Mizzou, Colorado Favored
In Opening Games

BY DICK SNIDER

Daily Capital Sports Editor

ANSAS CITY, MO, — Two

games,. featuring two. of

the conference’s most seasoned

teams, kick off the ninth an-

nual Big Seven pre-season bas-

ketball tournament here to-
night.

Missouri and Colorado, both
boasting a pack of quick, rangy
veterans, are favored in the
opening burst of action in the
four-day classic. Colorado plays
Oklahoma at 8 p. m., and Mis-

- gouri meets Nebraska at 9:45,

The two Sunflower entries,
both occupying a dark horse
role this time, don’t get into
the milling until Tuesday night.
Kansas plays Iowa State in the
first game, and Kansas State
plays guest team Califoptt a i

the nightcap. r a
' The two. first-night ‘winn
play the opening s@
game Wednesday night, anc
two winners from Tuesday
night play the Wednesday fi-
nale. The finals will be played
at 9:45 p.m. Thursday.

Sellout crowds of around 10,

500 are expected each night in
_ Municipal Auditorium.
All tourney entries except
. Kansas State and California
were on the scene late Sunday.
K-State is due in this morning,
and California will fly in this
afternoon. All the teams had
workouts planned on the audi-
torium planks prior to their
first tourney game.

Missouri remained the slight
popular choice to win the title

here for the first time since
1949, but practically every team

was considered a good possi-
bility. Colorado, California,
Kansas and Kansas State were
drawing the most notice bee
hind the Tigers.

Kansas is the defending
champion, by virtue of its 82-
73 conquest of Oklahoma in
last year’s finals, but the Jay-
hawks will bring the grean-
est outfit of all to the meet
this time, with a starting
lineup that includes four
sophomores.

pai neta ced in
947, 1950 and 1952. KU and

K-State together have kept the

title in the Sunflower state for
four years, Kansas having fin-
ished first in 1951.

Both Missouri and Colorado
will be trying to rebound in the
tourney. The Tigers, after wine
ning three of their first four
against Big Ten opposition,
jJast week dropped a double-
overtime decision to Houston.

Colorado, which opened the
season with three straight vic-
tories, just finished a disas-
trous trip West in which it
dropped three in a row—two to
California and one to UCLA.

California and Kansas pack
the gaudiest records. Kansas

(Continued on Page 9, Col. 1)