Kansas Quintets
Are Underdogs
At Big / Meet

KANSAS CITY, Dec. 18—For the
first time in five years neither of.
the Sunflower powers, Kansas and |
Kansas State, will be favored to’
carry off the Big Seven tourna-
ment championship when confer-
ence squads converge on Kansas:
City’s Municipal auditorium De-:
}eember 27-30. .

Not that the Jayhawkers and
Wildcats, who have split the last
four tourney titles, will be soft
touches. Kansas, in fact, is unde-
feated in four starts. Kansas State
leveled its seasonal mark at 2-2 by-
defeating Washington Saturday :
night.

The Jayhawks dismantled LSU, :
83-58, in their opener, wrought a -
mild surprise by outlasting Tulsa, |

Past Champions.

YEAR WINNER RUNNERUP FINALS
195 Kansas Oklahoma - 82-' i
K-State Kansas rs
Kansas Missouri
K-State Minnesota
Missouri Oklahoma
Oklahoma Kansas ue
K-State Okla. A&M }
SMU Kansas - 49-46
73-66, and swept a week-end twin-
ibill from Rice, 77-67E, and 100-72.
K-State rebounded from road losses
to UCLA and Arizona with a 70-50;
lathering .of towering Wyoming
and an 81-74 win over Washington
jin its first two starts before the
home fans. ©
Missouri Is Potent
But these are ordinary feats in
the face of recent Missouri achieve-
ments. The Tigers, mounting the
nee team in Sparky Staleup’s 8-
year tenure, absorbed a fearful 77-

 

49 walloping at the hands of Illi-
nois in their opener, but since have
vaulted high among the nation’s
elite.