On the surface, Harvard men's squash and the Boston Celtics don't have much in common.

They can share one thing after this weekend, however. Eight straight championships.

As the seniors on the team travel to the Potter Cup competition at Princeton for the last time, they see something they never have before--a blemish on their record. No. 2 Harvard (8-1, 6-0 Ivy) lost 6-3 to No. 1 Trinity, ending an 89-game winning streak.

Just because the middle of the season didn't go the way it always has, however, doesn't mean it can't end the same way.

"We have really played each other a lot more since [the Trinity loss], and we're more match-fit and competitive," said senior No. 2 Rishaad Bilimoria, a tri-captain.

"We're more of a unit, and all nine of us should play great. We expect to win it, and we're confident in our abilities," he said.

"We're mentally better prepared because of the loss," said freshman No. 4 Deepak Abraham. "Before, we were kind of taking [things] for granted."

The Crimson has as much of a chance to win as the other seven teams there. Although Harvard lost to Trinity, it beat Princeton 6-3, and the Tigers beat Trinity last week.

"It's essentially a three-way tie," Bilimoria said. "We're going to show a lot of aggression and have the attitude of hunting the other teams down."

The Crimson faces Denison today and the Princeton-Amherst winner tomorrow. Harvard expects to see the Tigers, but doesn't want to be caught looking forward to anyone, especially Trinity in the championship game.

"The most important thing is to go about our business and to win the whole thing," said senior No. 5 Jeff Blumberg. "Although [playing Trinity again] would be a great match, we're definitely not overlooking anyone."

"We have to approach every match the same way, and every match is tough," said sophomore Eric Lauer.

While the seniors have never failed to bring home a national championship, the freshmen have just been introduced to the tradition of winning and the accompanying burden of success. Abraham knows that anything less than another championship will be deemed unacceptable.

"We have to win this, and we're probably going to," Abraham said. "We want it as much as anyone."