These matchups make up one of the most difficult non-conference schedules that the Crimson has ever undertaken, but the road to the Ivy League championship is by no means a smooth one either.

The Crimson will have to surpass Cornell and Princeton, as well as a much-improved Penn team, in order to claim its first-ever conference title. Both the Big Red and the Tigers finished ahead of Harvard in last year’s standings, as the Crimson went winless against the pair—its only Ivy losses.

Though Cornell is the three-time defending league champion, the Big Red lost three first-team All-Ivy players in center Jeff Foote, guard Louis Dale, and forward Ryan Wittman, the Ivy League Player of the Year. Cornell should remain competitive with the return of junior guard Chris Wroblewski and the development of sophomore forward Errick Peck, but most media outlets are not anticipating a fourth straight title for the Big Red.

The preseason favorite is Princeton, which returns the top five scorers from a team that went 21-8 last year—including the veteran backcourt duo of junior Douglas Davis and senior Dan Mavraides, both of whom are among the league’s top six returning scorers.

With the Quakers also expecting a revival from a miserable 2009-10 season in which they went 6-22, Harvard’s quest for its first Ivy crown will be a challenge.

“We have a little more work this year,” McNally admits. “We [are] really just focused on getting better every day…We look forward to continue doing that and win some games this year hopefully.”