Nine games into the season, the fortunes of the Harvard basketball team have followed those of presidential candidate Sen. Edward Kennedy '54--and the prognosis for both endeavors is equally unsure. The basketball half of this pair stands at four wins and five losses.

The Crimson's version of the Senator's ill-timed comments about the Shah came in the Maryland Invitational Tournament in College Park, where the cagers absorbed two defeats for a fourth--that is last--place finish.

But the heady days of 30-point leads in polls and possible dominance in the future were recalled by Harvard's 81-80 upset of Holy Cross on Dec. 18, 1979.

Stephen Smith?

Acting campaign manager in the victory over the Crusaders, and in a 82-76 triumph over UMass three days before, was junior swingman Don Fleming. He shot 11 of 21 from the floor against Holy Cross for 28 points and took over the Ivy League scoring lead with a 24-point average after six games.

Fleming, who was also named ECAC/Ivy Player of the week, battled Crusader star Ronnie Perry all evening long. Even if Perry took the scoring laurels with 32, Fleming and 21 points from Mark Harris enabled Harvard to turn an early lead into a narrow victory.

The Crimson then took its act to the tourney, leaving its shooting touch in New England. After nailing 46.7 per cent of their field goals against Holy Cross, the cagers fell to an untidy 32.3 per cent in the semi-final against Temple. The Owls' balanced attack--Neal Robinson was high man with 18 points--kept the Philadelphians comfortably in front the whole game, finishing with a final margin of 85-73.

The consolation game was more of the same as the Crimson tumbled to Miami of Ohio, 86-79.

The battle for the Ivy League title now takes over as top priority and coach rank McLaughlin said yesterday the battle is up for grabs.

Defending champ Penn, which made it to the final four of the NCAA's last year, has to rate as the favorite despite graduation-depleted ranks, but the coach is optimistic, saying. "In the three years we've been here, we're in the best shape we've ever been in."

Indeed the situation looks much-improved over last year, when the cagers' long western road trip jet-lagged them into a 12-game losing streak.

The Ivy season commences with four straight away games, starting Monday night at Brown--the college, not the presidential candidate. The verdict on the McLaughlin campaign will be in at about the same time as on Kennedy, February 26, when Dartmouth comes to the IAB and the voters in New Hampshire go to the polls.