The varsity basketball team will go West for the second time in three years this winter, playing three mid-West colleges over Christmas vacation.

The Crimson, which will open a 24 game schedule against the Newport Officer Candidate School on December 6, will face the University of Pittsburgh, Washington University of St. Louis, and Nebraska, from December 27 to January 3.

Unsuccessful

The last trip was an unsuccessful one for the varsity, which won only five games all last year. In 1950, Norm Shepard's team won only one of its four Western games, edging the University of Chicago. It lost to underdog Dennison, Washington University, and Bradley, although the Chiefs had to fight to win, 62 to 52. Shepard called the team's play against Bradley, "the best all season."

Against the Chiefs, Dick Lionette, then a sophomore, now captain, made six of his 12 shots, and ended up Crimson high scorer, with 14 points. Lionette started all four games.

The Crimson will not play M.I.T. this year for the first time in several seasons. Tech asked for a cancellation of their usual early season game for unexplained reasons late last month.

The varsity schedule: December 6, Newport Officers; 10, Wesleyan; 13, Brown; 17, at Cornell; 20, at Navy; 27, at Pittsburgh; January 1, at Washington of St. Louis; 3, at Nebraska; 7, at Columbia; 9, Cornell; 12, Boston College; February 4, at Tufts; 7, Princeton; 11, Dartmouth; 14, Columbia; 18, Northeastern; 21, at Army; 23, at Princeton; 25, at Boston University; 28, at Penn; March 4, at Dartmouth; 7, Yale; 11, Penn; and 14, at Yale.