The men's team enters Saturday's game 2-10, and is currently on a five-game losing streak. The streak includes a 61-54 home loss to Army in which the Big Green squandered an eleven-point second-half lead.
Harvard enters the game 9-6, boasting the second best non-conference record in the league behind Cornell. The Crimson team will enter Leede Arena coming off its best game of the year, a stunning 82-70 upset at No. 17 Boston College on Wednesday. The Eagles were coming off an important road win themselves, beating then number one-ranked and unbeaten University of North Carolina 85-78.
Last year, the Big Green earned a split in the season series with Harvard, losing the first matchup 56-82 in Cambridge and winning the second meeting a week later in Hanover. Alex Barnett '09 led Dartmouth with 21 points in the victory.
Dartmouth and Harvard have been evenly matched the past three seasons, with both sides posting two wins.
To win on Saturday, the Big Green will have to be more consistent on the offensive end. Barnett and Jabari Trotter '12 are the only players to average double-digits in points this season, and Barnett has led the team in scoring in all but three games. One of those games was the Big Green's best performance so far, a 96-47 win against Plymouth State University last month.
On defense, Dartmouth will look to contain Crimson guard Jeremy Lin. The junior leads Harvard in scoring, steals, assists and rebounds. On Wednesday, Lin torched Boston College for a game-high 27 points.
The women's team enters their game 3-9, looking to defend its Ivy League regular season title.
Big Green guard Betsy Williams '10 said the team is determined to get off to a strong start in their Ivy League season.
"A big win against Harvard would certainly make a statement," she said.
Slow non-conference starts are not new to the Big Green. Last season the team entered its first matchup with Harvard 2-9. The Big Green went on to go 12-3 in Ivy play en route to a shared league title with Harvard and Cornell, and a spot in the National Invitation Tournament.
The Big Green women have played better so far this season than their record indicates. Four of their nine losses have been by less than ten points. At the TD Banknorth Classic, the Big Green was dealt consecutive heartbreaking losses to nationally-ranked Michigan State University in overtime and the University of Vermont in triple overtime.
To win on Saturday, Dartmouth must play better on the defensive end. The Big Green has given up more than 55 points in all but one game this season, including 85 to Boston College.
Dartmouth will also look to neutralize Harvard's size advantage with ball movement and by finding holes in Crimson's zone defense.
"We've been working on our offense this week," Margaret Smith '10 said. "They're bigger than we are, but we'll try to take advantage of our athleticism."
The two schools split the season series last year, with Dartmouth winning at Cambridge but losing at home. Over the past four seasons the two teams have each won three games.
Dartmouth and Harvard are the traditional powers in Ivy League women's basketball, and, for the players, the rivalry adds importance to the games.
"We definitely don't like Harvard at all," Smith said. "Especially since they're our biggest rivals, and if we beat them twice, it'll make it easier for us to win the Ivy title."
The men take on the Crimson at 7:00 p.m. at Leede Arean, while the women square off at 2:00 p.m. in Cambridge, Mass.
