M. Cagers Last Stand at Lavietes

Often, it is tough to get motivated when you know that you have been eliminated from post-season play.

Even though the Harvard men's basketball team's dreams of bringing the first ever Ivy League title back to Cambridge came to a disappointing end last Friday night at Penn, it still has plenty to play for.

"We still have a chance to win third place," senior Mike Gilmore said. "That definitely motivates us."

As if that isn't enough to get Harvard motivated, if the Crimson (14-10, 6-6 Ivy) win both of this weekend's games against Brown and Yale, then they will match the school's record for most Division I victories in one season at 15. In addition, with two victories, Harvard will have its first winning Ivy League record since the '83-84 campaign.

On Friday night at 7 p.m. at Lavietes Pavilion, Harvard will take on the Brown Bears (9-15, 4-8). This game has a special revenge factor because Brown shocked Harvard 73-70 in double overtime earlier in the season.

"We definitely don't want to be swept by anyone," Gilmore added. "That was a game we felt we should have won and that loss sort of sent us on a downward spiral."

The Bears are keyed offensively by its athletic senior backcourt of Eric Blackiston and Brian Lloyd. Lloyd needs just 13 more points to reach the 1,000 point plateau while Blackiston has a chance to become the Bears all-time leading assist man. He is currently third with 368 career dishes.

On Saturday, Harvard will host the Yale Bulldogs (8-16, 3-9) in Gilmore's and captain Darrin Rankin's last collegiate game.

At halftime of that contest, Harvard will be dedicating its remodeled home-court, the Ray Lavietes Basketball Pavilion. The dedication was held off until this game in order to honor the rivalry between Harvard and Yale. The Crimson and the Bulldogs first met during in 1900 and the Bulldogs dominated, 41-15. Yale leads the rivalry 94-56.

However, this season is a different story. Yale has struggled all year long, particularly in a 62-47 humiliating loss to the Crimson. Since shocking the Quakers two weeks ago, the Bulldogs have lost three straight, including a 63-62 heartbreaker to perennial league doormat Columbia.

Even without the possibility of the league title, if Harvard is looking for personal motivation, it shouldn't have to look to far. Junior big-man Kyle Snowden needs just 18 points this weekend to reach 1,000 for his career.

Freshmen point guard Tim Hill has an excellent chance to win the league's coveted Rookie of the Year crown with a strong showing in the final two games. His main competition for the award comes from Columbia guard Gary Raimondo who has won the Rookie of the Week prize four times this year, including three consecutive weeks. Hill has won the award three times.

Finally, Rankin and Gilmore will be on the court in a Harvard uniform for the last time.

"That's all the motivation that I need," Gilmore added. "I want to help my team win these games and go out on a positive note."