Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-02-19
NIT Leading NCA
By ga in Grabbing
Teams for Journeys
BY the Assoeiofed Press

" U1S SASSoCtoISo rtSSS
NEW YORK, Feb. 19.-The
annual grabbing game between
college basketball's big post-sea-
son tournaments is on in earnest
today with the National Invita-
ton tournament running up a
GA lead.
The National Collegiate bas-
ketball championships gained
some ground on the MT yester-
day. naming two teams to the
one selected by the invitation
group. The NCAA actually has
an advantage, for Is Of it's "a
berths go automatically to con-
ference representatives. That
confines the scrambling to it's
nine at large" teams VS.. the
NIT's IL teams.
The NIT reached the halfway
point. naming Niagara immedi-
ately after the Purple Eagles put
on a stylish display in whacking
New York University. 1884. in
Madison Square Garden.
Earlier in the day the NCAA
announced that Oklahoma City
would play Bradley at Peoria, ILL.,,
March 8. in a f1rSt-round game.
The winner will meet the Big
Seven champion, which draws a
bye. in the second round. Colo
RADIO and Kansas currently are
tied for the Big Seven lead.
NIT Gets Two Top Teams.
Yesterdays selections leave
the NIT with two teams in the
top 10 of the latest Associated
Press poll. two in the second 10
and two unranked. The NCAA
so far has one top 10 team, one
in the second 10 and two un-
ranked.
Along with Niagara, the NIT
has DuqueSne, No. /; Western
Kentucky. No. 4: Wichita, No.
Is. which trimmed st. Louis,
1918, last night; Dayton, No.
II, and Louisville.
The NCAA has Seattle. No. Z;
Oklahoma City. No. 16; Bradley
and Idaho State, champions of
the Rocky Mountain Confer
ence.
Kentucky, ranked just behind
Duquesne, took another step
toward the NCAA last night by
turning back Tennessee, 90-63.
for its Goth victory without de-
feat. That makes the Wildcats
Ito in the Southeastern Con-
ference to Louisiana States 90.
If both keep on winning. they'll
play off March 9 for the confer
ence title and the ensuing NCAA
berth.
Seattle, like Bradley and Okla
homa City a Western "at large"
team, will meet Idaho State at
CORVALLIS, Greg, March 9 in an
NCAA f1rst-round game. The
winner will play the Pacific
Coast Conference champion.
which could be any one of a
half-dozen teams.
The Far Westerners may clar-
ify the issue somewhat this week
end. Washington State (3-8) is
at Oregon State )8-4) and Ore
gon G-5 at Washington (4-6)
tonight and tomorrow night in
Northern Division games. Idaho
G-6) is still in the running. In
the Southern Division, use
90 is at California for two
games and UCLA (5-3) has two
at Stanford (2-6).
Selvy Scores As Points.
Niagara. like the other NIT
teams, doesn't know yet what
team it will face. But the Eagles,
of their form last night,
shouldn't have to worry too
much, except for Duquesne.
They were so much in command
the game seemed dull, especially
compared to Manhattan'S 87-7e
double overtime victory over St
Johns of Brooklyn in the first
game of the double-header
That one was tied 16 times.
Frank Selvy moved one step
closer to a grand slam of major
college scoring records by tossing
in As in Furman's 93-49 win over
Mercer. His 81 free throws made
his career total 625, lettering the
Gil mark of Walt Dukes, Seton
Halls 1853 All-America center
The one mark still to go for
Selvy is the season free throw
record of 1872 set by Seattle
Johnny O'Brien, also a 1853 ALL
America. Selvy has 286 with four
games. and the Southern Confer
ence tournament, still to play.
In other games on last nights
skimpy' schedule, Maryland, No
II nationally, edged Georgetown,
$3.50, and Colorado A & M, No.
10, trimmed Colorado State,
68-56.
Georgia Tech finally found a
team it could beat and ended its
two-season losing streak at &c
games by defeating South Caro-
lima, $3.50.