NCE, KANSAS—MONDAY, DECEMBER 21, 1936

 

 

 

 

“—~ BY EARL POTTER

The early season non-conference
games of the Big Six basketball
forces point plainly to a grand and
merry scramble when the champi-.
onship race starts early in Janu-|
ary. The conference rivals of Kan-.
sas have for years been at the pas-
time of trying to knock the Jay-
hawkers of Dr. F. C. Allen out of
the championship picture, and once
in awhile they succeed. This year
may one of those times. The
performance of K. U. in winning
two and losing one game thus far
to Kansas colleges does not on
the face of it make the Jayhawk-
ers look any too strong, but when
it is explained that Baker has a
veteran and classy team, and South-
western was beaten on the second
ba) after Kansas had previousl
fallen to Southwestern, the K. U.
squad appears to have possibil-
ities,

It’s the way Oklahoma has
‘been going to town against
Southern Methodist and Rice,
and the 53 to 29 victory Ne-
| braska put on over Montana, that

gives some warning that K. U.

may. have trouble ahead in the
. Big Six this season. Coach Harold

Browne piloted the Cornhuskers ‘

to second place in the Big Six
last year, losing two games to

Kansas and one to Iowa State.

He has a veteran crew this sea-

son and a rangy one, so Kansas

can look for a stiff argument
from the Nebraska team. Mis-
souri also has been putting up
good early season play, and lowa

State always has a team apt to

upset the leaders. Kansas can

attest to Coach Louis Menze’s
ability to horn in on ee
ship hopes, for it was the Iowa

State boys who took K. U.’s

accustomed chair at the champi-

onship table two years ago.

 

The Kansas Aggies did not fare
so well on their road trip thru. the
east and north, but wound up with
a 87 to 36 victory over Minnesota,
to show improyement. The Goph-
ers are far from as potent in bas-
ketball as they are in football, but
for the Aggies to beat a Big Ten
entry shows Frank Root has ma-
terial that may get in shape to go
to town against. the home confer-
ence talent later on. The Aggies
have. Frank Groves, all-Big Six
center the past two seasons, and he
has been pouring ’em into the bas-.
ket against certain defenses on this |
road trip. Just how Kansas State
and Nebraska compare will be
shown after the Cornhuskers game
with Minnesota tonight at Lin-
coln. : |