Evening star., 1961-02-27
Niagara Joins
Ohio State in
CageSpot|ight
Jinx Of Bonnies
Broken; Tourney
Picture Clearing
Ry the Assoeiated Press

BY the Associated Press
Ohio State still is the No. /
college basketball team in the
Nation, and no doubt about it,
but the Buckeyes have to give
up some of the spotlight to
Niagara.
The Purple Eagles, coached
by Taps Gallagher, snubbed a
jinx and surely drew a nod
from the National Invitation
Tournament by upsetting Sec
ond-ranked st. Bonaventure,
87-77. Saturday.
The Bonnies had won IL in
a row and had lost only to un-
beaten Ohio State, 1892.
Not only did Niagara beat the
Bonnies by 10 points, but 1t
did it in st. Bonaventure's cosy
home court at Olean, N. Y
where the Bonnies had put
away 80 consecutive victories.
st. Bonaventure hadn't lost in
Is years and IS days at home,
and it was the same Gallagher
and Niagara that last came out
q winner there.
Picture Much Clearer
With Niagara $50 waiting
at the telephone for q call from
the MT to fill one of the four
berthS remaining in the March
1925 tourney at Madison
Square Garden, the post-season
tournament picture is much
closer to completion.
Temple $3.50 agreed to its
fourth trip to the NIT yester-
day after beating Villanova,
1869. in a Philadelphia double
header. This bill also sent st.
Joseph's into the NCAA as
Middle Atlantic Conference
representative after the Hawks
had downed Muhlenberg, 81-72.
Kansas State (lS-4) Of the
Big Eight and Texas Tech
u4-8) Of the Southwest can
nail automatic NCAA tickets
tonight. And by weeks end,
Ohio State (22-O should have
stretched its streak through 20
games for another Big Ten title
and the right to defend its
NCAA title.
Ohio State won its 9th in
a row with a 97-74 breeze at
Wisconsin. gaining position to
nail the Big Ten title in a
game against Michigan State
this Saturday.
Wildcats Seek CIincher
Kansas State can clinch in
the Big Eight tonight by win
ming at Nebraska against the
club that upset Kansas, 69-6S.
Saturday. Kansas state
whipped Missouri, 9l-7l. and
the eighth-ranked Wildcats
need to win Just one Of their
three remaining games to cinch
the. NCAA berth over third
place Iowa State or fourth.
place Colorado. Second-place
Kansas can tie for the title, but
1t is banned from tourney play
because Of NCAA probation.
Texas Tech can make 1t by
beating sixth-place Rice to-
night in the Southwest.
The Missouri Valley and the
Southeastern races offer the
brightest scraps for tournament
berths. Third-ranked Cincin-
natl. cunning for a fourth
straight Missouri Valley title,
clinched no worse than a tie as
the Bearcats won their 18th in
a row with a 73-43 Job on
North Texas State in their
final conference game. Second
place Bradley. which got past
Tulsa. 64-62, can force a play
off by winning at home against
st. Louis Saturday. The win
ner goes to the NCAA, the run
nerup-and possibly st. Louis,
too-goes to the NIT.
Mississippi State is the
Southeastern leader at 1912,
after slipping past LSU, 56-54,
but because Of the segregation
issue will pass up the NCAA.
That leaves it to Kentucky,
Florida or Vanderbilt. all tied
for second at "a. Kentucky
plays Auburn tonight, Tennes-
see Saturday. Florida meets
Georgia Tech tonight and
Vandy plays Georgia. Then
they swap rivals Saturday.
The ACC and Southern stage
tournaments to determine their
champions and NCAA entries.