Evening star., 1941-02-10
Leaders in -Four
Groups Remain
Undefeated
Independent CUNTS
Make Great Stands
In East, Midwest
BY HUGH S. FULLERTON, Jr.,
Associated Press SpOrtS Writer

/
NEW YORK. Feb. 10.-This sea-
sons basket ball business has been
going on pretty steadily since early
December, but it's just midseason
in most of the big conference.-the
| getting around to the point where
all games are clutch" games.
The Southern and the South
eastern Conferences have only two
weeks to wind up their regular
season affairs and get into cham
| pionship tournaments. Most of the
other major leagues finish the first
or second week end in March.
Speaking in generalitieS-the only
safe way to speak at this stage
this means that out of the dozen
games which make up the average
conference or league season for
each team, six still are to be played
in three or four weeks. So even
those leaders whose records to date
are perfect must bear down in each
game to make sure they won't wind
up among the also-rans.
Four Leading Records Clear.
At present. only four teams are
in that class out of 10 major groups.
North Carolina has won 10 straight
and South Carolina in the South
ern Conference; Arkansas has taken
6 in the Southwest Conference, and
Dartmouth has won 4 in the East IS
Ivy" League.
Starting with the South, first to
finish, here's the situation in each
section.
Southern Conference-North Caro-
lima and South Carolina, which don't
collide before the tournament at
Raleigh IN. c. February 28-
March l, are sure to be among
the eight top teams for tournament
play, no matter what happens in
five remaining games for each
Richmond and Washington and
Lee each 6-D and William and
Mary (6-2) look pretty safe Wake
Forest, Duke and " M 7. need
to break even in their remaining
games.
Southeastern ConferenCe-Florida
(5-D, which has held the lead with
out playing a conference game since
January II, winds up tonight and
/ tomorrow against 'upsetter" Geor-
gia. Kentucky aid. Tennessee
C5-2), Tulane and Louisiana State
each 4-2) are other candidates for
the top. Kentucky plays Mississip-
ri tonight and Tennessee Saturday
Three in Ivy" Race.
East-Dartmouth 40, Cornell
(5-D and Columbia C2-D are the
only teams really in the running
for the Eastern League title, al
though the season doesn't end un-
til March Is. The seasons second
Cornell-Dartmouth game may set
tie the whole matter Saturday, al
though risks of an upset still exist.
Ranking the EastS major ''inde-
| pendents" strictly off their records
| Seton Hall l4-0), Baltimore 12-0)
Rhode Island IBID, Washington
/ and Jefferson l0-D, Long Island
/ 15-2. Georgetown 13-2), Villa
nova 12-2, Duouesne 1O-2p. New
York U. C9-2) w. and J. gets into
this list on the strength of its vic
/ tory over big-time Villanova. The
! Standout game on full schedule.
topping a Madison Square Garden
double-header Friday, pits N. Y. U.
against Notre Dame 13-3). winner
of its last nine and perhaps the
strongest of the MidWestern indie
pendent teams.
Big Ten-WisconSin GID Indiana
(4-D, Purdue and Minnesota az
EACH head a rapidly shifting sched-
ule Wisconsin plays Northwestern
and illinois, while Indiana faces
Iowa and Minnesota.
Tussle Tight in Big Six.
Big Six-Kansas (3-D took the
lead last week when Oklahoma (4-0
dropped into a tie with Nebraska
by losing to Iowa State. Tonight
Kansas is at home to Nebraska in a
game made doubly important by the
fact that the JayhaWk scoring ace,
Howard Engleman, was hurt in prac-
tice. Nebraska also plays Missouri
saturday.
SOUTHWEST - Arkansas 60
winds up its long home stand this
week with a pair of games against
Rice (3-2), tied with Southern
Methodist for second. The Razor
backs knocked Baylor out of the
picture last week.
BIG SEVEN-ItS Utah and Wy
oming, tied t5-n now as result
of Wyoming's 1888 victory last Sat-
urday They meet again at Salt
Lake City Friday. Colorado t4-3,
defending champion. appears to
have only an outside chance of
catching up in the second half.
PACIFIC COAST-Stanford (5-D
seems to be ''in" for the Southern
division title at the halfway mark.
The Indians have lost only two of
18 games all season. Washington
State G-2) has a good lead over
washington and oregon State 90
in the Northern section, but the