Tenderly, gingerly, with the air of a man who isn't quite sure of himself, wrestling coach Bob Pickett is talking optimistically these days. He talks in terms of an outstanding season for his team; he even hints that this year's squad may achieve the Nirvana of Ivy League wrestlers: victory over Cornell.

Pickett has seen good wrestlers come to Harvard and go sour; he has seen potentially good teams fall apart from injuries and dropouts.

Last year he took an unbeaten team into the Cornell match and watched it lose, $3-0. in his 16 years as Harvard's coach, Pickett has never seen one of his teams best Cornell.

But this year Pickett is wearing a smile, even if it's a suppressed one. His team last winter was third in the Ivy League, a respectable 5-4-1 on the season, and the heart of the squad is back again. The freshman team was 6-2-1, and its most promising wrestlers fill in the gaps on the varsity neatly.

In fact, the team is so strong and so deep that the illness of two of the top lettermen probably won't make any difference when the squad faces M.I.T. tonight. The season-opening match will take place at M.I.T. at 7:30 p.m.

Last year the Crimson beat M.I.T. 20-7 although most of the matches were close. Tonight it could be even more of a romp.

Harvard's strength this year is in the lighter weight classes, a considerable change from the past three seasons.

At 123 pounds, for instance, returning letterman Peter Keeler was one of the best in the Ivy League at his weight last season. He has had a virus and will miss the M.I.T. match.

But the Crimson won't suffer from the presence of sophomore Howie Henjyoji, who placed third in the Eastern Freshman Wrestling Tournament at 115. Henjyoji didn't lose a match at 123 as a freshman, and Keeler will have trouble displacing him once he gets back in shape.

Mike King a veteran of last year's team, bolds down the 130-spot; Tom Gilmore, also a 130-pounder and a letter-man two years ago, will be filling the 17 pound class tonight.

Gilmore is merely keeping the spot warm for Howie Durfee, probably the best wrestler on the team; he'll go back to 130 when Durfee gets over an illness and returns.

Durfee was 7-2-1 as a sophomore, the best record of anyone on the team last year. A smooth, stylish wrestler, he placed third in his class at the rugged Coast guard Tournament.

Phil Emmi, a sophomore and another placewinner in last year's freshman Eastern, will probably go at 147 tonight. Jack Daniels, a two-year veteran, backs him up at the weight.

Last year's freshman captain, Ed Pranquement, has moved up a weight to 157, where Pickett looks for him to provide "a real solid job." Another sopho- more, Jeff Hall, is pushing him for the first-string berth.

At 167, Chris Wickens, still another sophomore, has moved in ahead of several experienced wrestlers. Wickens was unbeaten as a freshman until he broke a leg against Yale and had to default.

There's no depth in the top two weights, but there are two good wrestlers: captain Ben Brooks at 177 and Tack Chace at heavyweight.

Brooks compiled a 5-3-1 record last year while alternating between 177 and 191 (there won't be a 191-pound match in tonight's meet). He's a two-year letterman who should be heading for his best season.

Chace scored several big wins as a sophomore including a pin that beat Penn for Harvard and another pin that saved the Crimson a tie against Columbia