Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-02-25
MT Given Headache
By Wichita S Upset
OF Oklahoma Aggies
BY the Associated Press

BY the Assoeioisd Press
NEW YORK. Feb. 25.-Na-
tional Invitation Tournament
officials had a king-sized head
ache today. and it was all due
to successful 3O-foot shot
thrown with two seconds to play.
The desperation heave by Paul
Scheer gave Wichita 67-66 vic
tory over Oklahoma AdzM, threw
the Missouri Valley Conference
race into a snarl and beclouded
Wichita's status as an NIT entry.
The Wheatshockers said when
they accepted the NIT bid that
they would be obliged to enter
the National Collegiate Basket
ball championships If they should
win the Missouri Valley race.
The elf" clause didn't look very
important at the time, since
Oklahoma AIM was comfort
ably ahead in the conference.
But now Wichita has completed
its Valley season with an 3D.
mark. while the Aggies are I'll
and play Tulsa March 2 and st.
Louis March 6.
If the AggieS win both, they'll
go to the NCAA championships
and Wichita will come to the
MT. But a tie would force
one-game playoff, which could
not very well be played before
March 8 at the earliest.
Timing Causes Problem.
The NIT headache comes from
the timing involved. The tour
nament starts its first round
March 6. The latest Wichita
could play its first game would
be March 9, even if it gets
first-round bye.
Then. too, it's possible, though
highly improbable, that Okla
homa AIM might lose both its
last two games, which would send
Wichita to the NCAA. The NIT
could invite Oklahoma ASzM,
but the Aggies haven't played
here in some time and they
might not want to make the trip
II they wind up behind Wichita.
Bob Mattick did his best to
keep the flfth-ranked Aggies in
the game. scoring Is points,
while Cleo Lttleton made Is for
Wichita, No. IA team in the
country in the latest Associated
Press poll.
The NIT added a minor note
Of confusion itself by inviting a
second st. Francis team. This
time it's the Loretto, Pa, st.
Francis. with an 1874 record.
The Brooklyn school of the same
name was invited earlier this
week. That gives the NIT eight
Of its 12-team-providing Wich-
itaa doesn't tie Oklahmoa A.
& NJ, etc.
NCAA Selects Two.
The NCAA also picked two "at
large" teams yesterday. Loyola
Of New Orleans and Santa Clara.
Loyola will play sixth-ranked
Notre Dame in a preliminary
round double-header at Fort
Wayne, Ind, March 9. Toledo
Of the Mid-American Confer
ence will play still-to-be-de-
cided Eat large" team in the
other game. Santa Clara will
meet the Border Conference
champion, at a site and on a
date to be determined. That will
be either Texas Tech or West
Texas State, who meet in the
deciding game March 2.
Holy Cross, ranked seventh
nationally. was the only high
ranking team in action last
night. The Crusaders scored
impressively over Dartmouth,
1850. and need only to beat
Connecticut Saturday to wrap up
an NCAA bid as the best New
England Conference team. The
loser of that game, incidentally,
is good possibility for an NIT
offer.
Louisville, one of the NIT's
positive entries, won a close one
from Xavier of Ohio, $3.50. But
the excitement was nothing
compared to Houston's 52-5l
win over Texas AIM. That one
was right out of Frank Merri-
well as HouSton'S Jack Mosher
hit with a jump shot from the
side with 81 seconds to play and
did the same thing again %
seconds later for the winning
points.
In other games last night,
West Virginia ran up a new
school scoring record in a IT.
"a romp over Virginia Military;
last place Brown surprised
seventh-place Harvard in an
Eastern League game. 1861;
Penn State stopped Gettysburg,
1862, and North Carolina State
won a showdown game with
North Carolina, STAB.