Weekly Roundup
These will be posted Every Sunday Reflecting Games Played
Week One Synopsis
The season started off in good fashion as the Ohio State Buckeyes traveled to Eugene Oregon to take on the Oregon Ducks in the first game of the season. These two jumped the gun playing a game on the very first night they were eligible to play as most teams were waiting for the weekend to begin play. Legendary MacArthur Court (the 2nd oldest on campus arena in the country) was the venue as the Ducks hosted the 5th ranked team in the nation. All of college basketball’s eyes were on this hippie town two hours down the 1-5 corridor from Portland on this Wednesday night. Mac Court is famous for Giant killing upsets (they beat UCLA last year here) and the Ducks were defending their 26 game home winning streak on this cool November Wednesday. The scalpers were out in full force though in Eugene they wear Deadhead shirts (some transients were still in town from the October concerts at Autzen) so you had to be careful those tickets were real. The students don’t have to worry about that and filled up their ‘Pit’ with well over the 9000 capacity. Those kids had the maple floor bouncing and it took quite some time for the Buckeyes to get acclimated to these unique surroundings as the fans are literally right on the court. The Ducks took advantage of this and led by junior guard Ron Lee led 42 to 34 at half. It looked like a major upset was brewing in the Northwest as after all Dutch Brothers home is just up the 1-5 in Grants Pass. Lee is one of the best defensive guards in the country and his toughness is notorious and boy do the rapturous fans (and teammates) feed off him. He shut down Buckeye stud Robin Freeman and when he and John Havlicek got caught up in a tumble going for a loose ball the fanatics went wild. At this point the Ducks were up by six and this climbed to 11 with just over ten minutes left after a Lee steal and layup and a three point play from big man Greg Ballard. Coach Fred Taylor took a timeout and put back in his superstar preseason All-American Jerry Lucas who he had sat on the bench since early in the second half with three fouls. He also put into the game freshman Jimmy Jackson who is much bigger than Freeman to guard Lee. Lucas quickly picked up his 4th which had that floor looking like it was floating on the Pacific which is not too far away but Taylor went with his gut and kept his star in the game. These moves worked as Lucas and the first year player led a great comeback including both hitting big threes to start a 15-2 run. The last two minutes turned into a free throw shooting contest as the Ducks fouled trying to catch up and the Buckeyes were on fire from the charity stripe hitting 8 of 9 down the stretch even with that floor bouncing. Jackson had done his job slowing down Lee but the Duck junior still led all scorers with 23 while Lucas led the Buckeyes with 19 and 11 boards. The final score of 83 to 76 did not show how close and entertaining this game was as the Ducks showed the Big Ten favorites how tough it is to come and play on Mac Court. The Buckeyes escaped and the Mac Court win streak was over. But most importantly the season was off and running and this was just the first game of this remarkable season!
The tip-off classic in Indianapolis is without doubt the most highly anticipated preseason tournament on the entire D-1 schedule. That has much to do with Louisville Coach Denny Crum. Crum has developed quite a program with Cardinals in two short years but like his predecessors at Louisville and his fellow coaches in the Bluegrass state have been treated as second class citizens. Legendary Coach Adolph Rupp knows what he has with his Kentucky Wildcats and the biggest and most rabid fan base in basketball. The Baron has not been willing to play their ‘little brothers’ and perhaps given them a chance to get some attention. Of course, Rupp has been challenged recently from the West as the elite program in the land and that is where Crum maneuvered. Crum was John Wooden’s number two at UCLA for many years before coming to Louisville and used that connection to persuade his mentor to participate in this tourney at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indiana. Rupp could not pass up the bait and jumped in with both feet. It does not hurt that the games will be played where Wooden was a legendary player himself at Purdue many moons ago. Some thought the host team might be those Boilermakers but Bobby Knight heard of the teams playing and used his diplomatic skills to ensure his Hoosiers would indeed be hosting this tourney. With the top 2 ranked teams in the country (Kentucky and UCLA) and the Hoosiers and Cardinals ranked 9th and 11th respectively you could not get a more impressive foursome to kick this season off. (Purdue by the way is ranked 10th so there you go). Rupp wanted a guarantee that he would be able to play the Bruins in this venue so they would get the night cap in front of 70,000 plus in the spanking brand new stadium in Indianapolis which also happens to be the sight of this year’s Final Four. That left Louisville playing the host Hoosiers in the first game and for Crum’s plan to work his Cardinals would have to win this game. Or would they? Sure, the Wildcats were ranked # 1 but the Bruins are # 2 and some people think have a better team. No matter in the first game the Hoosiers battled back and forth all night with neither team getting more than a 7 point lead. Senior big men Westley Unseld for the Cardinals and Walt Bellamy for the Hoosiers were the immovable object versus the irresistible force and they did not give an inch down low. Bellamy outscored Unseld 15 to 12 but Unseld got him on the boards 17 to 15 in this epic showdown of two of the best centers in the country. In the end sophomore guard Isiah Thomas was the difference as he scored 5 points, passed out an assist and got a huge steal in the final 1:12 including two big free throws with 2.4 second left to lift the Hoosiers to the 79-77 victory. The second game was even better as the two basketball powerhouses needed an extra five minutes to decide who was going to be # 1 after playing to a 77 to 77 tie. In the overtime Bill Walton was magnificent with 4 points, 2 blocks and a big dish to an open Gail Goodrich who drained an 18 footer with 10.2 second left to give the Bruins an 85-84 lead. When Wildcats stud Alex Groza thought he had maneuvered past Lew Alcindor for a basket with under 4 seconds left Walton was there from the weakside to send his shot into the third row. The Wildcats got one more chance but the Bruins smoothing defense and incredible size underneath forced an off-balance sliding hook by Cliff Hagan than barely drew iron and the boys from Westwood celebrated as the new top team in the land. That is of course if they could handle the Hoosiers the next night. Oh, and yes Crum got his game with Baron even though he had to back through the door to get there. 2
The Cardinals finally got their shot at the Wildcats but as the saying goes be careful what you wish for. Don’t get me wrong this was a competitive game all throughout with the two fast-paced offenses never slowing down. In the end though the Wildcats behind the horse that is Dan Issel simply had a bit more thoroughbred in them and ran to an 84-80 victory. Issel was the key with 28 points to offset a slower night by his partner in crime up front Alex Groza. Groza was outmuscled by Wes Unseld most of the game and held to 9 points but Ralph Beard and a slew of Rupp’s runts did not slow down. Unseld led all with 13 boards and Darrell Griffith was fantastic with 24 for the Cardinals but it was not enough. Still, a four point loss to the mighty Wildcats is nothing to cry about and this Cardinal team is almost for sure best 0-2 team in the land. In the championship game Coach Bobby Knight had a slew of tricks to keep his undermanned Hoosiers in the game against the mighty Bruins. Matchup zones, slowing the pace, a box and one at one point were all part of the tool box for the General as he was going to make sure those Bruins knew they were in for a fight and yes what state they were in as the 70,000 plus fans were most definitely for the home team on this night. The Tom Foolery worked for the most part but the fact both Walton and Alcindor got into foul trouble probably helped more. Still, they led by 9 with just over five minutes left before sophomore Reggie Miller got hot. The sharpshooter hit three from behind the perimeter down the stretch including a huge 22 footer off a Walton screen with 4.2 seconds left to knot the score 72. In the overtime Alcindor and Walton wore the Hoosiers down grabbing every board and making sure every shot was a good one. Still, a bomb by another sophomore this time the Hoosiers Steve Alford got Indiana within one with over 8 seconds left but the Bruins played keep away actually passing the ball 11 times in those final seconds as the Hoosiers could not even foul and slid in with a 80 to 79 victory in Wooden’s home state. UCLA would no doubt be the new # 1 but as far as these other three they would not be too far behind if the pollsters witnessed this magnificent tip-off tourney.
There were no more tourneys scheduled for the opening weekend as the powers that be wanted those four schools to get the attention they deserved. There were some other games but nowhere that level of prestige. Even the mighty ACC that got froze out of playing in the Tip-Off tourney had no tourneys for any of their programs to begin the year but they did have some big games. Speaking of that power 5 conference, the only other ranked teams to play on Friday were both from North Carolina. The Tar Heels hosted the Georgia Bulldogs and the Wolfpack hosted Furman. In Chapel Hill Coach Dean Smith’s team had an early score against the SEC team as sophomore Dominique Wilkins proved he was ready for prime time by scoring 22 in the first half. Foul trouble in the second half caught up with him and he finished with 30 and the incredible depth of the Tar Heels (six guys scored in double figures) wore down the Bulldogs as they eventually won by 13, 99-86. In Raleigh the much anticipated matchup of two preseason All-Americans had the PNC Arena filled to the brim. Furman came into town with high scoring senior Frank Selvy looking to go basket to basket with NC State’s high flying junior David Thompson. In the end they did go bucket for bucket in a dazzling show with both scoring 33 points but the Wolfpack had much more help for Thompson with 7’4 fellow junior Tom Burleson chipping in 19 and 9 boards and yet another junior Kenny Carr getting 18 and 8 in the 104 to 88 victory. The only other game of prominence was in the Pacific Northwest as the PAC-10’s Arizona Wildcats traveled into the Spokane to take on the Gonzaga Bulldogs. The Bulldogs young roster and the home court advantage of the ‘Kennel’ had Coach Lute Olson’s team on the ropes but some late game heroics by sophomores Steve Kerr and Sean Elliott saved the day for the team from Tucson. The duo scored 21 of the team’s last 24 points including Kerr hitting two huge three’s as they came back from 12 down with just over four minutes to play to tie the game and then win it overtime 86 to 84. Still, Gonzaga is not even on the radar to compete in the West Coast conference this year so either the Wildcats are ranked too high in preseason (5th in the PAC-10) or these so called Zags under first year coach Mark Few are a way better than advertised.
In the Saturday games the Stanford Cardinals showed why they will miss the great Hank Luisetti this year. The Cardinals, who finished second to the UCLA Bruins last year in the PAC-10, lost their season opener in Casper Wyoming. Last year this game would have featured the two guys who have been given credit for revolutionizing the game with their jump shots with a Luisetti versus Kenny Sailors battle. This year Sailors led his Cowboys to the minor upset scoring 20 points and handing out 7 assists. His last second dish to Erick Leckner for the game winner off a nice drive with under five seconds to go gave the home town boys the 79-78 win. Underrated Jim Pollard, who has lived in the shadows of the great Luisetti for three years, led all scorers with 22 points. The original kangaroo kid might just be getting his due this year. He is after all one of the most gifted athletes on the west coast who can reportedly dunk from the free throw line but has been much more known for his defense but that looks like that will change this season. Staying on the West Coast, the USC Trojans did not have to travel far as they cruised into Long Beach and took care of the 49ers. These are two teams with solid rosters but play second fiddle in their conferences to bitter rivals. Both programs want to become national players and have been on the verge of breaking through for years so this was a big win for the rich kids of LA. The superb backcourt for USC dominated this as juniors Paul Westphal controlled the pace throughout in spite of a heroic effort of the 49ers junior stud Ed Ratleff who went 17, 8 and 7. One other West Coast team traveled into the Midwest in a game of note. Loyola of California visited Oral Roberts and the nets almost had to replaced at halftime in this high scoring program showdown. These two teams are not afraid to throw the ball towards the rim as often as possible and in the end the Titans from Tulsa got a few more shots to go in the 101 to 94 final. Another big game in the Midwest featured former National Player of the Year George Mikan and his DePaul Blue Demons traveling to Minnesota to take on the Golden Gophers. Mikan is also a preseason 1st team All-American and Coach Ray Meyer brought in a great recruiting class to support his bespeckled Giant. Last year the Blue Demons did not quite achieve expectations but this is a fresh new year. With a 7th overall ranking in the polls the fans of Chicago are hyped especially since it has arguably the best front line in college basketball with sophomores Mark Aguirre and Terry Cummings lining up next to Mikan. The Golden Gophers also have an impressive front line of senior Lou Hudson next to juniors Mychal Thompson and Kevin McHale. The inhabitants of the ‘Barn’ made life miserable for the visiting Blue Demons in this back and forth affair. In the end Aguirre made a huge three point play the old way to tie the game at 74 and send the game to overtime. In the extra period the guard combo of senior Archie Clark and sophomore Trent Tucker was too much for the boys from Chicago. Tucker hit a huge three with under 30 seconds left and the Gophers pulled out a close one 84-79. Mikan and company will drop in the polls but should not too far as this Minnesota team is a dangerous team with a solid lineup at all positions and could compete with the Big Dogs in the Big Ten this season. Speaking of Big Dogs, Purdue went into Missouri and beat the Tigers in front of a sold out crowd. The 10th ranked Boilermakers had to find a replacement after missing out on the Tip-Off classic and the Tigers welcomed Purdue with open arms hoping to show the world their talented young team could hang with the big boys of the top conference in the country. Coach Norm Stewart has a slew of talented underclassmen including sophomore big man Steve Stipanovich who outplayed Joe Barry Carroll on this night. It looked like the Tigers might pull off the upset but Senior sharpshooter Rick Mount hit two threes in the final minute including a falling out of bounds miracle that tied the game with 4.2 seconds left. The Tigers held tough in overtime but the experienced Boilermakers made a slew of free throws including two by Terry Dischinger with 5.4 seconds left to lift the visitors to an 82-81 win. The Tigers have nothing to hang their head about but Purdue winning on the road over the preseason 5th ranked Big 8 team shows the dominance of the Big 10 conference. Another Big 8 team, the Oklahoma Sooners, struggled on the road against a team from the lowly Southland Conference. There were extenuating circumstances as Sooner Coach Billy Tubbs was going back to the program he helped build in Beaumont Texas. Many of the players he recruited for the Lamar Cardinals played magnificently (BB Davis and Clarence Kea combined for 38 points and 20 boards alone against a superb Sooner front line) and for a minute it looked like they would upset the Sooners but the backcourt of senior Lester Lane and freshmen Hollis Price bailed out Tubbs with their gritty defense that forced huge turnovers down the stretch and a big three from Price with under 15 seconds tied the game. The Cardinals held strong in the overtime but Wayman Tisdale hit a clutch layup off a great bounce pass from front court mate Alvan Adams off the high post and was fouled by Kea (his fifth). His free throw with 4.4 left was the difference in this 95-94 epic but the Cardinals even without the talkative Tubbs sure look like the class of the Southland and might be playing well into March. Kansas State, on the other hand, showed the strength of the Big 8 by beating the newest member of the burgeoning Big East. The Wildcats took care of the 23rd ranked West Virginia Mountaineers and preseason All-American pick Jerry West fairly easily 87-80 in an up and down affair. West did go off for 29 and 8 boards and back court mate ‘Hot’ Rod Hundley had 20 points, 7 boards and 9 assists but the Country Roads boys could not match up with the Wildcats front line. Bob Boozer, Jack Paar and Willie Murrell dominated under the boards combining for 59 points and 30 boards with Boozer going for 24 and 13 himself. The Wildcats will move up in the polls as they were loitering just outside the top 25 as will Marquette who went into Dunkin Donuts Center and took care of highly thought of Providence. The Friars were two notches ahead of the Warriors in the ‘other receiving votes’ section of the poll so this was an upset. A hard-fought game in every way possible way and turned late when Marvin ‘Bad News’ Barnes for the Friars and Marquette’s Maurice Lucas got into some fisticuffs. Both were ejected with no real damage done (though Barnes was ready to fight the entire Warriors bench) but without the dominant presence in the middle, the Warriors went to work. Down by 7 before the ejections (with 5:43 left) Larry Kenon went will scoring 8 down the stretch and in the overtime that ensued after a huge put back by Kenon to tie the game with 2.1 seconds left. Jim Chones took over from there scoring 6 and grabbing three boards in the overtime as the Warriors pulled out the 82-79 victory. Providence will drop (possibly out of the polls entirely) but the key is controlling their big man as this team has a plethora of great guards and wings (DiGregorio, Walker, Wilkens) but have no chance of competing with the beasts of the Big East without Barnes on the court. 15th ranked Michigan hosted in state rival Detroit in a sold out Crisler Center and used their great depth to pull out a victory. The Titans have a terrific core group and hung within 5 points for most of the game. The final six minutes though the Wolverines wore down the Motown Five winning by 16, 100-84. Spencer Haywood was brilliant in his matchup with the highly recruited freshman phenom Chris Webber scoring 24 and grabbing 10 boards but it was nowhere near enough as Michigan had 7 players score in double digits led by Rudy Tomjanovich off the bench with 15. 20th ranked Bradley hosted in state rival Illinois in a game of a Mid-Major juggernatu versus a power 5 conference team. This time the smaller school showed why they are the ranked team as Chet Walker scored 22 and superstar Gene Melchiorre scored 18 and handed out 9 assists. The Illini played well as Red Kerr was huge underneath with 15 points and 13 boards showing the Achilles heel of the Braves who do not have a dominant inside presence especially with senior stud Joe Allen missing time early on and his return this season is in question after what was supposed to be a simple knee injury that led to surgery had become infected and his return time is unknown. They are so solid everywhere else they might not need that especially in the MVC. Tennessee traveled to the Carrier Dome and gave the Orange all they could handle before succumbing in overtime 94 to 92. Junior stud Bernard King scored 32 and his sidekick in crime Ernie Grunfield (the Ernie and Bernie show)also a junior scored 16 with 6 boards and 5 assists to keep this other orange wearing team in the contest but the Louie and Bouie show (Syracuse’s super juniors Roosevelt Bouie and Louis Orr) were superb scoring 40 combined. The difference in the game however was sophomore Pearl Washington who lifted the Orange on his shoulders in the OT scoring 5 and passing out three assists to account for all 11 points including a huge runner through the key which he banked in with 3.2 left for the win. The Volunteers little brother Tennessee State also traveled to a power 5 conference as they sneaked into Durham North Carolina to play the Duke Blue Devils. Two years ago this game was played in the dark of the night as the programs met in a preseason affair that nobody knew about as southern schools were not allowed to play historically black colleges. Tennessee State was the dominant program in NAIA for years and just recently have joined the fray and are now a D-1 member in the Ohio Valley Conference. Coach Kryzewzski called John McLendon and asked if they could replay that notorious game to kick off the season. McLendon and the Tigers accepted the invitation and the game was on and the Cameron Crazies were more than ready. The Tigers kept the game close for a half but in the end the Blue Devils had too much depth and pulled away winning 106 to 83. The outcome of the game was not as important as knowing that it was finally played with the lights on! Clemson host BYU from the WAC in a game the was fantastic but overshadowed by a brawl midway through the second half. Yugoslavian star Kresmir Cosic had a terrific game leading all players on the court in scoring with 21 points, rebound with 11 and even assists with five to lead the Cougars to a 80 to 79 win in this overtime thriller. The story they will be talking about is the fight between Cougar sophomore guard Danny Ainge and Junior Tiger big man Wayne ‘Tree’ Rollins. The two had been jammering all night and when Rollins bumped Ainge on the way back down the court after a BYU basket the two sport star (Ainge is also a heck of a third baseman) showed he had some football skills as well as he did a perfect tackle of the much biger Rollins. The benches emptied and underneath the pile there was much going on. Both were ejected but after the game the rumor was Ainge had bit Rollins in the pile. This was not true as Tree was actually the guy who bit the cocky kid from Eugene Oregon. Another ACC , NC State, had a tougher time handling the Georgia Bulldogs than their rivals from Chapel Hill. Dominique Wilkins was terrific again scoring 22 and grabbing 10 boards but his teammates including Big Bob Lienhard who got 20 and 9 himself and Vern Fleming added 17 with 9 assists as they pushed the boys from Raleigh to overtime. In the extra period David Thompson finally got going scoring six big points and the Wolfpack made 5 free throws in the final minutes for the 94 to 89 win. The 12th ranked Wolfpack are now 2-0 but could still drop after this scare from a program much more known for their football program than their hoopsters.
LaSalle was favored going into the highly anticipated game with Michigan State. The excitement was so high they moved the venue to the Spectrum II to get all of the fans in and it was still a sellout. After all how often do you get to see two of the best all-around players in the country going toe to toe. The 21st ranked Explorers boasted preseason All-American Tom Gola who was the only player in the country to average over 15 points, 10 boards and 5 assists last year and is the most popular player in Philly. The Spartans have Earvin ‘Magic’ Johnson on their team and this junior (there were rumors he was going pro after his spectacular sophomore year) might be the most popular player in the country. Magic can also do it all as he was a few boards away from average the same kind of triple stats Gola did and he was second in the country in assists. How diverse is Magic? Well, tonight Coach Tom Izzo had his superstar play the center position as eligibility kept a few guys from playing and he needed the 6’9 point guard to help in the middle. He responded with 33 points, 11 boards and 10 assists and led the Spartans to the 84 to 83 upset though a huge three by Scott Skiles tied the game and Greg Kelser’s dunk off a baseline cut and a superb pass from Magic provided the final basket and the winning margin. Gola was superb but nobody is going to remember his 23 point, 15 board 6 assist game outside of Philly but the legend of the Magic Man grew to new heights after tonight’s performance. In one of the rare matchups of top 25 teams Cincinnati traveled into Philly to take on Temple. Coach John Chaney had his Owls ready and his team mirrors his personality playing tough as nails. The Big O (Oscar Robertson) showed why he is one of the favorites for player of the year as he led both teams in the three major categories scoring 26 with 11 boards and 10 assists in what some of the newspaper guys are calling a triple double. It was not enough as the Owls pushed the game into overtime and then the great Bill Mlkvy took over. The one ‘Owl without a Vowel’ scored 6 big points including a pair of free throws with 2.1 seconds left to lift Temple to the 80 to 79 upset win in front of the rabid fans at the Liacouras Center. Two more Ohio teams met in an intrastate game from two of the best mid-major conferences in the country. Miami of Ohio, longtime power of the MAC, hosted Dayton who recently joined the A-10. The Flyers got the upper hand tonight behind their great tandem of undersized forwards Roosevelt Chapman and Don May to hold on for the 81 to 77 victory in a fast paced back and forth game. Sophomore Ron Harper was terrific for the Redhawks with 20, 10 and 7 but it was not enough for the deep and diverse Flyers. 19th ranked Oklahoma State had an easier time than expected when they traveled into Nebraska to take on Creighton. Senior preseason All-American Bob Kurland dominated sophomore Benoit Benjamin scoring 23 points and grabbing 15 boards in the 83 to 70 victory. Paul Silas did score 15 and grab 14 boards for the Blue Jays who have some work to do but are a favorite in the tough Missouri Valley Conference.
Three teams from lower conferences came close to pulling major upset over some big conference teams but alas none could finish the deal. Davidson College from North Carolina traveled to the Madison Square Garden to take on the St. John’s Red Storm and had the fans shaking their heads after this epic. Freshman guard Stephen Curry went wild from behind the arc hitting 7 threes including a 34 footer as time expired to tie the game at 78. The Garden was truly shaking after his shootout with Chris Mullin but Lou Carnesecca’s took control in the OT behind two big Mullin threes to win handily 92 to 84. The sharpshooting duo both scored 30 in this one and combined for 12 threes but in the end the home team (for a minute it looked like the entire Garden were Wildcat fans) prevailed. Horizon power Butler traveled to Philly to take on Villanova and the Bulldogs also took the home team to overtime before Rollie Massimino’s squad regrouped and prevailed by a 91 to 85 score. Howard Porter was the difference in this one as the junior forward dominated down low going for 28 with 11 boards. And the Mid-Continent’s Valparaiso Crusaders marched down to Mississippi. Coach Homer Drew’s team almost pulled off a miracle primarily due to his kid Bryce. The younger Drew scored 8 points in the final minute including an incredible in bound play where he took a pass off an inbound with a screen already set and hit a 28 footer to tie the game at 76. Ole Miss dominated the OT eventually winning 88 to 80 but that comeback and play will live in mortality forever on sports highlight reels everywhere! Two up and coming programs on different paths had some interesting road games that they handled fairly easily. The UNLV Runnin’ Rebels have taken Vegas by storm with their high scoring offense but are stuck in the Big West, a middling conference at best. They dominated in state rival Nevada on their home court in Reno winning 92 to 76. The irony is that they were not even at full strength as Coach Jerry Tarkanian’s team is waiting for some big time transfers to become eligible. This team will score in bunches and if these new kids are as good as advertised they might make a splash nationally. The Arkansas Razorbacks on the other hand decided to jump ship from mid-major the SWC and have joined the mighty SEC. Coach Nolan Richardson’s team battled for titles with all of the Texas schools (they were the only program in the SWC that was not based in Texas, perhaps that is why they left) specifically Houston and Texas and are now going to go after the biggest prize in the whole party. This team is good enough to compete in the SEC but to take down the Wildcats of Kentucky is a whole different matter. Arkansas is playing most of their old rivals form the SWC this year and started with a trip to Dallas and a game against SMU. Joe Kleine of Arkansas and Jon Koncak of SMU renewed their rivalry and were almost ejected twice for pushing and shoving . The difference is Kleine has a plethora of guys behind him for support almost if not as good in the paint. The 83 to 72 win was expected but the Mustangs did keep it close throughout until the final few minutes even with the relentless ’40 minutes of hell’ Richardson sends at you with his constant full court pressure. 25th ranked Holy Cross should have no problem staying in the top 25 as they handled another Boston area team Northeastern quite handily. The highly publicized duo of Bob Cousy and Tommy Heinsohn lived up to the hype as they combined for 44 points (Heinsohn got 26) with Heinsohn leading both teams with 11 boards and the Houdiniesque Cousy getting 10 assists in the 94-79 win. This was a big win as the Huskies are the favorites to win the American East (though they just lost coach Jim Calhoun to UConn of the Big East) showing the Crusaders might be the best small conference team in the country. In a strange kind of revenge game, the 18th ranked Fightin’ Irish almost were almost the victims of a huge upset at Fordham. You see Irish Coach Digger Phelps had recruited and was developing quite a program for the Rams before he left for the greener pastures of South Bend and the fans were ready for him and his team. As were the Ram players who pushed the game to overtime and would have won if Kelly Tripucka would not have made a 30 footer at the buzzer to tie the game. In the overtime against the much smaller Rams eventually winning 88 to 81 but they knew they most definitely had the luck of the Irish to pull this one out. The most important game played of the week was by no means a marquee game. As a matter of fact, it was not even on the schedule of both programs of the preseason directories. You see the laws of Mississippi have prohibited the Bulldogs from playing integrated schools and even though this was overturned the south likes to keep their tradition and neither Ole Miss nor Mississippi State have ever played a school north of the Mason-Dixie. Coach Babe McCarthy was having none of that and planned this trip to play Loyola of Illinois up in Chicago. The Ramblers just happen to be one of the first integrated programs in the country starting four blacks years ago. Coach George Ireland is a bit of a rebel himself and gladly accepted McCarthy’s offer and helped with the planning as the team slipped away in the night and had to drive to Chicago to play this game. The tipoff was preceded by the only picture anyone got of this game as Loyola senior captain Jerry Harkness, who is black, shook hands with Bulldog captain Joe Dan Gold, who is white. The game itself was a beauty as well as the two teams exchanged leads throughout and tying at the end on a Harkness jump shot 72 all. In the overtime more lead changes before Vic Rouse tipped in a miss by a fellow Rambler at the buzzer to give the Ramblers the one-point win 78 to 77. These are two solid teams so this game might matter at the end of the year but no matter what it will matter proving that if you got the will to change things then eventually you will figure out a way to get it done. Now let’s see how the state of Mississippi reacts to McCarthy’s bold move?