But that won't happen. Let me say this. If you are a fan of beautiful basketball, there is no place in the NBA, the NCAA or anywhere else that you will see the brand displayed by Princeton. The Tigers run THE [backdoor] PLAY!

Some variation of THE PLAY involves some player running somehow past his defender after some couple hundred passes for an easy layup. I don't know anything else about it, and you must see it to believe it. Chances are that the Crimson will be doing lots of watching themselves.

Harvard, of course, has a chance. If injured Beam and Clemente are at full strength, the Crimson has a good group of young talent.

"If we establish our inside game early, we can utilize our guard strength," said sophomore guard Damian Long.

In any case, both games may become shooting showcases, as the nine most accurate long-distance strokers in the Ivies reside on the three featured teams.

Go this weekend. Harvard has a chance to gain a step on the Quakers in the race for second-place in the Ancient Eight. This No. 23 IS stoppable, and Harvard should do well on the boards against the Quakers. Then, go to the circus on Saturday night and root the valiant Crimson to a noble defeat at the hands--or claws--of the greatest Tigers in the world.

"If we win, we'll probably run home and tape SportsCenter. It'll definitely be the cover story," Long said.