Evening star., 1955-02-28
.Iowa-Minnesofa
Tops Three Key
Games Tonight
'Bomo at Kentucky,
Bluffs Foce Missouri
In Crucial Contests
BY the Assoeioisd Press

Tonight is the time of de-
cision for three major confer
ence basketball races. =
The Big Ten. Big Seven and
Southeastern Conference races
all could be decided unless some
unforeseen disaster turks around
the corner later in the week.
In the Big Ten, Minnesota, a
rags-to-riches team. faces Iowa.
They are tied for the lead, each
with 1912 marks, and the game
is rated a toss-up. A crowd Of
1880 to 10000, perhaps the
largest gathering ever to watch
a game in a college arena, is ex-
pected in Minneapolis.
The key game in the Big
Seven race is Colorado at Mis-
souri,. The Buffaloes have a one
game lead with their 81 mark.
Missouri Is 30. The Bluffs, seek
ing their first undisputed. Big
Seven title in history, rate favor
ties on the basis of having
beaten the Tigers earlier in the
season.
Kentucky Favored at Home.
Kentucky goes against Ala
barna in the Southeastern Con-
ference. They, too, are tied
for the lead, each with a 1912
record. Both wildcat defeats
have been at the hands of
Georgia Tech. They are on their
home court in Lexington, where
they are virtually unbeatable,
so they rate the choice to go on
to the NCAA tournament.
All six teams each have one
more game to play Saturday
night. But none Of their fu-
ture rivals figures to cause any
trouble.
These races are all fairly clear,
but the Ivy League could give
the NCAA bigwigs a rough time.
It's possible that the Ivies will
be playing right into the first
NCAA date. Penn. which is lead
ing with 1913. could stop all the
confusion If it whips Princeton
Saturday. A victory would give
the Quakers the title outright.
But If Princeton (8-3) beats
Penn and Brown. and then Co.
lumbia (8-N stops Princeton
and Brown, q three-way tie
comes about.
Two Choices Due Today.
But until things are. settled
nnathematically, the NCAA tour
nament still needs five teams for
the Eastern section and seven in
the Western division.
Two Western "at-large" teams
are expected to be announced to-
day. incidentally.
Eight teams are in the Eastern
draw - LaSalle (Mid-Atlantic
representative and the defend
ing champion), Williams New
England representative, Miami
of Ohio (Which won the Mid
American Conference title Sat-
urday night when Marshall lost
to Western Reserved. Canisius,
Villanova, Marquette, Penn State
and Memphis State. all at-large
clubs.
The Southern Conference and
Atlantic Coast Conference both
will be decided by post-season
league tournaments this week.
North Carolina State topped the
ACC standings, but is prohibited
from playing in the NCAA tour
ney this year because of some
rules infractions. II N. c. State
wins the conference tournament
the second-place team gets the
berth.
Western Races Scrambled.
Here is how the important
Western division races stand:
Southwest - Texas Christian,
the favorite. could win it to-
morrow by beating off the chal-
lenge Of Arkansas if Texas de-
feats Southern Methodist. TCU
and SMU are tied right now,
each with 8-3. TCU has ruled
the roost most Of the season.
Missouri Valley-Tulsa (7-2)
can earn no less than a tie by
turning back last-place Wichita
Saturday. But st. Louis t6-2)
still has two games to play.
Border-Texas Tech (7-2)
must win all three of its remain
ing games or wind UP in a tie
with West Texas (9-3). which
has finished its slate.
Pacific Coast - UCLA and
Oregon State meet for the crown
in a best-of-three series this
week end.
Utah of the Skyline Confer
ence and Idaho State of the
Rocky Mountain are already in,
thanks to grabbing their con-
ference crowns, while San Fran
cisco, the Nations No. team,
and Seattle are In the field as
at-laI ge teams.