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BASKETBALL VS. BOSTON COLLEGE

This afternoon at 1:30 in the Indoor Athletic Building the Crimson will return to the hardwood, still looking for their first victory. They will face the Boston College Eagles, who have beaten Lemoyne and lost to the University of New Hampshire thus far this season.

Head basketball coach Frank McClaughlin said, "We took the game down to the wire on Wednesday against UMass, one of the best teams in New England, which felt great, but we want that win over Boston College." The team opened Wednesday against UMass.

"I want to thank the Harvard students and band for the support they gave us against UMass on Wednesday night. I heard it was the biggest crowd in two years--we had to turn people away at the door," McLaughlin said yesterday.

Aggressive Style

The game strategy today will begin the same way as it did against UMass, with aggressiveness and running. "We are going to start out tough and show them that we want it," McLaughlin said.

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"I hope for more confidence and fewer turnovers but there will be no tactical changes from our first game. Aggressiveness kept us in the UMass game and the fans and the band gave our spirits a real charge. We must be tough," McLaughlin continued.

Winning and Winning

Coach McLaughlin, in his first year away from national basketball power Notre Dame, has brought with him winning ideas and a winning attitude. But some big questions must be answered if Harvard is to have a winning record this season.

Harvard was aggressive against UMass but they threw away 30 turnovers. Passing must be crisper and more confident.

Bob Bennifield leads B.C. with an 18-point average, followed by Tom Meggers with a 15.5 average. To handle these two, Harvard's defense must be tenacious away from the hoop, and physical underneath.

Strong Return

Wednesday's loss to UMass proved Harvard will get a return on some of its savings. Glenn Fine and Brian Banks--the dimunitve guard and giant center who both took last year off from school--had strong games in the opener.

Not Small

Coach McLaughlin expects a tough game today, but Tom Davis is new in the head coach role at B.C. and Digger Phelps's former assistant at Notre Dame says they will be "shaky."

The Irishman's task is not small, Harvard has not been over .500 for five years. But then again, Harvard fans can whoop it up. And they should be there early, because the Eagles will certainly fly over today.

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