A frustrating season of good and horrendous basketball will close tonight when the varsity entertains favored Yale on the I.A.B. floor at 8:30 p.m. If the Crimson is hot, the year-long frustration it has suffered will be somewhat mollified, for a win over Yale would at least put a happy ending on a sad story.

If the varsity gives one of its poorer showings, however, a rout similar to last year's Eli 105-87 triumph could be the case. The Bulldogs sewed up third place in the Ivy League Saturday by winning for the seventh time in their last nine outings, a considerable improvement over their mediocre early season performance.

The reason for this improvement is Larry Downs, a burly, 6 ft., 5 in. senior forward who recovered from a broken hand in time to lead Yale's basketball renaissance. In his initial start on Jan. 31, Downs scored 26 points and pulled down 20 rebounds to head the Elis' 78-65 win over the Crimson in New Haven.

Downs has continued at a 23 point a game clip since that evening. He has had considerable assistance from Gerry Glynn, 6 ft., 10 in. stringbean, whose effectiveness under the basket has increased steadily throughout the year. Glynn has averaged 15 points a game, despite a slow start at the outset of the season.

Yale's third scoring threat is forward Dan McFadden, who tallied 20 markers against the Crimson. At guard, coach Joe Vancisin will probably start Alki Scopelitis and Tom Molumphy, who did an outstanding defensive job against George Harrington.

Except for McFadden, it will be the last intercollegiate contest for the entire Eli starting five, and for Crimson stalwarts Harrington, Griff McClellan, and captain Bob Repetto. From these seven seniors, if not all the members of both teams, all-out performances can certainly be expected.

With a League average of 17 points, Harrington can vault into third place in the Ivy scoring race with a 35 point total. The pint-sized guard is not incapable of such an effort.

Bob Bowditch and Mike Donohue will round out the first five for the Crimson. With only 10 wins in its first 24 games, the varsity will try to make the most of a mediocre record and to seek revenge for the earlier loss at New Haven.

Last year, the Crimson surprised a powerful Yale quintet by thumping them at the I.A.B., 84 to 70, and a similar upset tonight is by no means an impossibility. In fact, it's a prediction.

In the preliminary game, which is slated to get under way at 6:30 p.m., the Yardling quintet will face the Yale freshman team. The Crimson freshmen should be given a slight edge, because of the advantage of playing on their home floor.

Leading the Yardling squad will be a pair of 6 ft., 4 in. high scores, Gary Borchard and Bill Danner, brother of Bryant Danner who last winter led the Crimson to its best season in recent years. Coach Bruce Munro will also rely on forward Joe Deering.