Unbeaten M.I.T. Five, Out for Blood, Duels Crimson; Cheerleaders, Massive Pep Rally Inspire Engineers

More than 1000 students will jam M.I.T.'s gymnasium at 6:30 this evening, and the occasion is not a lecture on cybernetics--it's a pep rally.

The boys down the Charles have never really been known for gung-ho spirit, but this year M.I.T. has good reason to whoop it up: the school has the best basketball team in its history, and their quintet is meeting Harvard tonight in the I.B.A.

The popularity of basketball has skyrocketed at Tech for two reasons: everybody loves girls, and everybody loves a winner. Take an unbeaten team, add seven co-ed cheerleaders, and you've got enthusiasm.

The Engineers opened their season by setting a school scoring record as they demolished Boston State, 106 to 86. They nipped Trinity and Wesleyan in their next two games, then crushed Brandeis and Norwich.

Nothing would make the team happier than beating Harvard. The Crimson has topped M.I.T. in 39 of 48 meetings; three years ago Harvard won an 84-34 debacle that impelled Coach Floyd Wilson to apologize to the Tech coach, Jack Barry. M.I.T. is out for blood tonight--and they might get it.

The key man on their quintet is 6-5 Jack Moter, who is averaging 23.4 points per game. Moter never played high school ball and couldn't even make the Tech freshman team, but has developed into the big reason that the Engineers are unbeaten this year.

Bill Eagleson, M.I.T.'s 6-5 center, is averaging 16.2 and has snagged 14 rebounds per game. Two other members of the squad--Bob Grady and Jack Mazola--are averaging in double figures. With a balanced attack and good shooting, the Engineers (if you haven't guessed by now) aren't going to be a pushover.

The Crimson will start Barry Williams, Bob Inman, Merle McClung, Leo Scully, and Al Bornheimer; sophomore guard Keith Sedlacek is also expected to see plenty of action after his 14-point performance against Williams Saturday night.

On the basis of comparative scores, M.I.T. should win by three. They beat Wesleyan, 61 to 55, while Harvard eked out a 79-76 victory over the Cardinals. Comparative scores, of course, mean nothing.

The Crimson should win. They won't be caught napping; the squad knows that the Engineers are tough, and they also realize that few things on this earth could conceivably be more ignominious than losing to M.I.T.

Rebounding strength should provide the difference for Harvard; Tech has only two starters taller than 6-1, and it will take a lot more than slide rules and game theory to contain Williams, Inman, and McClung.