After a month of daily practice and a successful 62 to 48 dress rehearsal scrimmage against M.I.T. Wednesday, the cast of "Old Faces of 1953-54" is tensely awaiting its opening night; a quintet of critics from Boston University will do the judging at the Blockhouse curtain-raiser this evening.

But regardless of the critics' verdict, the show has been guaranteed a run of 13 engagements at the I.A.B. plus nine one-night stands on the road and a three day stay at the Dartmouth Christmas tournament. What is much less certain, however, is whether the show will be comedy, tragedy, or farce.

In any case, old smoothie Bill Dennis, a high scorer on the trope for the past two seasons, will play the here; cast as the villain is Harry Sacks, whose driving style picks up fouls and enabled him to set an Ivy League free threw record last year. Comic relief will come from Paul Shaw, who, when hot, boasts a deadly overhead set shot.

Dennis, a very tricky ball-handler, and Ed Krinsky, the team's steady captain, will start at the guards tonight at least. They may be upstaged before the ball game is too old, however, by Roger Bulger, a boy with a good soft set-shot, and Ed Condon, whom director Norm Shepard called "the best defensive man on the floor."

Perry, Manning to Start

The starting forwards will be the 1951-2 freshman captain, Rollin Perry, and former center Dick Manning. Perry is a hard driver, while Manning is best known for his rebounding ability. Shaw and Bob Bowman, a play-making sophomore whom Shepard expects to see a lot of action, are in the supporting cast at the forwards.

A forward last year, Sacks will open at center; a very deceptive man in the pivot, he has a good hook shot with either hand. But Sacks is only 6 feet 3 inches, and his three inch taller replacement, Ed Blodnick, may get into the game early. Blodnick was second only to Dennis in scoring as a sophomore and did not go out for the sport last year. According to the director, "He's playing the best ball he's played yet."

Shepard goes on to state that "the contest for positions is the keenest it's been in years." The second five beat the starters in two scrimmages earlier in the week. These ten men, all of them juniors and seniors except Bowman, will play the leads on this tour; of some stature, their average height is a little over six feet.

17 Out for Squad

The whole squad numbers 17 and includes eight lettermen, two of whom (Krinsky and Dennis) have lettered twice. Hence, Shepard has a very experienced troupe; unfortunately, however, most of the experience has been bad. The Crimson won only five games in 1951-2 and last year took seven, while losing 17. An upset at Princeton was one of the few bright spots last season.

When asked about the record for 1952-3, the coach said, "I'd rather forget it." But it is something that his squad will find hard to forget. The team has a past--a past that could kindle a vengeful resentment and make it a very rugged ball club, and a past that could also discourage the team before it starts and lead to another lack-lustre, lack-victory season.

Since the potentialities of a good record are there, the philosophy of the players will be all important. It all depends on whether their motto is "Fight Like Hell" or "What the Hell?"

Shepard Experienced

One hopes that it will be the former, for Shepard is an excellent and well-liked coach. He has been in the business full-time for 17 years, starting at Davidson and coming here in 1949. Knowing basketball inside and out, Shepard this year plans to emphasize the inside: "We're going to work off the pivot," he reports.

In general, the team will play "a more controlled game" with less set-shooting and fast-breaking than in the past. Defensively, Shepard will open with a man-for-man and "stick with it unless we find we have to change."

As for the rest of the league, the coach looks for improvement in Dartmouth and Cornell, with Princeton and Yale the same as last year, and Pennsylvania and Columbia slipping a bit. Shepard, speaking about his own team, says, "I think we will do better."

And the fans will see for themselves when the curtain goes up on "Old Faces of 1953-4" at 8:30 tonight. Also present will be the B.U. critics with an axe to grind and the newspaper critics with bated breath and baited pens, looking and hoping for the best.