With Straus trophy standings riding on every stroke, six House crews will race off the final round of the crew competition this afternoon at 5:30 p.m. on the Basin course. The eights will race upstream over the mile distance, finishing near the M.I.T. boathouse.

The crew to watch will be Winthrop House, which stands an outside chance of scoring an upset victory over the perennially potent Eliot eight.

Over the years, Winthrop crews have rarely shown themselves before the last week of competition. But when a Puritan boat finally emerges, it is usually filled with oarsmen who are large and powerful. This year is no exception, and when Winthrop bested Quincy, Dunster, and Adams in last Thursday's preliminary heat, the Puritan eight proved that it is once again a boat to reckon with.

In Thursday's other heat, Eliot handily trounced Lowell, Kirkland, and Leverett. Stroked by senior Lowell Johnston, the Elephants tripped down the course at their usual brisk but even pace, winning with about two lengths to spare.

By dint of performances in the two preliminary races, Winthrop, Quincy, Eliot, and Lowell earned spots in today's final. Adams and Leverett, the other two contenders this afternoon, won their positions by finishing first and second in the repechage round yesterday afternoon.

Best Race

The repechage, actually, produced the best race so far. Leverett and Adams, after moving somewhat ahead of Kirkland and Dunster, went into the last hundred yards nearly abreast, matching stroke for stroke. With both crews expecting that only the winner would be eligible for this afternoon's final. Adams gradually cut down the four or five foot Leverett lead, at the same time angling closer and closer to the Bunny eight.

At about the point where Adams finally drew even, the two boats' oars began to touch. After two or three more strokes, on each of which there was contact between the two sets of oars, Adams forged ahead, winning by about a seat and a half.

On the theory that the Adams boat might have been out of its lane, Leverett and Adams were both awarded places in the final