Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-03-08
BY MerreIl WhittIesey
Sior Sfoff Corraspnndanf

DURHAM. N. c., Mar. g.
North Carolina State beat
George Washington by Is points
nine days ago and has a 14-game
winning streak over the Colonials
over the past eight seasons. but
the Wolfpack is mad rather than
overconfident about tonight's
NCAA f1rSt-round game at
Dukes indoor stadium.
The 8:15 contest brings to-
gether State as the first cham
pion Of the Atlantic Coast Con-
ference and George Washington
as winner of the Southern Con-
ference title. The winner goes
to Philadelphia Friday to play
a second-round game in the ma
tional championship against
either LaSalle or Fordham.
State is peeved because the
Colonials used pressure to move
the game from States home
floor to neutral court.
The NCAA announced Raleigh
as the playoff site between the
conference champions, but CIV
and Southern Conference Of
ficials started negotiations 10
days ago to have the game
moved If State won the ACC
title.
Scramble for Best Seats.
Tickets already had been
printed and over $500 sold when
Durham was named by the NCAA
as the alternate site. Now the
same tickets will be used, but all
seats will be on f1rst-come.
first-served basis.
About 5000 fans are expected,
but natives of this basketball
mad section say capacity crowd
of $500 would not be too Surpris-
ing. Attendance totaled 10000
for the ACC tournament in RAJ
leigh over the week end. The
total attendance at the Southern
Conference playoffs at West Vir-
ginia was less than 10000. =
The Colonials few in here to-
day after spending Sunday in a
tireSome auto ride from Morgan
town to Washington. Why the
team didn't fly directly from
Morgantown to Durham was puz-
cling to the folks here.
Ineligibility Rumor Spiked.
There was wild rumor here
yesterday that Elliot Karver and
John Holup. George Washing
toms co = captains. and Mel
Thompson, captain and high
scorer of the Wolfpack, might
not be eligible because of four
years of college competition.
It was erroneous on both sides.
karver and the elder Holup
played only freshman ball during
their first year at CIV. Thomp-
son was transfer from Memphis
State, but he did not play basket
ball there. He enrolled in Sep
TENDER. quit school in November
and sat out one year of compete
ton after transferring to State.
Coaches Bill Reinhart and
Everett Case were amazed at the
rumor, which started in Char
lotte
N c. State now has won IS
games and lost six this season
and George Washington brings
a 1872 record to Durham. Since
Case started coaching at State,
the Colonials and Wolfpack have
played IA times in regular-sea-
son and Southern Conference
tournament games and CIV has
lost them all.
State has averaged almost an
| l8-point margin over the Colo
malls The closest match was a
60-59 triumph for the Wolfpack
at the National Guard Armory
in Washington in 1949. The
most one-sided was a $3.50 tri-
umph for State the following
year
Earlier Score Discounted.
States 18-point decision here
a week ago Saturday was not
regarded as a true reflection of
the ability of the teams. That
was States finest performance
Of the season, in Cases opinion.
while CIV never overcame the
Wolfpack's hot hand in the sec
ond quarter.
State undoubtedly will use the
all-court press that proved dis
turbing to CIV in their other
meeting, and the Colonials can
be counted on to use the zone
defense, which has been used by
most of the teams that have
beaten or scared the Wolfpack.
N. c. State holds the ball
and refuses to play against the
zone when it plays against North
Carolina-after it gets a lead
but the Wolfpack kept going
against the Wake Forest zone in
the tournament final the other
night. However, the Wolfpack
blew a 16-point lead against
Wake Forest. and if State gets a
lead tonight and CIV stays in
the zone, Case said the Colonials
would have to come out of it
or his team would go into its
stall.
George Washington had less
trouble winning the Southern
title than State did in capturing
the ACC crown, but CIV was
(See COLONIALS. Page A-19)
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