Strong Penn Five Favored to Defeat Crimson Varsity

Bock-less Penn faces hapless Harvard in their first meeting of the 1953-54 Eastern Intercollegiate Basketball League season in Philadelphia at 8 p.m. tonight. For both teams, victory is a must; for the visitors who have lost their last eight in a row it is highly unlikely.

The Quakers must win to keep alive their hopes for a second straight league title and the accompanying N.C.A.A. tournament berth. The Crimson, if it loses, will drop deeper into the E.I.B.L. cellar, which it has occupied since Brown upset Columbia Monday. The win gave the Bruins a 8-10 season's record, while the varsity's is 2-9.

Sporting an 8-3 mark for a close third place in League play, Penn has been stronger than expected this season. Joe Sturgis, Bart Leach, and Captain Dick Heylinun--all of them among the top eight scorers in the league--are helping to fill the gap caused by the graduation of Ernie Beck, who topped the E.I.B.L. scoring race for three seasons.

Meanwhile, at 4 p.m. this afternoon, the undefeated freshman five will play Boston College at Chestnut Hill.