When the Harvard men's basketball team steps onto the floor of Briggs Cage tonight against Holy Cross, it opens a season of hopes and possibilities under second-year coach Frank Sullivan.

"We have a chance to be a good team this year," Harvard Captain Tyler Rullman said. "[Holy Cross] will be a good test for us, though, because we have very little margin for error."

After suffering through a 6-20 season last year which began with eleven straight losses, the Crimson players are eager for a better start this time.

And odds are, it will be.

"Our first two games [against Holy Cross and Boston College] will be tough, but after that we'll probably be all right," Sullivan said. "We have a four of our first five games at home, which should put us in somewhat of a comfort zone."

A realistic goal for Sullivan's team would be to post a .500 season record. Whether or not Harvard can reach that goal depends largely on the success of its motion offense and man-to-man defense.

The Crimson has gained speed but lost muscle since last season, so look for a more open, aggressive Harvard team.

To facilitate this transition, Sullivan will rely on a nucleus of experienced upperclassmen.

The starting front line--comprised entirely of seniors--will be anchored by Rullman, 6'8" forward Eric Carter and 6'10" center Arturo Llopis.

If players were cash, Rullman would be Harvard's $20 bill. Maybe even its $50. As a junior last year, he ranked among the team leaders in points (15.4 ppg), rebounding (5.5 rpg), three pointers, field goal percentage, and free throw percentage.

For Harvard to win consistently, though, Rullman's teammates will have to step up and ease the loss of two frontcourt starters, graduates Ron Mitchell and Peter Condakes.

"Tyler will get his points no matter what we do, but our role is to hit the boards, score in transition, and just keep the team up," Carter said.

Carter battled a foot injury all through the 1991-92 campaign, but the senior power forward is expected to take some of the inside load off of Rullman this season, according to Sullivan.

Joining Carter and Rullman will be Llopis, the imposing center who was plagued by eligibility questions last year.

New Backcourt Strength

A much-improved backcourt will be charged with delivering the ball to the big men and establishing a perimeter game for Harvard.

A sore spot for the Crimson last season, the backcourt should be significantly better this time around.

The main reason: Tarik is back.

That's Tarik Campbell. The point guard was ranked 15th in the country with 6.8 assists per game two years ago as a freshman, but the Crimson was forced to do without him last season after he voluntarily sat out for academic reasons.

With his explosive speed back in the court, the 5'10" junior should provide an element of exciting, open-court basketball that Harvard lacked last season.

"We have a lot of good shooters, so I just try to attack the defense and distribute the ball," Campbell said. "When we get the open jumpers or the drives on the basket, we're usually in pretty good shape."

Joining Campbell in the starting lineup will be 6'2" off guard James White, a sophomore who was a clutch player off the bench.

Not Just Wood Warmers

Speaking of the bench, Harvard's reserves should be much deeper this season. Three freshmen recruits, along with two sophomore returnees, comprise the talented second team.

Freshman forward Mike Gilmore hit a trio of 3-pointers in the team's first pre-season game, against St. Mary's, and he may be the downtown threat that the team needs.

Fellow freshmen Darren Rankin and Terry Mann will join sophomores Dan Morris and Jared Leake to fill out the rotation.

Leake, the team's starting point guard as a freshman last season, will play behind Campbell once he recovers from a chronic hamstring injury.

So where do all these players leave Harvard? At the top of the Ivy League? At the bottom?

The answer is probably neither. Most likely, the Crimson will fall somewhere in the middle to lower part of the Ancient Eight this year.

While Penn, Princeton and Columbia, duel for the league's top spot (and lone NCAA berth), Harvard will probably compete with Dartmouth, Cornell and Yale, for a spot in the middle of the pack.

"At this point, there are still a lot of questions, because we have so many new players coming in," Rullman said. "We'll just play hard and do as well as we can."