While college basketball gets into full swing this season, one thing is for certain. Harvard basketball will not be the dominant force it was last year.

Excitement for the season was at an all-time high this year following the return of many key starters after a trip to March Madness that ended in a hard-fought loss against Vanderbilt.

But then, come September, Harvard had its now infamous cheating scandal. Many athletes across a vast variety of sports were found guilty of conspiring to cheat on a Government 1310 "Introduction to Congress" final.

Amongst these various athletes, Harvard star Kyle Casey and guard Brandyn Curry were two of the many accused of cheating. Both have decided to take the year off and return to Harvard for the 2013-14 season.

But that still leaves a current squad that despite the loss of two key starters who had hoped to lead the Crimson back to the tournament, still has postseason aspirations.

The season opener against MIT, a typical blowout for the Crimson, did not go as well as the squad had hoped. It took really the whole first half for this new squad to get used to leading the way for Harvard. And when the Crimson took on UMass as they fell by a buzzer-beating three-pointer, it was clear that this Harvard team was not the same squad that took the court last year.

However, the Crimson have looked to new leaders to lead the way. Wesley Saunders, a sophomore from Los Angeles, has already stepped up as one of the premier scorers on the roster, as four players are averaging over 10 points a game for a roster that has slowly started to look like more of a team effort rather than an individual one.

And in their 79-45 blowout of Manhattan, the Crimson looked incredibly strong and capable of being a conference contender this season.

Harvard will field a solid team this year, but it will not feature the starting talent from a season ago. This is the making of a rising program, and they will be tested early.