Evening star., 1949-01-24
Titans Of Basket Ball
Face Toughest Tests
On National Card
By The Associoted Press

Illinois grabs the national college
basket ball spotlight this week with
the two top games in the country
Saturday night.
Minnesota's undefeated Golden
Gophers journey to Champaign for
their stiffest test of the season
against the once-beaten University
of Illinois. And in Chicago, Okla
homa A. & NJ, conqueror of mighty
St. Louis, seeks revenge against
De Paul. The Demons slapped one
of the only two black marks on
the Aggies' record this year
Minnesota and its twin terror
from the Twin Cities, Hamline, each
have won 13 games in a row. West
ern Kentucky with Is and Villanova,
II, are the only other major un-
defeated teams in the Nation.
Currently ranked fourth in the
Associated Press poll. the Gophers
have six more Big Nine foes plus
Michigan State on their schedule
after this week. Hamline Is ranked
eighth nationally, Vi1lanova ninth
and Western Kentucky third.
Big Games Coming Along.
Western is over the hump on its
25-game schedule, but it has to face
an arch State rival, Eastern Ken
lucky, Saturday. Big ones still to
come for the Hilltoppers are Louis
vile and Bowling Green, one of
their two conquerors last year.
Hamline should have no trouble
at all tomorrow night against ST.
Thomas of Minnesota and probably
won't work up a good sweat until
it meets Valparaiso February IL.
The end is In sight, however. on
February IT, for that night the Pied
Pipers take on the Olympic cham
pion Phillips Oilers.
Villanova goes back into action
Saturday night against Georgetown
after taking time out for examina-
tions. Its toughest tests still are
ahead since it must tangle with
Duquesne. Loyola of Chicago and
Bowling Green in a single week on
Western trip.
St. Louis, which succumbed, 1927,
to Oklahoma A. & NJ, last week
and then beat Tulsa, doesn't play
again until Saturday when it meets
Wichita.
Upsets Last Week.
Kentucky, beaten only by St. Louis
and ranked second to the Billikens
nationally, plays host to Notre
Dame at Louisville Saturday.
Upsets last week included Akron's
first defeat at the hands of Duquesne
and San Francisco's second loss,
this time to Stanford Washington
State improved its record to an i'm
pressive 1871, best among the once
beatenS.
The conferences at glance:
IVY LEAGUE-Princeton 800 alone on
top and idle this week
soUTHERN-NorthC Carolina Stat t5-O
Washington this week end
SOUTHEASTERN-Ken (4-0), idle
against conference teams, meets Notre
BIG NINEHMinnesota t5-W risks the
lead Saturday against Illinois 800.
MISSOURI VALLEY-Oklahoma A. and
NJ. 800 goes outside the loop against
De Paul in Chicago Saturday.
BIG SEVEN-Nebraska t2-O can't be
budgtd this week-doesn't play.
SOUTHWEST-Baylor t5-ll will stay in
front as loop takes time out for bookwork
BIG SIx-Utah Old plays twice,
against travelling Pittsburgh and Confer
ence Champ Brigham Young.
BORDER-Arizona 4-0D should beat
Temple tonight and get beat Friday by st.
Mary's and Saturday by San Francisco.
PACIFIC COAST-(S (Southern) Stanford
and Southern California tied, CD. u.
S C. doesn't play. Stanford meets San
Jose State and Pittsburgh. Northern
WASHINGTON State t5-O plays last-plaee
ho Saturday