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University Daily Kansan Friday, Jan. 16, 1953
KU to Meet Rival Wildcats Saturday Power Versus Hustle In Sunflower Classic 'Bevo' Rolls On Optimism Fills Camps As Clubs Eye Big Tilt
PROBABLE STARTERS
Kansas State Kansas
6- 3 Jim Smith F Al Kelley (5-11 )
6- 5 Jesse Prisock F Harold Patterson (6- 2 )
6- 6 Dick Knostman C B. H. Born (6- 9 )
6- 0 Gene Stauffer G Dean Kelley (5-11 ½)
5-11 Bob Rousey G Gil Reich (6- 0 )
Officials: Corny Collins (Creighton), and Jim Enright (Chicago).
By CHUCK MORELOCK
Kansan Assistant Sports Editor
It'll be power and height versus hustle and sharp defensive play when Kansas State and Kansas clash in a crucial Big Seven contest at Hoch auditorium tomorrow night. Tipoff time is 7:35 p.m.
The game is the conference opener for the powerful Wildcats of Jack Gardner, ranked first in the country, who have whipped six non-conference foes and two Big Seven opponents in the pre-season tournament in Kansas City. And State has drawn a rough assignment to launch their Big Seven play. They defeated the Jayhawkers by only six points, 83-87 at Kansas City, and must meet Kansas on their home grounds.
Phog Allen's crew will be putting a 15-game home court winning streak on the block, but the Wildcats, loaded with height and reserve strength, will be slightly favored to shatter the string. The K-State defense should not be much of a puzzle for the Jayhawkers, since they have given up an average of 72 points a game, but the scrappy, aggressive Kansas defense that has clicked so well in recent games will have its hands full attempting to slow down the Wildcat offense.
The Manhattan squad has substituted polish for sheer power in piling up 738 points for a torrid 82-point average. If their set plays don't click, the No. 1 ranked Wildcats utilize their great height to score heavily on tip-ins and shots from around the net.
The top Kansas State scorer and one of the finest centers in college ball is 6-foot, 6-inch Dick Knostman. Knostman, who tossed in 38 lbs., was Kansas last month, has a 23.4 average and a total point mark of 208.
The veteran Bob Rousey, rated the top Big Seven sophomore eager in 1951, has bounced back from a mediocre 1952 campaign and is having a great year.
Kansas, after dropping their conference opener to Oklahoma by a one-sided 61-76 score, has surprised Big Seven fans with their showing in the last three contests. The unpredictable Jayhawkers combined a great defense with scoring outbursts in the first and last quarters to roll over highly-rated Oklahoma A&M, 65-53, at Lawrence just three days after the Oklahoma defeat.
Then they invaded Ames, Iowa and walked off with a 76-57 decision over an improved Iowa State squad. On Monday, led by B. H. Born's 34 point blast, they whipped Nebraska 69-59 at Lincoln.
The ball-hawking, close-guarding Jayhawkers gave these three victims fits in the contests and if they can torment the Aggies as effectively, they could bring their conference record to 3-1.
The other Wildcat first-stringers are Gene Stauffer, Jess Priskow, and Jim Smith. They have Jerry Jung, Jack Carby, Gary Bergen, Peck Mills, and Roger Craft in reserve. None are under six feet.
Alpha Kappa Psi Honors Graduates
Kansas performers who should
A dinner honoring the graduating members of Alpha Kappa Psi, professional business fraternity, was given at the Dine-A-Mite inn last night.
Forty people, including members, guests, and faculty, were present. Graduating seniors are Dietrich Klassen, Kenneth Merrill, Fred Kaufman, Wayne Bear, and Frank Tarr.
2.
give the Wildcats trouble are Dean and Al Kelley, good shooters and excellent defenders, the clever Harold Patterson, hot-and-cold Born, Gil Reich and Larry Davenport.
TEAM LEADER—Dean Kelley, scrapy Kansas senior and team captain, has been one of the guiding lights in the surprising Jayhawker surge this season. The 5-foot, 11-inch lad from McCune is the lone returning starter from last year's club that swept to the NCAA and Olympic championships while losing only three games. Dean is averaging an even 10 points per game this season.
10 points per game this season.
'Bevo' Rolls On To Break Mark Set By O'Brien
New York—(U.P.)—Seton Hall and Rio Grande of Ohio rolled on today as the leading major and "minor" unbeaten basketball teams of the nation, thanks to the prolific point scoring of giants Walter Dukes and Clarence "Bevo" Francis.
The 6-foot, 11-inch Dukes, who racked up 31 points against Fordham Wednesday, came right back with 39 more last night to pace Hall to its 17th win of the year, 82-74 over Dayton.
Francis, who stands 6-foot, 9-inchhes and ranks as the nation's leading scorer, smashed the national single-season scoring record as he led little Rio Grande to a 101-53 triumph, its 21st, over Bliss State at Columbus, Ohio. Francis had 51 points, a "routine night" for him, to run his season's total to 1,072, breaking the record of 1,051 held by Johnny O'Brien of Seattle.
Bliss tried everything to stop Francis, including a tight zone defense, but big Bevo racked up most of his points with jump shots from 10 feet out.
Dayton, winner of only seven games in 13 starts, made a spirited effort to upset Seton Hall at South Orange. N.J., but Dukes was simply too much for the Flyers.
Eddie Solomon of West Virginia tech stole scoring honors from both Francis and Dukes last night when he tallied 60 points to lead a 101-65 victory over Beckley college, and he now has scored 309 points
In other leading games last night: Wyoming trounced Denver, 62-39, and Utah State shaded Utah, 62-58, in the Skyline conference; Navy whipped Virginia, 93-71; Richmond downed Randolph-Macon, 78-57; and the ranks of the unbeaten teams were trimmed to 10 teams as Mount Union's 6-game streak was ended by Baldwin-Wallace, 62-49, and Morgan State was stopped after six wins by Hampton, 81-73.
The top game on tonight's program will be the meeting between Southern California, the nation's 10th-ranked team, and California, ranked 18th. The two clubs, tied for leadership of the southern division of the Pacific Coast conference, meet on the Trojans' court in Los Angeles tonight and again tomorrow night.
Washington, ranked fourth nationally, plays Oregon State in a northern division PCC game. Louisiana State, ranked 11th, goes outside the Southeastern conference for a game against Loyola of the South.
The contest also is the 123rd meeting of the two schools on the bus.
Interesting Items Highlight Big Game
The big thing is the game, and the Jayhawkers and Wildcats are planning on making it a torrid battle, but there are still the little things in the background, not so important, but interesting enough.
Allen won quite handily in all the meetings between the two from 1940 until 1943, when Gardner went into the Navy. Then when Gardner returned, Allen missed most of a season because of a head injury so the big rivalry didn't resume until 1948, the year the Wildcats really started coming.
Since then, the up-Kaw coach has won 11 meetings while Allen has been able to register but three victories, two of them last season.
LEAGUE LEADER—Dick Knostman, Kansas State's versatile center, is currently leading the Big Seven conference scoring parade with a 23.1 average in nine games, good enough for an 11th-place ranking among the nation's top scorers. Knostman, a senior, leads the Wildcat squad in rebounds,
BY RICH CLARKSON Kansan Sports Writer
For instance, Kansas mentor Phog Allen will be shooting to square his series with Wildcat Head Man Jack Gardner. Gardner has won from Allen 11 times while the good doctor has taken 10 of the tilts.
The others over the 6-mark are Harold Patterson, 85; Gil Reich,
Gardner's club has won three of the last five games played in Hoch auditorium. Their victories have always been close, however. But when the Jayhawkers win, they did it in 1950 and last season, the margin is generally mighty big-79-68 in 1950 and 81-64 last year. Of course the series on the Manhattan floor is a different story.
ketball court. The long series dates back to 1907 and since then Kansas holds a 79-43 edge in victories. However, the Wildcats have been catching up rapidly in the last few seasons.
Contest to Receive Big Radio Coverage
An unfamiliar and unexpected touch of optimism filled the air in the rival Jayhawk and Wildeat camps today on the eve of the Sunflower state's annual roundball classic here tomorrow night.
Broadcasts are listed for the KU Network, originating KANU-FM, Lawrence (Merle Harmon): Kansas State Network, originating KSCA, Manhattan (Bob Hilgendorf); WREN, Topeka (Max Falkenstein); WHB, Kansas City, Mo., (Larry Ray), and KCMO, Kansas City, $Mg$, (Tony Williams).
Kansas has six players averaging over six points per game. Center B. H. Born naturally leads the parade with a 15.3 mark on his 168 points. The Kelley brothers, Al and Dean, are riding herd on the second and third place spots. Junior Al has a 10.9 mark while Senior Dean is close behind at an even 10.
The unfortunate multitude that will be unable to witness the big clash between the Jayhawkers and Wildcats will have ample opportunity to listen to the game on the radio.
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106, with 83.
6. 9, and Larry Davenport, 6.4.
The Wildcats have an equal number of prolific scorers on the squad. Dick Knostman is the leader with 23.1 points per engagement. Jess Prisock has 11.0, Gene Stauffer 9.1, Bob Rousey 9.0, Jim Smith 7.7, and Jack Carby 6.0.
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With all the interest being generated by the big Sunflower clash, much of the Big Seven play is somewhat forgotten. Two league games and an important non-conference meeting are on tap for tonight elsewhere.
At Lincoln, Neb., Iowa State and Nebraska meet in a game not having too much bearing on the title chase But at Boulder, two clubs that were predicted for big things this season, but haven't come through, Missouri and Colorado, meet to put one of them really on the skids.
In the one non-conference game, Oklahoma A&M journeys to Norman to battle Oklahoma in the meeting of the Sooner giants.
Without setting off any of the usual verbal pyrotechnic displays that accompany any basketball meeting of the two schools, veteran KU headman F. C. "Phog" Allen and Kansas State Coach Jack Gardner expressed pleasure over their clubs' showings in practice this week and forecast a hard-fought game tomorrow.
Here at Lawrence, the 67-year old Allen added the cold wave which moved into Kansas yesterday to the home-court advantage as an element in favor of the slightly underdogged Jayhawks.
"I surely welcome this cold air," the Kansas headman said. "It has invigorated us in practice and has instilled that snap and go into the boys that they have been lacking since their return from Iowa State and Nebraska."
Allen sent his outfit through the next to last practice session yesterday with all hands showing an improvement over earlier drills. The hustling Jayhawkers, plagued in their last two encounters by the colds which have taken their toll in other Big Seven camps, figure to be in good physical condition tomorrow.
At Manhattan last night, Gardner when contacted by the Daily Kansas, expressed a similar pleasure over Wildcat improvement in this week's practices.
The State camp suffered a blow early this week when starter Peck Mills was admitted to the K-State campus hospital with the flu which has hit that school heavily. However, Mills was released from the hospital Wednesday and should be ready to play by game time, Gardner said. He was not participating in practice this week, though.
"We've been looking all right this week with Wednesday's session one of our best of the year," he explained. "We've made good improvement since the Big Seven tournament in late December—in fact, the first week of practice after the tourney was our best of the year."
As for just what will happen tomorrow night, here are the vague prognostications of the pair:
"We hope to come up with a few new ideas in our offense for Saturday but there will be nothing radically new in our plans. We have a lot of respect for the KU team and think that they have made tremendous strides this season. But then we've improved too."
"You know, it's always just like a civil war when these two teams meet. Past records mean nothing and you can always expect a tough game.
"By any logical process of reasoning, I don't see how we could win even if we stole the lead from the scorer's pencil. But then we're going to depend on heart and the home court advantage to try and do the impossible.
"You know, any one that picks us to win tomorrow is either an extreme optimist or just plain crazy." But then lots of people have called the Fhogger just that.
Gardner—
Wildcat Frosh Push Varsity
Allen-
Manhattan—(U.P.)—Kansas State's squad got ready for another practice session today in preparation for Saturday's game at Lawrence with arch-rival Kansas University.
K-State's varsity scrimmaged against the Cat frosh last night and the older boys had their hands full.
The fresh, running Kansas Jayhawker patterns, matched basket for basket with the varsity and looked particularly sharp on backboard play.