Harvard men's basketball Coach Peter Roby--historian?

"[Penn's] won 26 Ivy League titles and we haven't won any," Roby said. "[The Harvard players] deserve one, and what we're trying to do is make history."

Halfway through the 1988-89 Ivy League season, the Crimson is far from establishing history, sitting in fifth place with a 3-3 league record. But with its three toughest games of the season--against Dartmouth, Princeton and Penn on the road--out of the way, Harvard is only one-and-one-half games behind the Quakers and Tigers.

With Harvard hosting home games against Yale, Brown, Penn and Princeton, and traveling to Brown, Cornell, Columbia and Yale, it's not impossible for the rapidlyimproving Crimson to win its last eight Ivy games of the season. Unfortunately, finishing 11-3 may be Harvard's only opportunity to capture the title.

Much more probable is Co-Captain Mike Gielen's opportunity to make history tonight when Harvard faces Yale at Briggs Cage (7:30 p.m. tip-off). Gielen needs 12 more points to join the career 1000-point club for the Crimson. Roby's troops will continue their historical quest tomorrow night at Marvel Gymnasium in Providence, R.I. against cellar-dweller Brown (1-5).

The Elis--fresh off a sweep of Cornell and Columbia last weekend--are tied with Dartmouth for third place in the Ivies with a 4-2 record. Yale, however, returns an extremely young squad.

The biggest surprise for Yale this season has been freshman Ed Petersen, who leads the team in scoring (15.8 p.p.g.) and assists (3.8 a.p.g.). The 6-ft. guard has been ranked among the NCAA leaders in foul shouting all season long.

"Yale is playing with a lot of confidence because they are playing without much pressure," Roby said. "They have two exceptional athletes on the front line--Dean Campbell and Travis McCready."

The Bruins are another Ivy team without very much experience. Coach Mike Cingiser has consistently been forced to start freshmen and sophomores, such as Bill Coffey and Mike Gates up front, and Richard Lloyd and chuck Savage in the backcourt.

Savage was named Ivy League Rookie of the Week, pumping in 46 points in the Bruins' two games against Cornell and Columbia last weekend.

Captain Marcus Thompson has recovered from a knee injury which kept him out of the team's first three Ivy games. The 6-ft., 5-in. swingman leads the team in scoring, averaging 17.4 points per game.

"We really missed a go-to guy with Marcus injured," Cingiser said. "The freshmen aren't ready to score in crucial situations."

Harvard's Gielen, leading the team in scoring with 14.5 points per game, has been the key to the Crimson's resurgence in the last six weeks. His poised play from the point guard position and his accurate shooting (10-for-11 from 2-point range last week) gives Harvard the solid player it can depend on every game.

"In the long run, Harvard's the most talented team in the league," Cingiser said, "especially when they play that small lineup with Dana Smith and Mike Gielen at the guards."

Maybe the most talented team, coach, but wins are the only thing that count in the long run. And wins are what Harvard is missing right now. Yale Locks