- Publish date:
Basketball's Week
THE MIDWEST
1. MICHIGAN (11-4)
2. LOYOLA (15-1)
3. KANSAS (14-3)
Like UCLA, the big teams of the Missouri Valley found no friends on the road. Bradley, Tulsa and Cincinnati, the leaders, were all beaten, and suddenly six teams had a shot at the title. After struggling by little St. Joseph's of Indiana 71-66, Cincy traveled to ST. LOUIS and ran into Gene Moore's coming-out party. The 6-foot-7 sophomore had 17 points and 15 rebounds as the Bills won 73-64. Tulsa's first league road game was a disaster, WICHITA STATE'S Kelly Pete held Hurricane star Eldridge Webb to eight points, and the Shockers won 87-72. That brought Wichita State, Louisville and DRAKE into the race. The Bulldogs beat Iowa State 74-71 and North Texas State 78-68.
The talk in the Big Ten was that MICHIGAN is In. But the Wolverines' play wasn't up to the conversation. Cazzie Russell managed just one basket in the second half, and Michigan squeaked by weak Wisconsin 69-67. MICHIGAN STATE won twice, 92-74 over Purdue and 77-68 at Northwestern, to hold second place. But IOWA, which took an offensive show from Ohio State 98-89, and MINNESOTA, a 91-75 winner over Purdue, also had a chance.
Among the independents, the only challenger to Loyola was DAYTON. The Flyers beat another Loyola (of Los Angeles) 85-57. MIAMI of Ohio had the Mid-American race locked up after beating Marshall 74-57.
THE EAST
1. PROVIDENCE (13-1)
2. ST. JOHN'S (11-3)
3. ST. JOSEPH'S (13-4)
There was a weird slant to the din in Philadelphia's musty old Palestra last Saturday night. It was more like a funeral dirge. Not even playmaker Matt Guokas' whizzing passes could stir St. Joseph's as DAYTON'S 6-foot-11 Henry Finkel climbed over the Hawks for 23 points and sophomore star Don May flipped in 16. St. Joe's may have expected that but it had not figured on being hurt by Glinder Torain, a 6-foot-6 sophomore who came off the bench in the second half to pop in 10 points. That finished the Hawks. They were upset 79-76.
Providence beat Niagara 80-67, but it was a struggle. The Eagles had the Friars by 12 points, and tough Mike Riordan was out on fouls with 13:30 to go. Then versatile Jimmy Walker took charge. He moved to the back line on defense and began grabbing rebounds, his whirling jumpers (he got 30 points) set Providence off on a 33-8 tear, and the Friars won.
St. John's, Boston College and Syracuse had it easy. St. John's beat Pitt 74-51, Boston College took Colby 95-79 and Syracuse, with Dave Bing scoring 32 points, overwhelmed Massachusetts 114-72. With tournament time approaching, some other independents were also making their moves. ST. BONA VENTURE edged Seton Hall 88-82 and Duquesne 71-70 while GEORGETOWN overtook Fordham 81-79 for its fifth in a row. NYU bombed Fairleigh Dickinson 108-76 as Mai Graham scored 47 points.
Temple and Army, however, stumbled. PENN STATE'S lithe leapers outjumped the bigger Owls, Carver Clinton flipped in 25 points and the Lions won 79-73. ARMY lost star Mike Silliman with a wrenched knee but beat Rutgers anyway 62-61. Then, without Silliman and Guard Paul Heiner, an academic casualty, the Cadets lost to CANISIUS 81-77 in Buffalo.
Bill Bradley is just a pleasant memory now, but PRINCETON still looks good enough to win the Ivy title. With little Gary Walters quarterbacking smartly, sophomore John Haarlow gunning in 17 points and Don Rodenbach hitting for 20, the Tigers put down Penn 75-68. That, and YALE'S 88-69 setback of Columbia, gave Princeton the lead.
THE SOUTH
1. DUKE (15-1)
2. KENTUCKY (14-0)
3. VANDERBILT (15-2)
North Carolina State's Press Maravich, upset by his team's lackadaisical 65-54 loss to TENNESSEE, took some stern measures. He benched Billy Moffitt, Tommy Mattocks and Larry Worsley and started subs Ray Hodgdon and Gary Hale and newly eligible Jerry Moore, a 6-foot-7 junior, against DUKE. Maravich's gambit almost brought down the rusty Blue Devils. The Wolfpack, pressing and double-teaming like mad, had Duke in a 67-67 tie with seven minutes to go. But Jack Marin threw in seven quick points and the Blue Devils pulled it out 86-77. "We had a big one on the hook, but it got away," lamented Maravich.
Kentucky and Vanderbilt, meanwhile, warmed up for their return match Wednesday. The unbeaten Wildcats were never better. With Thad Jaracz scoring 25 points and Pat Riley 24, they trounced Louisiana State 111-85. Auburn was next and Kentucky broke up the Tigers' shuffle almost before it began. Wily old Adolph Rupp had Guards Tommy Kron and Louis Dampier swarm Auburn's outside men, and three times in the first few minutes Larry Conley alertly picked off hurried passes, converted them into baskets and the Wildcats were on their way to a 115-78 victory. Vandy breezed, too. Clyde Lee scored 24 points and the Vols smashed Louisiana State 98-66.
Bradley had every reason to believe that Louisville would be easy. After all, the Braves had already beaten the Cards by 17 points. But that was in Peoria. Last Saturday, before 12,986 partisans in Freedom Hall, LOUISVILLE'S Wesley Unseld, held to eight points in the first game, put Bradley's Joe Allen in his hip pocket. Unseld out-scored Allen 24-16, plucked away 19 rebounds and the Cards won 103-71.
Davidson lost again to mediocre WAKE FOREST, 82-80, on Jim Boshart's three points with a second to go in overtime. VIRGINIA TECH rolled over Toledo 91-77 for its seventh straight while GEORGIA TECH, finding someone its own size, licked Arkansas 88-75.
THE SOUTHWEST
1. TEXAS WESTERN (14-0)
2. HOUSTON (13-4)
3. OKLAHOMA CITY (14-3)
Southwest Conference teams are used to being intimidated by outsiders. But never had so many been beaten by one team in the same week. Independent HOUSTON, yearning for national recognition, sneaked past Baylor 92-91 on Joe Hamood's free throw in overtime and clobbered Texas Christian 100-79 as 6-foot-8 sophomore Elvin Hayes scored 33 points and grabbed 27 rebounds. Then the Big E—that's what they call Hayes in Houston—really got going against Texas A&M, the SWC leader. He rolled up 35 points, got 22 rebounds, batted away shots like a giant octopus flicking at minnows and the Aggies went down 97-85. "That big guy spooked us the whole game," complained A&M Coach Shelby Metcalf. "Just having him towering around out there is tough." What did Houston's Guy Lewis think about Hayes? "He is only the finest sophomore since Oscar Robertson, that's all," gushed Lewis.
The other major Southwest independents enjoyed themselves, too. Unbeaten TEXAS WESTERN won twice (page 48) and OKLAHOMA CITY beat Denver 98-87.
THE WEST
1. SAN FRANCISCO (13-2)
2. UTAH (14-3)
3. UCLA (10-5)
Rarely have California members of the AAWU been so humiliated on a single weekend. While UCLA was losing in Chicago. Southern California and Stanford also suffered on the road. Southern Cal just could not hold SAN FRANCISCO'S talented Joe Ellis. He scored 23 points, snared 23 rebounds and the Dons won 81-73. Then SANTA CLARA, despite 37 points by Southern Cal's John Block, beat the Trojans 79-76. Stanford lost to ARIZONA 94-54 and ARIZONA STATE 82-71.
Only CALIFORNIA escaped, beating San Jose State 64-52. But it was an agonizing time for Cal Athletic Director Pete Newell, his wife Florence and 9-year-old son Greg, who watched Pete Jr. do his best for San Jose. The Newells got a standoff. Cal won, but Pete Jr. led the Spartans with 15 points.
Utah and Utah State got together at Logan in one of their typical muscle-flexing festivals. Two players were booted for brawling, two Redskins fouled out and more than one feeling was bruised. Utah won 94-79.
Everybody, it seemed, wanted at hapless New Mexico State. First COLORADO STATE dedicated its new $2.2-million field house in style, thrashing the Aggies 109-70. Then WYOMING clobbered them 113-80. Against NEW MEXICO, State lost its five starters on fouls and played the last 5:10 with four men. The Lobos, even without 6-foot-9 Mel Daniels (who was recovering from a lacerated shoulder), took the Aggies 81-69.
GAME OF THE WEEK
It was minus 12° outside Chicago Stadium, but inside were Loyola and UCLA who, between them, had won the NCAA championship for the last three years. So 18,139 stormed the place to see if George Ireland's 40-page scouting report on the Bruins (including 60 intricate diagrams) would pay off. By half time, the Ramblers' pregame boast that they would beat UCLA looked good. Without a man over 6 feet 5 but with the quickness, jumping ability and deadly shooting that characterized the 1963 national champs—and a defense that is far superior—Loyola was ahead 49-48 even though UCLA had shot 58%. The Ramblers' defense hit after UCLA crossed mid-court. It is a snapping-turtle-style man-to-man, and it forced 14 UCLA turnovers. The Bruins even abandoned their zone press in the face of the sprinting Loyolans led by Jim Coleman. Instead they counted on blocking out under the boards, and thus limiting the Ramblers to one shot. Loyola's center, Billy Smith, was having a bad night, and the strategy worked: UCLA led 87-81 with four minutes left. But 5-foot-11 sophomore Forward Doug Wardlaw made three steals off the snapping turtle, and Loyola forced the game into overtime. The Ramblers struck again quickly when Coleman, who scored 29 points, converted a steal from mid-court. Loyola then just stalled and Wardlaw tipped in a missed foul shot to clinch the outcome. The Ramblers had a 102-96 win and UCLA finished with 27 errors. "The most we have ever made," said Johnny Wooden. "This team is quicker and faster than my '63 champions," said Ireland. The next night, Loyola beat Kansas State 76-70 for its 13th straight.
