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University Daily Konsan Monday, Jan. 4, 126.
STELLAR TOURNEY PERFORMANCE—Kansas forward Butch Myers helped spark the Jayhawkers to a second place finish in the Big Eight Tournament in Kansas City last week.
Big Eight Tournament Tidbits—Wayne Hightower's 63 points in three games enabled the Kansas sophomore to win the tourney scoring championship, but the total was the lowest since KU's Gene Petersen paced the meet with 51 points in 1948 . . . A Kansas player has captured the individual title 7 of 14 times...
Hightower also snared the tourney rebound title with 43 and was named to the All-Tournament team along with Vinnie Brewer and Larry Fie o Iowa State, Herschell Turner of Nebraska and Dennis Price of Oklahoma . . .
Other KU scoring totals for the three games included Bill Bridges with 25, Butch Myers 23, Al Donaghue 22, Dee Ketchum 21, Jerry Gardner 19, Bob Hickman 9, Jim Hoffman 8 and Bill Goetze 2 . . . Outside of High-tower, Myers was the most consistent Jayhawk, scoring 7, 10 and 6 points . . . Donaghue scored 18 of his 22 points in the final game. . .
There was plenty of fantastic shooting in the 14th Christmas derby . . . Kansas had the fans roaring in hitting 17 of 18 free throws against Oklahoma, then could connect on only 14 of 28 in the finals . . . Iowa State and K-State both hit 43 per cent from the field in their first-round game . . .
But the fanciest display came in the first-round Missouri-Oklahoma clash ... in the first half of that one Missouri connected on 14 of 23 field goal attempts for 61 per cent and Oklahoma hit an even 50 per cent on 12 of 24. The Tigers dropped off to 43 per cent for the game while the Sooners upper their mark to 52 per cent in winning 70-65.
In that hectic semi-final between KU and Oklahoma the Sooners six times controlled the ball for periods longer than 24 seconds in trying to stave off the Jayhawkier rally . . . Mild agitation occasionally pops up to have the collegiate adopt the professional system of a time limit on shots (the pros use 24 seconds, some folks want the colleges to use 30 seconds)...
Spot checks during the tournament indicated that the teams really didn't need a forcing limit — until the end... Then team after team held onto the ball like it was a pot of gold . . . And officiating has tightened up to the point where it's next to impossible to take the ball away unless the opponents make a serious mistake.
KU Faces Road Swing In Big Eight Warfare
A "streaky" Kansas basketball team swings into Big Eight Conference action in a tough way this weekend, meeting Nebraska and Colorado on the road.
Bv Chuck Clark
The Jayhawkers, who were bopped by Iowa State 83-70 in the finals of the Big Eight pre-season tournament last week in Kansas City, face Nebraska at Lincoln, Saturday night and Colorado at Boulder Monday night.
Colorado whipped Nebraska and Oklahoma while losing only to Iowa State in nabbing third place in the milling. Nebraska, after loss seven in a row, dumped Missouri for seventh place, but the Cornhuskers had been traveling for nearly two weeks.
Based on tournament indications, the trip will be a rough one.
Kansas had tough sledding in all three tournament outings, but wrapped up a 67-59 verdict over Oklahoma State and nipped Oklahoma 55-54 before running into the hot-shooting Cyclones in the finals.
KU played what was probably its best game in the finals, but couldn't overcome a fantastic 57 per cent field goal average turned in by Iowa State
The Jayhawkers jumped off to a 4-0 lead and still led 11-10 with 14:24 left in the first half. But the Kansans then went into a two-minute scoring dribble while Iowa State pounded home eight points. KU never was able to pull even again.
It was exciting for awhile, though. Down by eight points, 36-28, with 3:58 remaining in the half, the Jayhawkers, paced by sophomore Wayne Hightower, held the Cyclones to three points the rest of the half and pulled up to a 39-38 deficit at intermission.
Hightower, whose 24 points in the game enabled him to nudge Nebraska's Herschell Turner for tourney scoring honors, hit five points in that stretch.
But the Kansans, who were forced to hit at a 43 per cent pace to keep up in the first half, couldn't continue the effort in the second period. The Cyclones continued to blister the basket, led by sophomore Vinnie Brewer and senior Larry Fie.
KU went five and a half minutes without scoring a point after pulling up to a 50-48 deficit and the Cyclones wrapped things up taking a 61-48 lead.
Hightower was supported in the game by Al Donaghue with 18 points and Dee Ketchum with 13. Brewer topped the Cyclones with 21, but four others scored in double figures.
That long scoring drouth was symbolic of KU's performance in the tournament.
In the opener against Oklahoma
Tourney Scores
FIRST ROUND
SECOND ROUND
Iowa State 74, Kansas State 73 (OT).
Colorado 64, Nebraska 55.
Oklahoma 70, Missouri 65.
Kansas 67, Oklahoma State 59.
Kansas State 71. Nebraska 63.
Oklahoma State 64. Missouri 59.
Iowa State 55. Colorado 41.
Kansas 55. Oklahoma 54.
THIRD ROUND
Nebraska 78, Missouri 67 (seventh).
Kansas State 52, Oklahoma State 49.
New York 45.
Colorado 61, Oklahoma 57 (third).
Iowa State 83, Kansas 70 (first).
State the Jayhawks suffered through five different periods of more than three minutes without a field goal, yet had more than enough to win easily.
Leading 31-25 at the half, Kansas poured in 14 points in less than four minutes early in the second half to forge a 48-28 margin. The Cowpokes closed the gap, but the margin was too big to overcome.
The Kansas-Oklahoma game in
the second round was one of the most exciting contests of the tourney. KU didn't grab a lead in the game until Hightower hit a short push shot with 312 left to give the Jays a 49-47 margin.
Kansas, which had hit only three field goals in the first 10 minutes of the game, toughened on defense to blank the Sooners from the field for seven minutes down the stretch to capture the verdict.
Jerry Gardner and Ketchum each sank two pressure free throws and Bridges hit a tip to wrap it up.
The Wildeats are at home to play the surprising Colorado Buffs, loaded with soohomores.
Kansas State Opens Defense of Crown
in other games, Nebraska is at Iowa State and Missouri travels to Oklahoma State. Oklahoma opens its season Friday night at Colorado. Kansas is the last team to swing into action, holding off until Saturday.
Defending Big Eight champion Kansas State heads a three-game schedule as the conference opens actual league play tonight.
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