The Big Green of Dartmouth, which remains tied with the Crimson at 4-1, also entertains Yale and Brown as the season heads into its final month.

Should Harvard and Dartmouth both sweep, it would probably be a two-team race the rest of the way (see Ivy standings below). Any other scenario would confuse the picture even more than at present, including the possibility of a three-way tie by Sunday morning.

But a sweep is certainly no certainty.

The Elis lead the overall series with Harvard, 15-1, and the Crimson has not won since 1976. Brown got off to a slow start but is currently boasting a three-game winning streak, including two straight Ivy triumphs.

Nail Yale

Three Elis scored in double figures when Yale Knocked off the Crimson, 64-48, earlier in the year at Payne Whitney Gym. Sue Johnson--who averaged 18.3 points and 7.3 rebounds per game in earning All-Ivy honors last season--was high scorer (14 points) and high rebounder (nine) while teammates Karen Yarasavage and Randi Meberg each helped out with 11 points and two rebounds in the November encounter.

Yale likes to apply a lot of pressure, double-teaming, denying passing lanes, and fronting down low. Delaney Smith said that she has instituted two new offenses--designed specifically to handle this kind of pressure--since the squads' last meeting.

"We allowed them to take us out of our offense last time," the fourth year coach said. "We are pretty confident that that is not going to happen this time."

Tonight's game has particular significance for Harvard Assistant Coach Missy Park, who after graduating from Yale last year (following four years of varsity basketball there) is now in her first year of coaching for the Crimson.

"It's a tough situation," Park said. "This is my least favorite game of the season, because some of my best friendships are with [Yale] players.

"Its hard to wipe away a situation like this in one year," the ex-guard continued. "My emotional attachments are with Yale but my professional attachments are with Harvard."

The Crimson won the first matchup with Brown, 71-66, despite the 53 percent field goal shooting of the Bruins. But that victory came when starting point guard Kerry Kelly (last year's Ivy assist leader) was out with an injury and when former Ivy Player of the Year Michelle Smith--recipient of Ivy Player of the Week Honors the past two weeks--was not playing up to par.

"We were able to capitalize on Kelly's absence," Delaney Smith said. "Our spirit is high now and without an off night, I think we can win both games."

THE NOTEBOOK: Harvard is fourth in the Ivies in scoring offense (63.0 points per game) and first in scoring defense (59.8 p.p.g.)... The Crimson is fourth in team field goal percentage (41 percent) and second in free throw percentage (69 percent).

Ivy Standings   Ivy  Overall School  W  L  W  L HARVARD  4  1  10  5 Dartmouth  4  1  9  8 Yale  3  2  7  8 Brown  2  3  6  9 Penn  1  2  2  12 Cornell  1  3  6  9 Princeton  0  3  4  10