Five Tackles Lions in Season Opener

Now that the western swing is over, Harvard's basketball players have probably gotten used to the idea that they cannot beat every team on their schedule. Considering the overall strength of the Ivies this season, life won't be very much easier in the East than it was against the likes of Arizona and Dayton.

The Crimson gets it first league test tonight in New York, against Columbia. Tomorrow, the team journeys to Ithaca to meet Cornell. Both Cornell and Columbia are picked above Harvard in pre-season estimates.

Columbia Off

Columbia, on paper, is nowhere near the team it was last season. The Lions' giant, Dave Newmark, is sitting out the season with an assortment of maladies. Last year's guards, Ken Benoit and allIvy Stan Felsinger, have graduated.

But the Lions do have two returning lettermen starting at forward: Joel Hoffman and Tuck Ganzenmuller, who have averaged 11.4 and 9.4 points per game.

At center, 6'-6" junior Larry Borger will be swimming in Newmark's sneakers. Roger Walaszek, a 6'-3" sophomore guard, is the team's leading scorer with a 13.2 point average.

Columbia opened with a fizzle, losing to City College of New York, which embarrassed Ivy League fans in the metropolitan area. But the team has since defeated Pitt and Indiana State to take the Steel Bowl, and tipped George Washington in double overtime. But Harvard was crushed by third-ranked North Carolina, 98-66.

Saturday's game will probably be tougher yet. The Big Red has a 6-2 slate including a win over surprisingly weakened Kentucky. But, in a pre-Christmas Ivy encounter, Cornell was humbled by Yale, 78-67. The Ithacans look a lot like the Crimson -- the have eight sophomores. Guard Greg Morris leads the Big Red with 21.4 points per game.

Columbia and Cornell tied for second last year in the Ivy League, will both be heading down this season as the top six teams shake it up a little. Princeton has to be the favorite after defeating mighty North Carolina by ten points. Even if they are not that good, the Tigers enjoy an immense psychological edge. Last year's champs, Penn, will drop a few notches and Yale will go up more than a few.

As for Harvard, let's be optimistic and say they can finish fourth, although we won't say whom they will push out.