Chet Forte and his Columbia cohorts should quickly end all Harvard's basketball pretentions for national acclaim through its defensive leadership tonight, when the varsity invades the Blue and White's New York court.

Columbia has scored an average of 83 points per game in piling up an 8 to 2 record, and bids will to considerably raise the Crimson's 52.0 defensive average. More important than its temporary national limelight, however, is the question of how the varsity will fare against good Ivy League competition.

In the first of two away League games this weekend--the varsity plays at Penn Saturday night--the Crimson will oppose what Coach Wilson calls "the toughest game of the year." Columbia has four veterans back from last year's team, which rolled up a 15-9 mark, tying for second in the Ivy League.

Forte, a 5-9 guard, has been scoring at a 28 point per game clip, well over twice the average of any Crimson player. The little set-shooter is not the only scorer for the Blue and White, however. Two other starters have scored considerably more than any Harvard man, as 6-5 forward Rudolph Milkey has averaged about 20, and Ted Dwyer 16.

Crimson coach Floyd Wilson will call upon his usual starting five tonight to try to improve Harvard's recent Ivy League performances. A win over Columbia would indicate that the varsity could substantially improve its seventh place finish of last season.

A break for the Crimson will be the return to full-time duty of Dick Woolston, who was sick last week, and played only nine minutes of the M.I.T. game. During that time he threw in 12 points and sparked the winning second half rally. Dick Hurley will receive the job of trying to hold down Forte.

Wilson was displeased with the team's play in Tuesday's M.I.T. game, which the varsity won, 76-60. "We must do better to hold our own in the League," he said yesterday.