Omaha daily bee., 1909-02-21
EYE on PENNANT FOR FIVE
Nebraska Will Bend Effort to Land
Missouri Valley Championship.
BASE Rail- TRY0UT THIS WEEK
Coach TEX VIII start sprinE Frae-
tiee win sever veteruns-Hiteh
I'm ArranEements fer Amcs
Feet Bsn Game.

I strong enough 70 0eiNaA ~ wv nNA1NAN
IN tho southern section Of the conference
league snd thereby win the championship
CT the Missouri valley for the season Of
lNs@7
That is . question which is visibly agitst-
ing the minds OF the basket ball Cans al
the state school and which many o. the
students are inclined 20 believe can be
answered with a positive yes" These
ssr ruine supporters are predicting that the
southern tius hoider. whether IT proves 10
be Kansas OF washington. viii fan an easy
prsy TO the improved work OF the Corn
huskerp in the series Of three games. 70
decide who shall annex the premier hcnors
for this season.
Thfs spirit Of confidence does not, how
:. er. pervade the entire student body ~
1 Nebraska. There are. indeed. q vast mum
hr Of fans among whom nothing OF thu
optimistic hue obtains. and they are frank
in admitting that they see no hope for thn
varsity basket bail shooters IN the final
contests with the southern winners They
are leyai 20 their alma mater and ns attn
ietic teams. but they are mt willing 10
hide their hopes behind any false predAc-
tit ms. and insist or asserting their views
NJ .he situation without an attempt 10
uske things appear roHeate. They arc
funv Justified. too. in assuming such a
,c.itior for the work OF the Cornhusker
tive this winter has not given them any
grounds for looking at the matter In any
Other light. The Scarlet ana Cream play
srr are undoubtedly weak this winter IN
comparison 10 any Of the Ewes Of the last
six years.
Team shows
Since the opening OF the intercollegiate
season IN January. the play OF the Corn
huskers has been hsmpered by disappoint-
snE weaknesses which in the early ~1ntef'
A. was hoped would be removed before mid
season. In the first games Of the sched-
ul.a series In the northern section played
Tur,r the latter Part OF January. the
Co-nhuskers showed considerable improve
ment and managed TO annex two games
from each. Ames and Drake. CThese VIC
,oy,.s cave Nebraska a lead in the north
.rn section Of the league which allowed II
n win the division titlel. The showing IN
these contests encc urEged the Nebraska
supnorfsrr 10 look for some fast PLAYING
NV the haskst shooters during the remain
s.r ~ the season. But the C0rnhuskers
had reached their zenith ina the game with
MAKE ana from that time their playing
began 20 slump
Kansas and Missouri visited Lincoln and
defeated the scarlet and cream men on
their home floor. After those games the
Tupfls Of DIR. Clapp took a trip away from
bnne that was almost as great a disaster
as could have bcfaflen a basket ball i've
out OF six games played only one vas an
nexed as a victory. that being taken from
Ames. Drake at Des Moines easily whHl-
4 lopsd the Nebraska men in two contests
Trip ~DfshzarEens ROoterA-
II was the result of this trip that dis
tracted the greater portion Of the scarlet
and cream rOoters and left them with only
a remote hope OF their teams RnnexinE
the sobriQnet Of Missouri valley Shsm-
Mons. The games at AuneE and Drake
Droves conelusivsly that Nebraska and the
other two members OF the northern division
are inferior 20 the fives IN the southern
section ana that the Cornhuskers cannot
stand much show against Kansas or wash
tneton. one OF whom II 20 he the leader
in the southern section. Had the Nebraska
plavers In their last scheduled contests
been able TO defeat both Drake aad Ames
! by wide margins they might then have
been IN a form that would make them
very formidable opponents for the other
five in the championship series. As II IL
only a sudden reformation can put the
Cornhuskers in a class to make an even
II IlkAL Will - EtlAAAtAnEAe-
Both washington and Kansas. VIM are
now settling the southern leadership sre
playing bail that is far superior 70 any
that has been exhibited by the teams OF
the northern section. They have devei-
sped q team work that is bsWfldering 10
most Of the teams they have met this
winter and 10 an fives less experienced In
the new style Of play. Their goal tossing,
too. is exceedingly accurate, and when
coupled with the rapid team work makes
their play the best that has been seen In
the valley fer several years.
chA-pIsashIp Game Early.
The games for the championship Of the
conferences league win be played OFF dur-
ing the next two weeks From nov until
the first cnntest Is held the CornhuEkers
win be given daily practice 10 put them
IN the best form possible for the final mset-
inEs Of the season The players themselves
are not particulaFay -disoouraEsd by the cut
lock and mean 10 make the best showing
Of the winter. In case CAptain walsh
right forward. regRins his old-time basket
shooting stride the Cornhuskers undonbt-
edly WIN be able 20 make the champion-
ship games fairly interesting for their CD
p0nents- So far this winter Captain walsh
has not attained his brilliant form OF past
seasons ana MS failure 10 do accurate has
Atl AuooAAE ha1 hGFA 1yAA inc clan1a44 y
his teams play.
II Kansas wins the southern title. AZ now
seems probable. the JsyhAWkerE and Corn
huskers VIII meet IN the final games for
me Championship Of the Missouri valley
for the second time within two seasons.
Last ysar the question Of supremacy was
never settled. but the final lap Of the race
uAs run b. Kansas and Nebrsska. and the
two schools tied. Nebraska Was the
strongest aggregation Of basket shooters
In the northern section and Kansas held
the palm IN the southern end A series Of
four games we're contested between tbe two
quinfets and each team won two Of them.
The JayhAWkers were beaten On their own
floor early An the season. but came back
a the Cornhuskera An a visit 20 Lincoln
and annexed q pair q games A nfth con
test 70 settle % the champions vas not
played. but the JHyhaNkerz. because ther
had defeafed the C~ornhuskers IN IincoIn
toward the end Of the season when both
/ fiFes should have been IN fin-fnn 4rrr,