Evening star., 1949-01-31
Wildcats May Catch
Only Conquerors
In Garden Event
BY the Associated Press

| Ihe mighty Kentucky Wildcats
today appeared headed for post
season basket ball showdown with
their only conqueror-St. Louis U.
Winners Of five straight since
their 2-point Sugar Bowl loss to
st. Louis, the Wildcats have kept
quiet about their tournament plans.
But it's no secret around their
Lexington campus that they'd like
another shot at Ed Macauley & Co.
Kentucky. currently rated the
second best team in the country is
the defending NCAA champion. St.
Louis, the No. team. is the ruling
king of the other big March tourna-
ment, New York's National Invita-
ton at Madison Square Garden.
New York expects st. Louis to
defend its title and the expecta-
tions appear well-founded. The
Bills face a complicated set-up in
the NCAA trials in their region.
First of all they'd have to win the
Missouri Valley Conference over
Oklahoma A. & M, which already
has whipped them once. The con-
ference race conceivably could end
in tie If st. Louis takes the re-
turn engagement with the Still
water crew, February 26. A tie
would mean conference playoff
Then the conference winner has to
play the big seven winner. :
All fhic mould boun to ooo,,~ h~
fore the NCAA Western finals at
Kansas City. If they survived the
Billikens still would have to place
first at Kansas City to reach the
national finals at Seattle, Wash.
So it looks now as if the Bills
will come back to New York. Ken
lucky will be welcome here.
OF course, tournament time is
still SIX weeks away and a lot can
happen between now and then.
Unbeaten major teams are prac-
tically extinct. Only Villanova Q2-
% and Hamline 04-0 haven't been
beaten and their schedules indicate
it will be only matter of time.
Vlllanova plays Duquesne tonight,
Chicago Loyola Wednesday. Bald
win-Wallace Thursday and Bowling
Green (Ohio) Saturday, all away
from home. Hamline should keep
winning until February II, when 1t
meets the Phillips Oilers.
Western Kentucky, ranked fourth
ip the latest Associated Press poll,
and Minnesota, ranked fifth, were
defeated for the first time Saturday
night.
Minnesota ran afoul Of Illinois.
45-44, in the top game of the week
at Champaign. Western was upset
by its bitter intra-State rival, East
ern Kentucky.
Oklahoma A. and NJ, No. 3 in the
Nation, avenged one of its two
losses of the season Saturday by
whipping De Paul in Chicago, 81
rs. Kentucky trounced Notre Dame,
62-3S. and st. Louis overpowered |
Wichita, 72-41.
st. Louis plays Missouri and !
Long Island U. this week while |
Kentucky starts tonight at Wander
bilt and takes on Alabama and !
Mississippi before meeting Bradley
Saturday night at greensboro, KY. |
Utah was the third member of |
the top 10 to fall Saturday, losing
to Brigham Young, 56-55. The two
teams play again tonight.
Villanova (No. 81 defeated George
town, 64-49; San Francisco mo. 81
beat Arizona, 56-49, and Hamline
(No. y didn't play.
The conferences at a glance:
IVY-Princeton t3-0p plays Yale (5-1)
Saturday with lead at stake.
SOUTHERN-North Carolina State G-O).
and Saturday, against William and Mary,
sOUTHEAsTERN-Ken 4-O due
meeting Vanderbilt tonight, Alabama We'd
nesday and Mississippi Thursday.
souTaWEsTssylo1 5tn returns to
must win to hold first If Texas t3-b whips
Texas A, and M. Saturday. Rice t3-D |
Tending champ Kansas State tonisht and and
Colorado Saturday: loss either niEht
"hfh RsS
NJ 800 due to rol lover Tulsa tomorrow.
ST. sI louis N1stnd, t2 jdIs II conference il.
leader, must beat Purdue tonight and |
Wisconsin Saturday II Minnesota (5-D re-
gains its winning stride against North& |
western tonight and Ohio State Saturday.
BIG SIx-Utah (5-2). whipped by Brig
ham Young Saturday, plays same team to- |
night and Utah State Saturday night. |
Denver 4-2) meets Wyoming Friday and
Saturday.
Pacific COAST: North - Washington
State (5-D, which doesn't play a league
foe may lose lead to Oregon State SD |
which meets Idaho Friday and Saturday. !,
South-Stanford (3-D and Southern Cali |
fornia (3-D idle in the conference.