As most Harvard students head home to sip egg nog, several Crimson sports teams will head across the country this winter break to sip Gatorade.

The men's basketball team has begun its holiday tour of the country, departing on a grueling series of road games and practices. It plays Colgate tonight in Hamilton, N.Y., and, after the game, takes a bus up to Burlington, Vt. On Saturday, the team will hold an afternoon practice before a Sunday game against the Catamounts.

Then its back to Cambridge for practice, two days off for Christmas and then off to California for the winter break's highlight: the Cable Car Classic in Santa Clara on December 29-30. Harvard plays Santa Clara in the opening round. Alabama and Rhode Island will meet in the other bracket.

The team returns to Harvard immediately after the tournament for a January 2 game against Boston University.

The women's basketball team has a less grueling schedule, but a significantly less festive set of holiday parties. Harvard plays second-ranked Stanford tonight in the opening round of the Fry's/Cardinal Classic in Palo Alto.

In 1992, Harvard entered the academic year ranked first according to U.S. News and World Report. Stanford entered the year ranked first according to Associated Press, Sports Illustrated, Collegiate Sports Magazine, Women's Basketball News Service and Dick Vitale. (Harvard, of course, was ranked according to academics. Stanford according to women's basketball.) The Crimson will likely play either Utah or Florida in the consolation round tomorrow.

Distant time zones being a popular destination of choice, some of Harvard's swimmers and divers will be heading west.

Senior Simon Wainwright is looking forward to visiting Hawaii with the men's swimming team from December 20 through January 4. "The first week will be reasonably easy, with one workout for about three hours each day. The second week will be more intense, with double workouts every day," Wainwright said.

The diving team, meanwhile, will be training in sunny San Diego. The Harvard women's swimming team will spend its vacation in a sunny location as well: Barbados.

Some athletes, however, will remain in this corner of the country to take advantage of the climate. The alpine ski team will train in the Catskills in upstate New York from December 18-23, while the Nordic ski team will train in Crossbury, Vt. beginning December 27.

Though Cambridge will seem somewhat empty with many students gone on vacation, it is still a holiday destination for some. Dartmouth visits Bright Hockey Center tonight to play the Harvard men's hockey team.

The Crimson will relax until December 28, when it resumes practices before its January 3 party on ice against Boston College.