Quintet Plays Cornell Tonight; Sextets, Grapplers Win

Fresh from its first victory over Tufts in three years, the Crimson basketball team rates a solid favorite over a very inexperienced Cornell five, as the two teams open their Ivy League play tonight at Ithaca.

The varsity will seek its third straight win, in a season which could surprise many people. At separate times in its first two games, the team has shown the basic fundamentals needed for a successful campaign, something it has not demonstrated for a decade.

In the opener against Wesleyan, Coach Floyd Wilson's men threw a blanket defense around the Cardinals, limiting them to a mere 37 points. This gave Harvard the temporary first-week defensive lead in the country. In both contests the Crimson's height and rebounding have been encouraging, and for occasional moments the shooting has been satisfactory. If these three factors jell, the varsity could give everyone trouble.

One year ago, the team also flew to Ithaca, seeking its third consecutive victory. Only before that 81 to 59 unexpected triumph, the Big Red had won 22 games in a row from the Crimson. Guard Bob Hastings led the winners with 28 points, and he will start again tonight.

Cornell Suffers Loss

This year, however, Cornell has lost its three top players, including Chuck Rolles and Bo Roberson, who averaged 40 points a game between them from that team, and is now relying on two sophomores for the bulk of its attack. Cornell has thus far defeated Buffalo College and lost to Bucknell and Colgate.

The two sophomore stars are Lou Jordan, a 6-1 guard who has scored at the rate of over 19 points per game in the two games to date, and 6-6 center Frank Mead, who has a 14 plus average. A third sophomore, Bill Sullivan, plays the other guard, and two junior lettermen fill the forward slots, Phil Marriot, 6-3, and Charley Robinson, 6-4.