With a 2-3 record in non-league play, the Harvard men's basketball team is like a teenager first learning to drive: upbeat, but cautious.

Fresh off two wins last week, Harvard suits up tonight in Hanover, N.H., against Dartmouth, its first Ivy League opponent.

Last year, Harvard didn't win its second game until February 5. Clearly this team has begun to erase the ugly memories of that 0-11 start.

"We're playing better now," Captain Tyler Rullman said. "Last year we had no wins going into league games, but this season the two wins have given us some confidence."

Part of the reason for the squad's success lies in the frontcourt's recent play. All three starters have enjoyed career efforts so far.

Rullman--named Ivy League Player of the Week for his 23, 28 and 28-point efforts against Babson, Fairfield and Lehigh, senior power forward Eric Carter (a career-high 23 points against Fairfield) and senior center Arturo Llopis (career-high 14 points against Lehigh) are the bedrock of one of the Ancient Eight's best frontcourts.

Still, guard James White refrained from making any lofty predictions for tonight's match.

"Of course, Dartmouth's a league game, so it's important in that sense, but as far as preparations go, we're taking it like all the other games we've had," White said.

Maybe the memories of a 96-57 rout at the hands of Boston College are still too fresh.

Maybe the team wants to keep a low profile, so that it can sneak up on unsuspecting opponents.

Maybe seasons of losing have tempered the players' optimism.

Maybe it's all three. But whatever the reason, the Harvard players seem unusually quiet as they approach their showdown with Dartmouth.

Keys to Success

Most of the players agree that the team has improved its rebounding and its ball movement this season.

Rullman (who seems to be point guard Tarik Campbell's biggest fan) again praised the junior's contributions to the Crimson offense.

"With Tarik back, we are much quicker, and we get better shots," Rullman said.

And even as the Crimson earns higher percentage shots, it is improving on the boards:

Rullman averages 8.0 rebounds per game, Llopis 5.4, and Carter 4.8--all numbers higher than last year's totals.

So what are the team's problems? As with any 2-3 team, there are several, but one stands out as the unanimous choice of players and coaches alike: turnovers.

"Our turnovers are still bad, no doubt. We've worked on getting them down this season, but they're still high," White said.

Actually, according to Assistant Coach Kevin O'Brien, the fact that the team recognizes its problems is a good sign going into Ivy League play.

"The players were a little upset with themselves after Lehigh. Even though we won, they felt, and I agreed, that we could have done better. The fact that they're thinking that, though, means that we're in good shape," O'Brien said.

Harvard fans, like the parents of teenage drivers, can only hope that the kids don't crash on the road.

R-E-S-P-E-C-T

In truth, this edition of the Crimson looks a lot better than the last--and the word is getting around.

Opposing coaches and players suggested it in the first couple of games--when Harvard lost to superior teams from Holy Cross and Boston College--and those suggestions grew in number and in volume when the Crimson won two of their three games last week.

"They're definitely making strides," Fairfield Coach Paul Cormier said. "[Harvard Coach] Frank [Sullivan]'s doing a good job with his kids." The Harvard players feel pretty good about themselves, too.

"We played a good game against Fairfield, even though we lost, and then we picked up the win against Lehigh, so I think we're feeling pretty good," freshman guard Mike Gilmore said. MEN'S BASKETBALL: IVY LEAGUE STANDINGS

Team  Conf.  Overall  Home  Away   Streak Penn  0-0  3-1  1-1  2-0  Won 3 Columbia  0-0  4-2  4-1  0-1  Won 1 Princeton  0-0  4-2  1-0  3-2  Lost 1 Cornell  0-0  2-1  2-0  0-1  Won 2 Dartmouth  0-0  1-1  1-0  0-1  Won 1 Harvard  0-0  2-3  2-2  0-1  Won 1 Brown  0-0  1-3  0-1  1-2  Won 1 Yale  0-0  1-4  1-2  0-2  Lost 3 STATISTICAL SCORING LEADERS

League  Overall

Player/School  GP  Pts  Avg  GP< Tab>Pts  Avg Rullman, Harvard  0  0  0.0  5  123  24.6 Jenkins, Columbia  0  0  0.0  6  119  19. 8 Palmer, Dartmouth  0  0  0.0  2  36  18. 0 Pierce, Penn  0  0  0.0  4  68  17.0 Maloney, Penn  0  0  0.0  4  65  16.3 Gaca, Cornell  0  0  0.0  3  49  16.3 Allen, Penn  0  0  0.0  4  64  16.0 STATISTICAL REBOUNDING LEADERS

League  Overall

Player/School  GP  Reb  Avg  GP< Tab>Reb  Avg Palmer, Dartmouth  0  0  0.0  2  25  12. 5 Moore, Penn  0  0  0.0  4  35  8.8 Marshall, Cornell  0  0  0.0  3  25  8.3 Rullman, Harvard  0  0  0.0  5  40  8.0 Treadwell, Cornell  0  0  0.0  3  21  7.0 Allen, Penn  0  0  0.0  4  26  6.5 Pierce, Penn  0  0  0.0  4  25  6.3