Evening star., 1952-02-04
College Cage Leaders
To Get Major Tests
In Next Two Weeks
BY he As.oelotsd Press

by NE Assoeiuted Press
NEW YORK, Feb. 4.-These are
the days the unbeaten college
basketball teams and conference
leaders begin to worry about every
shot.
The most important games Of
the season are coming up and the
next two weeks probably will tell
the story Of who is going to play
in the big poSt-season tourna-
ments.
Both Of the Nations major uI1-
beaten teams - Duquesne (14-0)
and st. Bonaventure Q3-0)-go
into action tonight in warmups
before they clash next Monday at
Pittsburgh. So a week hence, the
unbeaten list is bound to be re-
duced to one.
Duquesne tackles La Sale, no
setup, while st. Bonayenture en-
tertains John Carroll. In addition,
the Bonnies have dates with Muir
ray State Teachers Of Kentucky
Thursday and Cincinnati Satur-
day.
Iowa to Test Illinois.
There's another big one on tap
for Saturday night and 1t viii go
far toward determining the even
tual winner Of the Big Ten race.
League-leading Illinois travels to
iowa for q contest with the second
place Hawkeyes.
Both have lost Just one game
all season, but Iowa's was in the
league. The nlini have won all
six Of their league contests.
Iowa, too, has won six with the
one defeat marring its record.
Whichever team loses, it will get
another crack at the victor
February %. It's a mighty i'm
portant one for Iowa, though the
Hawkeyes can't afford to lose.
Otherwise, around the country
class has been holding up in
practically all respects. For ex-
ample, who is going to beat North
Carolina State or Kentucky I'M
the Southern and Southeastern
Conference races, respectively?
Answer: Probably no one.
N. C. State Holds Lead.
North, Carolina State is riding
along serenely with an unblemish-
ed mark of 80. West Virginia is
trying to put up a fight and cur
rently sports a I'll mark. The
Wolfpack is in a good spot be-
cause they don't meet. West
Virginia can't do much except sit
around and hope North Carolina
State will get a licking some
where along the line.
As for Kentucky, the No. l
team in the weekly Associated
Press poll, the Wildcats. with a
mark of 90, watched their only
challenger, Florida, drop virtually
out Of sight as a result Of its Sec
ond defeat Of the league cam
paign.
Kentucky rang up another vic
tory Saturday night, 71-66, over
Notre Dame, which had been
weakened by the loss Of three reg
ulars for low grades.
The Southern and Southeastern
Conference titles are both decided
in tournaments and season rec
ords, as a matter Of fact, mean
little. t-.5s.-
The road to the pot o. gold at
the end of the Big Seven trail is
strewn with stones for Kansas
State. Although Kansas State is
in first place with a SO mark,
Kansas is close behind with Al.
They play on March z at Kansas.
Issue May Be Settled.
But by that time the issue could
be settled. The Jayhawks were
the favoriteS when the season be-
gan and there are plenty Of ex-
perts who still are going along
with them.
With each passing week it be-
gins to look more and more like
st. Louis is going to come out on
top in the Missouri Valley. The
BillikenS have a 60 record to
show for their efforts, while de-
Tending champion Oklahoma A&M
is 81 In league play.
If the AggieS can whip st. Louis
on March 6 on their home court
in Saltwater, they'll be back in
the thick of things. No one else
figures In that league.
Wyoming Leads Conference.
Wyoming sat back and watched
Brigham Young lose pair during
the week and now has the No. /
spot in the Skyline Conference all
to itself. But the Southwest race
still is entangled. Texas Christian
lost to Arkansas and is in a dead
lock with Texas for the lead, each
with Al. N>
In the Ivy League. Cornell pol
ished of Penn, the preseason
favorite, Saturday to take over
first place with 40, against Al
for the Quakers.
Washington (8-2) and Idaho
(6-2) still are battling it out for
the Northern Division lead in the
Pacific Coast Conference. The
Southern Division did not play
last week. California still heads
the class with AZ.