While Farrar insists that the first-round match could be competitive, Offsay has Camels’ head coach J.J. Addison worried. Addison, who graduated from the same high school as Offsay, is aware of the hole set’s strong water polo background and offensive prowess.

“We know Rick’s going to get his goals,” Addison said. “With a player with his kind of strength and talent, it’s not a question of stopping him—it’s about trying to limit him.”

In preparation for the inevitable double- teams that Offsay will face, the Crimson has been working on techniques to sustain the offense.

“We’ve been moving the ball from top to bottom and setting picks here and there,” co-captain Mike Gerrity said. “If we get the offense moving, Rick will get open more often—as will other people.”

“The way to attack any zone defense is with movement,” Farrar added. “The drop defense leaves people open on the perimeter.”

On the other side, Connecticut College will also focus on finding holes in the Harvard defense that suffocated it so thoroughly in the teams’ first matchup.

“We struggled with Harvard’s press defense last time we played them,” Addison said. “It’s something we’ve been working on in practice. We’re going to do our best to use the foul and use our ball handlers more.”

No matter how one-sided the game might seem, the Crimson is taking nothing for granted.

“We’re taking this very, very seriously,” Farrar said. “It’s a game that we absolutely must win. No equivocation about it.”

POWER OF THE DEN

If Harvard and Brown have the same result in the first game—either both win or both lose—they will meet each other in the second round.

In a rematch of the heated contest the Crimson won 6-2 Oct. 14 at Blodgett Pool, the two Ivy schools would then battle in the Bears’ Smith Swim Center—a place known for its roaring crowd.

“Playing Brown is always very intense,” sophomore John Voith said. “Their fans are known to be very rowdy.”

Farrar, who both played and coached for Brown, knows about the rivalry firsthand.

“At Brown, everyone hates Harvard,” the Bears alumnus said.