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The Big
Thumb

By GORDON MACKER

My gawsh!

The other day I suggested that
because basketball is such a hot
and cold proposition that finals
in a tournament like the NCAA
should be played on a two out
of three game basis.

I said that the fact that Kan-
sas beat USC in-the final sec-
onds of the game certainly didn’t
conclusively prove that Kansas
had the better team.

Well, sir, everybody that reads

_ this column must be from Kan-

sas. The beefs are still com-
ing in.

Here’s a typical one, although
the language is a little less vio-
lent than the average.

Dear Sir: Anent your para-
graph. titled “Kansas Better
Than: USC7”. : a

The first thing which comes
to my mind is the following ques-
tion: “If USC had won the ball
game by one (1) point, would
you have felt called upon to
write the paragraph? I believe
you will be honest enough to ad-
mit that the answer would be
Sii.??

If Colorado had won from
USC the first night would you
have been in favor of having the
first round also played two out
of three games? The answer is
obviously ‘‘no.”

Kansas, during the season, won
17 and lost five games. Their
point average was 40 per game;
that of their opponents 33 points
per game. USC won 19 and lost
two games; their point average
was 4814, to their opponents’ 36.
A much more impressive record
for USC than for KU. However;
in the Big Six three teams were
tied for the championship: Okla-
homa, Missouri and Kansas;
Kansas winning the right to en-
ter the playoffs at Kansas City.
USC won the Pacific Coast con-
ference handily. They were dis-
tinctly superior to all other
teams in the league. They went
into the playoffs at Kansas City
as the favorite; but they came
out on the short end; so you
think that it wasn’t fair.

From 1922 to 1940 Kansas has
won the championship of the
Missouri Valley conference, later
changed to the Big Six, 14 times
—an impressive record in any-
body’s league. Dr. Forrest Al-
len, coach of KU, is one of the
best, if not the best basketball
coach in the country today.
When he doesn’t have better ma-
terial than the other clubs he
wins by outfoxing them. How-
ever, year in and year out, he
doesn’t lack for material.

The test of a true champicn
is being able to come through in
the clutch. Kansas, trailing four
points—3 minutes to go in the
ball game—had what it took.

I realize that the layman who
gets himself involved in a discus-
sion with a newspaper usually
comes out second best, unless, of
course, he starts a newspaper of
his own. Your paragraph would
have been considerably more
forceful had it been published
prior to the playing of the games
of Kansas City—I think it is in
very poor taste.

RICHARD F. STRAWN.

Well, Richard, I’ll bet you a
case of suds or a gallon of milk
or whatever your pleasure be
that Indiana wouldn’t have
whipped USC 60 to 42 as’ they
did your Kansans Saturday
night. —

There’s one thing I’d like to
clear up, though, with all you
customers who accused me of be-
ing on the USC payroll.

I didn’t shed a single tear |
when the Trojans lost the game.

Those guys in the cardinal and
gold have tied up too many titles
in the last few months. It’s
sort of a relief to see USC los-
ing something for a change.

But I’m far from being con-
vinced that Doe Allen’s boys are
better than Sam Barry’s.

Just as I’m not convinced that
USC has a better team than Col-
orado. After all the Buffaloes
won that New York invitational
tournament impressively.

Probably every last one of you
Kansas supporters are positive
your team had an off night Sat-
urday night or they wouldn’t
have lost to Indiana. At leas
not by 18 points. ay

All these things add up the
same way—the sectional and na-
tional finals should be contested
on a two out of three game basis.

If you still think I’m trying to

woo USC then to thunder with
you. -
Anybody that’s read Thumb
for any period of time knows
that he treats USC like he treats
anybody else.

When USC has a kiss coming,
Thumb is the all-American lover.

And when USC has_.a poke in
the nose coming, Thumb is Joe
Louis; USC, Johnny Paychek.