Evening star., 1953-01-12
College Cage Races
Warm Up as Season
Nears Halfway Point
(St1ndings on Page ABB
BY the Associoted Press

preaching the halfway mark,
the various conference cham
pionship races are getting
warmed up and one can get
some idea as who's going to win
what.
Conference championships, of
course. mean automatic qualifi-
cation for the National Collegi-
ate Athletic Association tourna-
ment in March. Four more con-
ference titlists were voted auto
matte spots by the NCAA con-
vention last week, which means
that IA of the % teams in the
tourney will be representatives
of one group or another. Last
year 10 of the 16 teams were
conference champions.
A look at the record books en-
phasizes the Importance of the
conference entries. Only Holy
Cross in 1947 and City College
of New York's ill-fated Cinder-
ella Kids of 1850 have broken the
conference" reign in the tourn-
ey's 14-year history.
Kansas Faces Test.
Kansas. defending National
and Big Seven champion, has
come along well after a slow
start, but the comparatively in
experienced Jayhawkers get the
acid test Saturday when they
play Kansas State. top-ranked
team in the Associated Press
poll. with a record of eight vic
tories and one defeat.
Kansas started its conference
play Saturday with a 1851
trouncing of Iowa State. This
week ends game will be the
first conference game for Kan
sas State.
Saturday also is a big night
for the top contenders in the
Big Ten. Indiana, National
champion back in 1910, has a
SO league mark so far this year,
but on Saturday will meet nli-
nois, a National semifinalist last
year. Indiana wrapped up No.
5 with a last-minute 66-63 VIC
tory over Minnesota. while nli-
nois made it's record Al by beat
ing Wisconsin, 71-61.
Illinois is ranked fourth ma
t1onally and Indiana seventh.
N. C. State Favored.
North Carolina State, six
time champion of the Southern
Conference but never a National
titlist. is expected to romp
through the conference tourna-
ment again. even though a one
point loss to Wake Forest mars
the Wolfpack record. States
victim Saturday night was Duke,
1854. North Carolina's Tar
Heels, however, are pacing the
circuit with seven wins in as
many outings.
With Kentucky, a three-t1me
winner of the National crown in
the past five years, sidelined by
the NCAA this year, there'l be
a new Southeastern Conference
champion for the first time in
years. Most likely it will be Lou
isiana State, currently leading
the circuit with a 80 mark and
a 1855 winner over Mississippi
State Saturday.
Oklahoma Aggies Rated High.
Oklahoma A&M, the only
team besides Kentucky to win
more than one NCAA title 1885,
49,, has yet to start Missouri
Valley Conference play. But the
Aggies, rated No. 5 in the coun-
try. may get back in contention
this year. Defending champion
st. Louis was trounced Saturday
by Tulsa, 86-73.
Washington, ranked a notch
below Oklahoma A&M in the
poll, is steaming along toward
a Northern Division champion
ship in the Pacific Coast Confer
ence. UCLA, which upset WASH
ington in the Coast inter- division
playoff last year, will have to
struggle to win the Southern
Division crown again.
The Uclans nipped Southern
California, 1862, Saturday for
their first league victory in four
starts. Both California and
Southern Cal are 81.
Southern California's loss,
after II straight victories, left
Seton Hall. No. 2, and Fordham.
No. 8. as the only major unbeat-
en- teams. You could start with
these two. plus third-ranked La
Sale and 10th-ranked Western
Kentucky. as candidates for the
berths open to Independents in
the NCAA tourney.
Last Unbeaten Teams Meet.
Either Fordham or Seton Hill
will be beaten Wednesday night.
however. when the two collide
in the game OF the week. Ford
ham nipped st. Peters, TITS.
Saturday while Seton Hall beat
Xavier of Ohio. 86-78. last night.
It was No. II for Fordham and
No. Is for Seton Hall.
Here is the situation in the
other conferences:
IVY LEAGUE: Cornell is in
front, unbeaten in three starts,
but. outside of Harvard, the
other teams haven't played many
league games. Favored Penn
ano Princeton meet Wednesday.
Penn has lost one. Princeton