Evening star., 1952-03-09
|Groafs 5 Scoring
Fails 10 Check
|WoIfpack Rally
Winners Come Back
After Trailing at Half
NCAA Bid Accepted
BY MerrelI WhittIesey
Star Staff Correspondent

.1tfA4iGANI11s ~. ~, MAI. o.
North Carolina State. the hottest
Saturday night" club the South
fern Conference has known, won
Its sixth straight title tonight,
n to 68, as for the first time in
|16 games Dick Groat couldn't pull
ibis Duke teammates to victory.
The Wolfpack had bigger men
lon the floor and more capable
men as subs as it poured it on in
the second half after trailing by
three points at intermission.
N. C. State had an 11-point lead
with seven minutes remaining and
played a sernifreezing game from
that point.
Groat was on the bench as the
game ended, having committed
his fifth personal foul with four
minutes remaining, but until that
time the Pennsylvania youngster
had scored a points and 70 for
the tournament. only four behind
his record Of last year.
Qualities for NCAA.
North Carolina State thus quail
fed for the NCAA playoffs here
March 21-22 with Kentucky.
champion of the Southeastern
Conference, and two teams to be
named. N. C. State Immediately
announced acceptance of the bid.
but it was understood Duke would
have refused if it had won.
Seven years ago N. c. State
finally became tired of being
kicked around in conference bas-
ketball and hired Everett Case, a
high school coach from Indiana.
Case won the title in his first year
and never has been beaten in
tournament competition here. win
ming 18s straight games in this
event, plus three Dixie classics.
The i2,400 capacity coliseum
that was built for Cases teams
was sold out 30 hours in advance
Of the final and again today there
was cscalping and q mad rush
around theuentrance among peo-
pie trying to crash their way In.
Many Expect Duke Victory.
Many Of them wanted to be In
on what they thought would be
the end Of North Carolina States
reign, but the Wolfpack replied
with a typical performance. North
Carolina State has no All-Amer-
icas this year, and just one ALI
Conference player. but it has bal
ance and big men. Seven of its
players are 6 feet or better.
This was the final game for
Groat, who is termed the greatest
player this conference everf has
seen. The youngster who. polled
the highest vote on the Associated
Press All-America team had just
an average night for him but that
was good for the 27 points. When
he fouled out with his team trail
ing by five points, Dukes cause
was lost.
Duke had two men trying to
match the scoring of a half dozen,
and even though one of those was
Groat, the odds were too great.
Only Bernie Janicki, operating
near the backboards, gave Groat
much help. Bernie scored Ia
points. The Blue Devils didn't
have another man in the double
figures. :
N. c.. State Starts Fast.
N. G. State started fast and had
Ia 20-12 lead before Duke started
hacking away. mostly with Groat
clicking from the foul line Che had
13 Of 15) and with his jumps shots
The Wolfpack appeared to go dead
on its feet for a spell and the
house went wild when Rudy D
Emilio put Duke ahead at 1884
Duke led by three points at
the half and Groat scored seven
seconds after the second half be-
gan for a five-point lead.
But that was all for the Blue
Devils. who had lost to the Wolf
pack in the last two tournament
finals. North Carolina State
scored eight points and never was
headed.
Wolfpack Loses Five Men.
N. G. State lost i've men on
fouls and Lee Terrill, cotton
topped captain, had four on him
for nearly half the game. but
every time Coach Case substituted
la player the replacement did not
weaken the team.
Bobby Speight was below his
usual form but the 6-foot-6 junior
tied Bobby Thompson for N. C.
State scoring honors with IL
points. He did net score from
outside as he did against Mary
land and George Washington, but
hit around the basket.
Terrill set up the plays anC
scored IL points and was thu
key man in the State attack. But
Dick Tyler. Bill Kukoy, Bernie
Yurin and others responded.
Duke. which figured to be tired
latter its unforgettable triumph
over West Virginia in the semi
finals last night. did not meet 9
team with the personnel OF the
Mountaineers. but one that wa.
more inspired. Bill Fleming anC
Dick Crowder scored only three
points between them, and Groai
couldn't carry the Blue Devils tt
that extent.
Duke G.F. Pts. \. G. state G. r. Pts
Janiciki.f "a 8 1S Kukoy.f "a II
IIstiTfrf I.an 20 ] ] Tylsrt -d