Close Big Seven Tourney,
Conference Race Expected

 

BY DON PIERCE
_ Special Correspondent

Tourney Standings

is matched against this year’s
guest five, Washington, at

 

L Pot, Titl :
OST important question smu stgiezsetts 1 2 e 00 0 1 9:45 the same evening.

A expected tobeanswered in amas ly an 9 tH * Kansas meets Colorado in
the eighth annual Big Seven Oeitiorie A&M, 1 2 1 en ‘ Saturday’s 8 p. m. lid-lifter.
tournament, opening Saturday Minnesota "22.21 a: 667 0 o. Missouri and Iowa State |
night in ‘Kansas City, isa feree” See te Lee owing,
cast of how much tightening is Missouri ........ 7 12 9 571 2 As Phog Allen, coach of Kan-
forthcoming from top to -bot- aman es ee eee sas’ defending league cham-
tom in the 1954 conference race. Yowa State'..... 7 6 15 285 0 pions, pointed out: “Apparently

It already is being conceded Qelmaska «+... 7 ¢ 1s 385 0 there is no outstanding team in
that the twin Sunflower pow- Harvard (::.::.1 0 3 ‘000 0 our conference at/present. This

ers, Kansas and Kansas State,
will not be able to restrict the
flag chase to a private duel by
mid-season as they have done
the past three winters. It also
is believed Nebraska, Oklahoma
and Missouri will be improved.

The question thus resolves
into these points (1) How much

weaker are Kansas and K-
State? (2) Can UN, OU, and
MU improve enough to over-

haul them? First test in this
_ department will be provided by

Kansas State and Nebraska,
which lead off Monday’s first-
round set at_S.r pq. Oklahoma

 

 

  
 

_the ’54 conference
in five of the seven
previous meets, the tourna-
ment champion or runner-up

- also has captured the circuit

race. The only exceptions were
1946, when SMU edged Kan-
sas in the final, and 1949 when
Missouri clipped Oklahoma.

Not a single team will come
into the meet unbeaten. As a
matter of fact, only Kansas
State at 4-1, and Iowa State
at 2-1, owned winning records
thru games of December 19..

Opponents are hoping for a
Kansas defensive sag this year,

- after one and a half seasons of

being subjected to the most
vicious picketing the confer-
ence ever has seen. In losing to
Tulane and LSU, and beating
Tulsa, Jayhawker restriction
has shown slight resemblance
to the dread Porcupine Patrol

, Of last season.