Buffaloes
Blister
Huskers

By GEORGE FRANCO
Post Executive Sports Editor
KANSAS CITY, Dec. 30.—Colo-
|jrado’s basketball teams have
fallen heir to the dubious. distinc-
tion of ‘‘matinee idols’ in Big
Seven conference tournaments
here.

The man behind it all is Bill
Strannigan, the ex-Colorado A&M|
tutor currently in his first season}
at Iowa State after a successful)
tenure in, the mountain country.|

When Strannigan guided Iowa}
State to its thrilling 82-to-81|
triumph over perennially strong}
Kansas following Colorado’s 73-71)
overtime loss to Oklahoma one}
game earlier, the Buffs got the
tag. They’re the lone current con-|
ference member that has not won|
in the opening round. —

They responded well to the|
designation here Wednesday after-|
noon in the consolation semifinals
by overwhelming inept Nebraska,
89 to 47. That gave them the right
to meet California in the consola-
tion title contest Thursday and a
chance to seek revenge for two
earlier losses to the Bears on
their recent west coast swing.

BUFFS CLICK

In direct contrast to its below-
par showing in Monday’s losing
effort to Oklahoma in the tourney
opener, Colorado did everything
near-perfectly in Smee
|Huskers.

 

| the reserve units wi

| tight defense to end
win drouth.

of the game by Colorado’s Bob
Jeangerard. The Buffs took the
lead on Burdette (Burdy) Haldor-
son’s free throw with only 2:03
played and were off to a record-
jbreaking tourney victory margin
|\of 42 points. This eclipsed the old
mark set in 1948, when the Buffs
|tromped Harvard by 33 points. It
‘was also a school scoring mark.

Jeangerard and Haldorson high-