Evening star., 1952-12-15
Lons Rams Battle Detroit Sunday for Place in NFL Payo
Leading Colleges GET
Tests as Basketball
Gains Momentum
BY the Associated Press

BY the Associated Press
NEW YORK, Dec. 15.-The COL
legiate basketball season gains
momentum this week with a num-
ber of games sprinkled around the
country that should indicate the
relative strength of some of the
teams.
It's Westward Ho for highly
touted LaSalle of Philadelphia,
last years National Invitation
Tournament champion. as the
Explorers continue cross-country
tour.
The classy Pennsylvanians made
their first stop at Dayton last
night and posted their fifth
straight victory by polishing off
the Flyers, 1854, in overtime
The teams were finalists in the
MT tourney last spring.
Tomorrow the Explorers visit
Arizona. Friday they journey to-
San Francisco to meet Santa Clara
and they stay overnight to play
Stanford Saturday.
LaSalle boasts a triple threat
scoring punch in Tom Cola, Fred
Iehle and Norm Grekin, while
Jumping Jack Moore is still
around to take charge of the
backboards.
Seton Hall Wins No. s.
Another Eastern independent
poWerhouse, Seton Hall of South
Orange, N. j., also has a busy
week ahead. The Setonians, who
recorded their fifth triumph in a
row Saturday by thrashing Kings
PaD. 97-51, participate in three
interesectional trays.
The Pirates play host to Louis
vile tonight and John Carroll to-
morrow night and then clash with
Western Kentucky on Thursday
lat Madison Square Garden. If
Seton Hall is to taste defeat, the
Opposition must find a way to halt
the scoring thruSts of the Pirates
I6-foot-11 center, Walter Dukes.
North Carolina State gets an
opportunity to enhance its South
Iern Conference stature Thursday
when the Wolfpack takes to the
road against strong George Wash
lington. The Wolfpack returns
home Saturday for an intersec-
tional skirmish against Texas
Tech.
Pack Wins Five of Six.
The defending titlists are 81
in the league standings and have
captured five out of six in overall
competition. Last Saturday N. c..
state tripped previously unbeaten
Eastern Kentucky. 1915, as lanky
Bob Speight contributed % points.
The big surprise in Southern
Conference circles is the auspl-
cious debut of Frank Mcclure as
coach at North Carolina. The
former coach at ST. Johns OF
Brooklyn has guided the Tar Heels
to four consecutive conference
victories. North Carolina is idle
until December 20, when the Tar
Heels take part in the Dixie
Classic at Raleigh.
Louisiana State University.
picked to replace idle Kentucky
as the Southeastern Conference
leader, starts its league schedule
Wednesday at Alabama. With
Bob Petit paving the way, LSU
has amassed four successive VIC
tories over non-loop foes.
Illinois Opens Title Defense.
Illinois, rated as one OF the
Nations top-ranking quintets,
launches defense of its Big Ten
crown tonight against Michigan
The Illini, who also clash with
Butler on Saturday in a non
league skirmish. opened by beat
ing Loyola of Chicago, 71-57.
Minnesota, also formidable
contender for Big Ten supremacy,
has caken three in a row and IS
resting until December %, when
it meets Illinois. The Gophers
turned back Nebraska, 71-62, Sat-
urday.
Another Midwest kingpin. Kan
sas State, favored in the Big Seven
race, engages in three intersec-
tional tussles this week in an ef-
fort to remain unbeaten. The
Wildcats, with a pair of close vic
tories over Drake and Indiana, are
at home with San Francisco to-
night. They travel to East Lansing.
Mich, on Friday to meet Notre
Dame and then face Michigan
State there the next night.
Kansas, the NCAA tourney
champion, aims to get back on the
victory trail at the expense of
SMU on Friday and Saturday
nights at Lawrence. The Jay
hawks won their opener rather
handily from Tulane, but were
rudely jolted on Saturday by Rice,
54-51.
Strong Irish Play Three.
Among the Midwest independ-
ents, Notre Dame shapes up as al
strong club. The Fighting Irish,
owning three consecutive tri-
umphs, including an 84-64 thump-
ing of Marquette Saturday, see
action three times this week. The
lads from South Bend are home
with Loyola of Chicago on Wednes-I
day and visit East Lansing over
the week end for games against
Kansas State and UCLA on Fri
day and Saturday nights, respec-
lively.