The Big Green women enter the first full week of Ivy League play with a record of 2-13 overall with a 0-1 mark in Ivy play. Both Yale (9-7) and Brown (10-6) are currently 1-1 within the Ivy League.
For the men's team (4-14, 0-2 Ivy), the Yale basketball squad will provide some tough competition. The Bulldogs are currently undefeated in the Ivy League and boast a 12-4 record overall. On the other hand, Brown's performance this season closely resembles Dartmouth's. Both teams enter the weekend 0-2 in the Ancient Eight, and the Bears stand 6-13 overall.
The women will play Yale on Sunday afternoon, an unusual schedule for Ivy League play, according to Dartmouth captain Faziah Steen '13.
"It actually has to do with Princeton's exam schedule," she said. "Some other teams had to play Friday and Sunday, so to be fair, they're making everyone play those days."
Despite the unusual schedule, Steen said she's looking forward to moving ahead with the season.
"It's exciting to be able to finally get into the Ivy schedule and see how we play against other teams," she said. "If we do well against Brown, it'll be good for us. They're much better than they've been in previous years so it'll be very challenging."
Men's basketball captain David Rufful '12 is also excited to start the season so the Big Green has the opportunity to improve.
"I think getting better in the Ivy League is a process," Rufful said. "Last year, we were in last place, and I think every year we need to work on getting better. I think it's a step in the right direction for the program."
The Dartmouth men's team got off to a shaky start this season, losing twice to Harvard University. Although the Big Green came close to victory during the first matchup, it failed to put up much of a fight against Harvard in the disappointing second game.
"I think we started off well," Rufful said. "We started off up six points. The gym was packed, and there was lots of enthusiasm in the stands. Our defense was the only thing keeping us hanging in there we definitely lost to the better team. It was a blow to our morale, but we're trying to stay positive and move forward. There's still a lot of time left, still a lot of basketball to play."
Rufful also explained that the team is entering the weekend with high expectations for the outcome.
"Our expectations are to win, and anything short of that will be disappointing because that's what we plan for," he said. "I think if we contain two of Brown's great shooters, victory is possible."
Steen said she also expects the women to defeat their opponents this weekend.
"We expect just for us to come out with a win and get better each game," Steen said. "I think in our game against Harvard, we showed what we're capable of. If we can just cut down on turnovers we'll do really well in league play."
The women's team hosts the Bears this Friday at 7 p.m. in Leede Area and faces off with the Bulldogs at 2 p.m. on Sunday.
