Evening star., 1943-03-04
Co|oniia|s Tackle
W. and N. Quiint
In Meet Start
Favored Blue Devils
To Get First Test
Against Y. M. !.
BY WOODROW PRICE,

RALEIGH, N. c., March 4-On a
quartet OF juniors and a hlgh-scor-
ing sophomore depended Dukes sue
cessful defense of it's Southern Con-
ference basket ball crown in the
conference tournament opening here
today.
! The Blue Devils pinned their
hopes for a third straight title on
Gordon Carver, sophomore who
was one of the top point makers in
| the conference during the regular
season. and on Bob CAN'T, Bubber
Seward, Garland Lofts and Cedric
Lofts. juniors, who helped Duke to
the championship in 1912.
Dukes chief rival for the title goes
to bat in the first game of the seven
that will be played during the tour
nament. Second seeded George
Washington. which finished the sea-
son with eight wins and two losses.
was matched with the Indians of
William and Mary in the opener
at pm.
Duke Opens Against V. NJ. i.
The Blue Devils, sporting a sea-
sons record Of - victories against
defeat, received their first test at
7:30 tonight against Virginia Mill
tary Institute, team which won
| seven and lost five, but held Duke
to two-point margin in their only
meeting.
Other games on the slate for to-
day send The Citadel against South
Carolina this afternoon and North
Carolina State against Davidson to-
night
Semifnals of the tournament will
be held tomorrow night, with the
winner of the Duke-V. M. I. game
meeting the victor of the South
Carolina Citadel contest and the
George William and
Mary winner taking on the winner
of the N. G. State-Davidson affair
The title clash is set for Saturday
night.
Tourney is 22d for Loop.
It is the 22d tournament to be
conducted by the Southern Confer
ence and the 1lth straight to be held
in Raleigh
If the Blue Devils are successful
in their title defense, they will be-
come the second team to win the
championship three times in row.
The other team was North Caro-
lima, which emerged triumphant in
1924, 1925 and 1926. Duke won the
l94l crown by sWamping South
Carolina, $3.50, in the final game,
and defeated N. C. State last year,
1874.
Five of the competing teams never
have won a conference basket ball
championship. N. C. State copped
the 1929 title and South Carolina
was the 1888 victor, but V. M. l.,
Davidson, The Citadel, William and
Mary and George Washington still
are after their first title. George
Washington is a comparatively new
member of the conference, however.
G. w. Favored Over w. and M.
Stripped of three regulars and
two reserves by g recent Army call,
the Indians were to be distinct
underdogs against the Colonials,
who were hoping to atone for being
eliminated, 44-43, by William and
Mary in flrst-round upset here
last year.
I'VE have no excuses if we don't
do WELL" says G. w. Coach OTIS
Zahn. "We looked bad against
Georgetown because we were too
keyed up. We were in good condi-
ton but everybody on the team was
tense-the pressure was too great,
It was just one of those nights when
we couldn't do anything right"
Zahn has given the Colonials only
one mild workout since that George
town game. On Tuesday afternoon
he chased 'em off the floor early
and yesterday G. W.'s 10 players
were en- route here. AS result of
that rest he feels the Colonials
should bounce back
George Washington entered its
opening game with 14-6 record for
the season and an 80 mark against
Southern Conference competition.
The Colonials' only losses were by
two points to William and Mary and
by three points in overtime to Duke
previously beaten by G. w,