How Good Is the Basketball Squad? Connecticut Game Tonight Will Tell

Not many basketball teams will best the University of Connecticut this year, but Harvard just might be one of them. Tonight's away game with the Yankoe Conference champions should be one of the toughest and most exciting all year.

Connecticut compiled a 16-11 record last year, and was runner-up in the Eastern regional of the NCAA championship tournament. Sources at UConn say this year's team is even better.

There are many strategies the Crimson could use tonight, but the only sure-fire one would be to arrange for the Huskies' Toby Kimball to suffer a few multiple fractures before the game.

Aside from Princeton All-American Bill Bradley and B.C.'s John Austin, Kimball is probably the best player Harvard will face all season. He's 6 ft., 8 in. He was an All-East performer last year, scoring 20 points per game and ranking eighth in the nation in rebounding. In two games this year, Kimball has scored 50 points and pulled down (gasp!) 52 rebounds.

The rest of the starting lineup includes Bill Della Salla, a 6 ft., 3 in. forward averaging 10.5 per game; 6 ft., 2in. Dan Hesford, whose average is 13.5; and guards Wes Bialosuknia and P. J. Curran.

UConn Clobbered Yale

Having opened its season with a 98-67 romp over American International UConn then whipped Yale, 68 to 47. The Huskies have more speed and shooting ability than they possessed last season, but for the first time in years they are not an overwhelmingly big club. Kimball is no Lilliputian, but the graduation of 6 ft., 11. in center Ed Slomcenski leaves him the only big man on the starting five.

Crimson Coach Floyd Wilson, never one to mince words, predicted. "We'll best 'em," but realistically, Harvard is the underdog tonight.

Everything will have to go right for the Crimson to spring an upset. The main problem, of course, is Kimball; Merle McClung will guard him man-to-man, and both McClung and Barry Williams will have the difficult chore of competing with the 6 ft., 8 in. senior for rebounds. The rebounding duel between Williams and Kimball should be one of the highlights of the game.

Harvard's shooting tonight will have to be much better than it was at Springfield Saturday, when the team sank a pathetic 39 per cent of its shots. Everyone on the starting five is capable of having prolific scoring night.

One player overdue to "bust loose" is 6 ft., 1 in. forward Keith Sedlacek. Although he has scored 32 points in two games, Sedlacek's usually fine jump shot has not been functioning especially well-this year.

Wilson may have his team use the full-court press a good deal. On Saturday Harvard was trailing Springfield 14-5, began to press, and three minutes later led 22-17. Both of UConn's guards are sophomores, so they might be ruffled by a press.

And then there is the nasty matter of fouls. Harvard used its starting five of Williams, McClung, Sedlacek, Gene Dressler, and Leo Soully for all but two seconds of the Springfield game, because the Crimson bench is so weak. McClung and Williams must stay out of foul trouble; if either collects five personals, it would be sheer disaster.