THE NATION'S TOP 20 COLLEGE TEAMS
KANSAS STATE
Big Eight
W 23, L 1
Coach Winter
Boozer, averaging 25 points, one of nation's best. Over-all shooting percentage (.386) just fair, however. Tough under pressure, the Wildcats have won half a dozen games by three points or less.
MICHIGAN STATE
Big Ten
W 18, L 3
Coach Anderson
Great board control by Green, Walker and Anderegg is key to strength of team which shoots poorly from floor and foul line and fields no player over 6 feet 5. Bench is adequate, but defense so-so.
NORTH CAROLINA
Atlantic Coast
W 20, L 4
Coach McGuire
Probably best-balanced team in the country. All starters scoring in double figures, shooting over .400, and pulling down more than 100 rebounds. Larese tops in point production and accuracy.
KENTUCKY
Southeastern
W 23, L 2
Coach Rupp
Balanced scoring, strong bench and Cox's shooting and rebounding are assets Rupp brings to NCAA title defense. Kentucky always rough on boards, and this club upholds the tradition.
CINCINNATI
Missouri Valley
W 22, L 3
Coach Smith
Second in field-goal accuracy and points per game, with Robertson nation's top scorer. Lack standout big man and balance in rebounding department. Fine guard, Mendenhall, is ineligible for NCAA tournament.
MISSISSIPPI STATE
Southeastern
W 24, L 1
Coach McCarthy
Among nation's leaders in defense, shooting and rebounding, Howell is fourth in scoring, second on boards. Team margin over all opponents is 300 rebounds and close to 400 points for season.
BRADLEY
Missouri Valley
W 23, L 3
Coach Orsborn
Speed, good ball handling and accurate shooting offset lack of big man and barely adequate rebounding. Four of balanced first five hitting in double figures. McDade best on boards and averaged 12 points.
N. CAROLINA STATE
Atlantic Coast
W 22, L 4
Coach Case
Fine first five led by high-scoring, strong-rebounding Richter and slick playmaker Pucillo, but are short on reserve strength. Use variety of tenacious zone defenses with exceptional skill.
AUBURN
Southeastern
W 20, L 2
Coach Eaves
Good defense and the best field-goal percentage among major colleges helped compensate for only fair rebounding. Lee top scorer with 13.1 average. All starters shooting better than .420 from floor.
ST. LOUIS
Missouri Valley
W 20, L 4
Coach Benington
Tall, strong combination of powerful rebounders who often tip in shots that have missed. Ferry (21-point average) hooks, shoots well. A bit slower than traditional Billiken crews, but control boards.
WEST VIRGINIA
Southern
W 25, L 4
Coach Schaus
Third-best in total offense, with fine shooting percentage of .462. West stands out in every department, has 25.6 scoring average. Loose defense is the big weakness. Won 18 of final 19 games.
NORTHWESTERN
Big Ten
W 15, L 7
Coach Rohr
Poor defense and rebounding lapse at midseason marred record. Good overall size and speed kept team close to the leaders in offense. Ruklick an excellent hook shooter, with a 22-point average.
ST. JOSEPH'S
Mid-Atlantic
W 22, L 3
Coach Ramsay
Finished the season with 12 consecutive victories and better than 80 points per game. Starters average 6 feet 4, rebound well. McNeill leading scorer (17.5) and also a fine fast-break playmaker.
CALIFORNIA
Pacific Coast
W 21, L 4
Coach Newell
Nation's best defensive team, though in low-scoring, ball-control territory Imhoff top rebounder, others generally poor on boards. Buch, Fitzpatrick form a strong, good-shooting backcourt combination.
ST. MARY'S
West Coast
W 18, L 5
Coach Weaver
Deliberate offense does not match effectiveness of sticky, man-to-man defense chiefly because of poor shooting. Rugged Meschery is one of nation's best rebounders, Doss is top scorer with 16.4 average.
TCU
Southwest
W 19, L 5
Coach Brannon
Tall, all-Texas, all-senior starters are strong on boards, led by 6-foot-10 Kirchner, who is conference top scorer with 20.4 per game. Team lacks adequate speed and agility; shooting is very erratic.
WASHINGTON
Pacific Coast
W 18, L 8
Coach Dye
Boardwork by big (6-foot-5 average) starting five is key asset, weak bench the major drawback. Smart drives well, leads in accuracy (.518), scoring and rebounding. Defense among the nation's best.
MARQUETTE
Independent
W 22, L 4
Coach Hickey
Team strategy is built around rebounding of jumping jacks Mangham and Kojis and feeding to high-scoring Moran in low post. Superb job by Hickey in his first year, despite an extremely weak bench.
OKLAHOMA CITY
Independent
W 20, L 6
Coach Lemons
Third-best shooters in the nation, led by McCraw, hitting at .548 clip, with Moses close behind at .540. Biggest weakness is mediocre rebounding; opponents outdid the Chiefs in this category.
UTAH
Skyline
W 21, L 5
Coach Gardner
Well-balanced, single-post attack features seven good scorers, with Pollard tops. Strong rebounding and tight defense help make up for lack of real speed, usually one of Utah's strong points.
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Bob Boozer
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John Green
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York Larese
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John Cox
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Oscar Robertson
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Bailey Howell
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Joe Billy McDade
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John Richter
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Jimmy Lee
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Bob Ferry
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Jerry West
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Joe Ruklick
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Bob McNeill
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Darrall Imhoff
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Tom Meschery
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H. E. Kirchner
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Doug Smart
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Mike Moran
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Ed McCraw
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Pearl Pollard