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Anchored by an 87°76 conquest of previously-unbeaten
Vanderbilt in ian ia dress rehearsal, Iowa State is poised to
shoot for its first Big =evenpost-Chrsotmas crown this weeken when the
tenth annual dribble derby opens a four-day run in Municipal auditoriume
Thr Cyclones will tote the best record among
tourney entries into the big arena ;vS-l,
The Cyclones, playing their second season under
Bh1ll Strannigan , will come into the Big big arena with the best record
among tournament teams at 5-1. Furthermore they own a 13.0-point-per -garmp
spread, fiveetenth wider than that of Missouri's defeni ing tournement
cham pions Vanderbilt had won siz straight before it invaded Ames |
“Priday, was Sth- ranked in the latest AP poll ant 19th on UP. &uky Tulsa
was undefeated in four games until running afoul of the Cyclones Yecember
10, 50-62. Only three points, a 62-65 loss to Yenver at Denver, Wednesday,
separates the Iowans from a perfect slates :
They thus qualify as the highest barrier te
a Missouri repeat. This 4s rare stature for a team xhxbxnasxfiutsked
which never has finished higher than third hine previous meets( 1948 and
1954) and has languished in last place twice and seventh three times.
Happily the Rtx Cyclones and Tigers are in
opposite breaketse The former will run inte immediate trouble since it
drew Kansas State in the opening round in the nightcap of Tuesday's
opening card. This ta should be the tighest battle of the first-round
four game set » State , 5-5, has played a tougher preliminary slate, losing
only 79-86 to Kouskon well-regarded Houston, Thursday in Houston in its
final pre-kax meet atavk test.