ROUNDUP — OKLAHOMA CITY —
ALL-COLLEGE TOURNAMENT

By JOHN CRONLEY
Sports Editor, Daily Oklahoman

 

KLAHOMA ClTY—Unless Ringling Brothers own
a corner on the expression, the only way to
describe Oklahoma City's sixth annual All-College
tournament is by use of the time-worn four words:

Bigger, better than ever.

Because that is what it was, this southwestern
classic staged in the spacious downtown Municipal
auditorium December 26, 27, 29 and 30.

Record turnouts (in all, 16,500 fans), a record en-
try as far as high-class competition is concerned,
and record performances. dotted the |8-team field
as crack entries from Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas, Miss-
ouri, Arkansas, New Mexico and Colorado flashed
topflight flioping form.

Twice the All-College packed in more than 4,000
spectators as Oklahoma City and environs suddenly
became acutely basketball-conscious in spite of war
conditions.

New marks started popping from the opening
tipoff and the heavy gunning never stopped until
highly-favored West Texas of Canyon had firmly
established itself as new champion.

The colorful Buffaloes burst into the opening
picture with a new team high as West Texas won
the fans’ favor with an eye-tilling 70-37 blasting of
East Central from Ada, Oklahoma.

Meanwhile cool, smooth operating A. and M.
from Stillwater, Okla., siddled into a co-favorites’
role as Hank lba's set stylists handled dangerous
Texas Christian in an adroit fashion, 32-25.

So there were the two titans, and alongside them
ranged two slightly lesser favorites in Pittsburgh,
Kan., and University of Texas.

And to the delight of spectators and sponsors
alike, that is the way the All-College picture rocked
along, right into the semifinals, which still have the
basketball filberts fanning the air with their warmest
superlatives.

There just haven't been any semifinals anyplace to
match Oklahoma City's round that threatened to
turn the championship into an anti-climax. On the
bristling three-game card, West Texas had the scare
of its life when Bill Stockman barely pulled the Buffs
past Pittsburgh with a final split-second shot that
yanked it out, 57-55.

This one had followed Baylor's 59-58 nose-out of
Texas Tech in the consolation bracket, and when A.
and M. and Texas U. pranced for the fans hardly
were ready for the third straight sizzler of the night.

But that's what they were treated to, a highly-
keyed Longhorn crew that didn't permit the Aggies
more than thin daylight until the Cowboys leaped
safely ahead at the whirlwind finish, 46-38. For the
most part but three or four points separated the
teams.

Finals, of course, were a masterpiece of perfect
basketball as West Texas, tall and terrific, rolled
back game A. and M., 37-31 before 4,200 fans.

That's the way it ended .. . that's the way it
had opened . . . and that's the way the furious
milling had carried on through all four days.

Increased revenue enabled the meet to pay out
more expense money than ever before, with all 18
teams sharing in the melon, on a prerated basis,
after all expenses were disposed of.

The field and drawing power is expanding each
year because topflight teams of this section are
eager to get in the early conditioning guaranteed by
the meet. Every entrant is certain to play in four
aames, first-round losers dropping into consolation
play and later losers being matched among them-
selves.

In charge of officials this year was Earl Jones of
Kansas City's Spalding Bros., and his aids included
Abb Curtis, Fort Worth; Ted O'Sullivan, Kansas
City; Dick Pendleton, Norman, Okla., and Bat Shun-
atona, Wewoka, Okla.

Already the tournament is looking forward to a
faster field for 1942, possibly to include a west
coast quintet and one from the south, maybe
Kentucky. When the usual after-tournament poll
was taken this time there wasn't a team among the
18 that didn't file an early bid for repeat perform-
ances here next winter.

Quite a compliment in itself, and one to rank
alongside that by Al Baggett, big, jovial—and cap-
able—coach of the championship West Texans,
who has this to comment:

"Say! My po' little ol’ kids (they average six feet,