City, by a single point.

Forward Paul Lyons is probably the visitors' best scorer, hitting, for the most part, on drives and jump shots. Junior George Giersch, a six-foot, four-inch guard, and Captain John Harrington, an excellent rebounder, are the other key men in the Eagles' lineup. Barry McGrath, a 6-6 forward, also figures prominently in action under the boards.

Like the Crimson, B.C. uses a fast breaking offense, the success of which is dependent upon controlling the defensive boards. But unlike the Crimson, the visitors rely on a pressing man-to-man defense; the home team will use its usual 2-1-2 zone.

The success of the Crimson will, in large part, depend on how well individual players come out of exams. While the Eagles have been profitably occupied in sharpening their play against strong opposition such as that provided by U-Mass and St. Peter's, the Crimson squad has not played as a unit since exams. At none of the post-exam practises has the whole team been present.

If the outlook for the B.C. match is bad, it is little brighter for the Yale game. The Elis' brilliant forwards, Johnny Lee and Larry Downs provide scoring punch, and Jerry Glynn, a highly regarded 6-10 center, uses his height to dominate backboard play.

Playing man-to-man on defense and using, whenever possible, a fast break on offense, the Elis are heavily favored to gain their second League win; they have lost twice.