PRINCETON, N.J.--This was to be the weekend the Harvard men finally entered the ranks of real Division I NCAA basketball.

Harvard took its six-game winning streak to Ivy powerhouses Princeton and Penn, who collectively have won every Ivy League title since the Bronze Age, in an effort to end years of "The Big Two and the Little Six" within the Ivies.

Instead of a giant coming-out party, Harvard's southern campaign became something of a Picket's Charge, and left the Crimson reeling in the wake of two double-digit defeats, including an embarrassing 75-51 setback to Princeton on Saturday in which Harvard never appeared to have a chance.

Against both teams, Harvard suffered through two straight aerial bombardments from the perimeter which ceased only when the opposition spotted the occasional player on the blocks for an uncontested layup.

It was a weekend that radically changes one's conception of Harvard basketball, and of Ivy League basketball in general. There is almost no facet of Harvard's game that cannot be called into question--from talent, to coaching, to leadership and guts.

The weekend ended with Harvard coach Frank Sullivan admitting that he did in fact think Penn and Princeton are at a different level, and with Crimson players refusing to voice their unalleviated frustrations for the record.

But Penn and Princeton are not Kansas. While Harvard was busy getting destroyed in New Jersey, Penn lost to a Dartmouth team that Harvard clearly outplayed in two pervious meeting this season.

Furthermore, the Crimson could have exploited their opponents' weaknesses. Combined, Harvard faced one senior and six underclassmen starters this weekend. Harvard's senior-dominated lineup and superior bulk on the interior should have assured that the Crimson would at least stay competitive and keep the games close.

Instead, it was Harvard that alternately appeared scared and out of control.

The team's second-leading scorer and rebounder, senior Chris Grancio, seemed to be the perfect power forward to exploit Princeton's vertically-challenged starting five.

Grancio had four inches and 25 pounds on his Tiger counterpart, Gabe Lewullis, but Lewullis' quickness proved to be the dominating force on the court. Grancio mustered only two first-half points and no assists and was benched for sieve-like defence.

"Chris didn't do the job defensively tonight," Sullivan said. "That negated any advantage offensively he had inside.

Another of Harvard's key weapons, senior captain David Demian, is one of the few players in the Ivy League who can clearly match Princeton's shooting prowess. His 50 percent shooting from behind the arc entering the weekend was better than that of any regular player for either Penn or Princeton.

But Demian disappeared on the court and struggled to contribute offensively, producing a charge, three turnovers, two air balls, and 1-6 shooting to go with five points for the weekend.

"I give credit to Penn and Princeton, Demian said. "They took away [senior forward] Kyle [Snowden's] offense."