Thursday, February 28, 1974
I HE MICHIGAN DAiLY
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T h r s a y F b r a r 2 , 1 9 4 H E M I H I AN.A L
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Hoop
By JEFF SCHILLER
In recent years, the NCAA basketball
tournament has been a ho-hum affair. What-
ever interest there was centered around who
would finish second to UCLA, and as Leo
Durocher once emphasized, "No one remem-
bers the runner up!"
This year could be a different story. UCLA
has tasted defeat three times already, and
the indications suggest Bruin invincibility is
a thing of the past. The "Walton Gang" may
not even make the tourney, and if they do,
24 challengers will be out for the Uclan's
scalp. As a result, interest has been re-
riewed in the tournament's format and com-
position.
HERE'S HOW IT works. Sixteen con-
ference champions and nine top independent
teams are placed in four regional events. The
winners of each regional go to Greensboro,
North Carolina for the semifinals. The West-
ern titleholder meets the Eastern king in one
matchup, while the Mid-East and Mid-West
champs will tangle in the other. The survi-
vors battle for the national title.
The field is still largely undetermined, as
most of the conference championships are
still undecided. The nine at-large teams will
be announced today.
In the past, the NCAA has chosen and
assigned independent teams to various re-
gionals on the basis of several conflicting
criteria, changing the standards employed
from year to year. Whether the tournament
committee will choose to stick strictly to a
regional standard and pick the best teams
in each part of the country, or instead em-
ploy the method of picking the nine best
independents in the nation, regardless of
locale, may well be determined by the
phases of the moon.
EAST REGIONAL
Seven teams go into the East regional,
with three "rat tail" games on tap. The
playoifs
Ivy League champ (probably Penn) will take
on one of the at-large teams, with the winner
meeting the ACC titleholder-probably North
Carolina State, although that won't be de-
cided until after ACC's playoffs next week.
THE OTHER HALF of this elimination
features the Middle Atlantic Conference win-
ner (St. Joseph's, LaSalle or Rider) versus
an at-large team in one game and the South-
ern Conference kingpin (most likely Furman)
against an at-large team in the other. These
two winners will also meet in the semifinals.
Right now, the three at-large schools
should be Pittsburgh, Providence and South
Carolina. These are the top three indepen-
dents in the East and should go to this
regional regardless of which method is used
to select them.
MIDEAST REGIONAL
SIX TEAMS GO here. In one bracket, the
Ohio Valley winner (Austin Peay or Middle
Tennessee) goes up against one at-large
squad (Marquette or Notre Dame) for the
right to meet the Big Ten champ (Indiana
or Michigan). In the other, the Mid-America
conference sovereign (probably Ohio U.) plays
another at-large contender for the right to
confront the SEC champ (Alabama or Van-
derbilt).
MIDWEST REGIONAL
This is the only region without a genuine
national championship contender. The first
round games pit the Southwest Conference
winner (Texas or Texas Tech) versus an.
at-large team, and two at-large teams in the
other. The winner of the former contest will
play the Missouri Valley champ (likely
Louisville) in one semi, while the winner of
the latter will play either Kansas or Kansas
State from the Big Eight.
THE AT-LARGE TEAMS are uncertain. If
regionalism is the criterion, then Creighton,
Oral Roberts, and either Cincinnati or South-
ern Illinois should get the berths. If the best
loom
independents are chosen, then St. John's of
New York, Syracuse, and Maryland-Eastern
Shore are definite threats to move in, with
Creighton switching westward.
WESTERN REGIONAL '
The Pac-8 winner and a cast of thousands
go here. The rat-tails pit the Big Sky champ
(Idaho St. or Montana) against an at-large
contender, and the WAC winner (New Mexico
.or Arizona) versus the PCAA king (either
L. A. State or Santa Barbara-Long Beach
State is ineligible).
The winner of the first game plays the
Pac-8 champion (UCLA or USC) while the
winner of the second goes against West
Coast Athletic Conference winner San Fran-
cisco. The at-large school will be Hawaii if
regional selection is used, Creighton if the
best independents are selected on a national
basis.
SEMIFINALS AND FINALS
The pairings put the West champ up
against the East and the Midwest versus the
Mideast for the semifinals, to be held at
Greensboro, North Carolina. The Mid-East
winner should have no trouble dispatching the
Mid-West pretender.
IN THE OTHER semi, indications point to
a rematch between North Carolina State and
UCLA on State's home court. UCLA won 84-
66 in December, but the Wolfpack has vastly
improved since then while the Bruins have
seemingly gone flat.
Add the disappearance of the "invincibility"
mystique, and the Bruins are in real trouble.
As North Carolina coach Dean Smith com-
mented earlier this year, "I think any team
in the Top Ten could beat UCLA with the
home court advantage."
The finals measure up similarly. Indiana
and Notre Dame are fine squads, but neither
is good enough to cage the Wolfpack on a
Carolina court. This year . . . it's North
Carolina State.
I
split
wide to the left
Picking the seeds
Clarke cogsdill.
and spitting them out
"I'VE BEEN TO A lot of tournaments," wrestling coach Rick
Bay said on a blah morning in January when there wasn't
much else to talk about, "and I've got something to say to all
those people who think that having playoffs and national tourna-
ments settles all the controversy about who's got the number
one team in the country.
"When the competition gets so close," he continued, "there's
just no guarantee how things will turn out. We've had tourna-
ments in wrestling for years, and I can tell you that every time,
if they ran the tournament in the same place with the same
people and the same teams one week later, the results you'd
get would be entirely different.
"It really doesn't settle anything," Bay concluded, "but I
guess it's the best we can do."
That "best" is accomplished in large part through the
mechanism of seedngs. In theory, seedings are supposed to
arrange the talent in such a way that if everything runs to
form, the two best wrestlers in each weight class will meet in
the finals, with the rest spread out in order of decreasing'
ability.
But there are serious flaws in the "compare the scores"
method, the only one everyone agrees on. Scores do not take
into consideration such things as the home advantage-often
decisive in places like Iowa and MSU-the referees, or the con-
trasting styles of different matmen.
You know it don't come easy
USUALLY, THESE FACTORS send the issue off to the wonder-
ful world of politics, in which the coaches-the very people
who are putting their reputations on line in the championships-
make the final judgements.
A concrete example comes up today when the seedings in the
177-pound bracket are made. Michigan's Rob Huizenga has lost
only once inside the conference. His defeat came at the hands of
Iowa's Jan Sanderson, who will go to the tournament at 167.
Sanderson, meanwhile, has lost to Jeff Zindel of MSU-a man
Huizenga handled easily-and Chris Campbell (Iowa's regular
at 177) has gone down before Wisconsin's Ed Vatch, another of
Huizenga's victims. Campbell and Huizenga have never wrestled.
So who's better?
One advantage of being the top seed is that it gives the
man a 50 per cent chance of being pitted against the con-
ference's least well regarded grappler at that weight. A
wrestler scores one point for his team merely by winning, so
going up against a "soft touch" can be quite rewarding.
An extra bonus is the one-in-three chance the top seed has of
going into the "rat tails," the preliminary matches which reduce
the field of ten to a more manageable eight. As a result, a
team's best wrestlers will often simultaneously be those who
have more opportunities to score points.
Byzantine logic prevails
THE SECOND SEED has most of these advantages, but he
. doesn't have the chance to draw the conference's weakest
sister in one of his opening matches. In the Big Ten tournament,
which includes several ranking powers, these marginal differences
can be enough to decide the whole thing.
"Seeding can give you a tournament even if you don't have
the most talent," Bay sighed, and ever since the Rose Bowl
decision, it's been perfectly obvious that talent and qualifications'
aren't the only things which decide such things.
Two schools-Michigan and Iowa-are generally conceded to
have the best chance to win the conference tournament, while
both Wisconsin and Michigan State legitimately think they have
the people to pull off a big surprise. Although wrestling coaches
are by and large high-minded, principled men, it's too much to
expect of anyone that he vote against the interests of his own
team, and seeding is the way to maximize your chances.
Furthermore, the precedent has been set in another sport
-football-that athletics exist more for the glory and honor
of schools and conferences than for the benefit of the athletes.
Thinclads seek title
By JEFFREY CHOWN ' he was injured. Michigan's Jeff prime contenders for champion-
Track is not exactly back this u McLeod could also place in that ships, but should be in there for
winter at the University of Mich- , d a lil event. some points. Among them are
igan. With a loss of some key per- Shot-putter Steve A d a m s is Abe Butler who has the fourth
sonnel and problems with finding Michigan's other individual best- best triple jump at 49'1"; Andy
indoor facilities to practice at, the g bet. Adams currently trails Illi- Johnson, who has the seventh
Wolverine thinclads find them- .w U - nois' Mike Baietto by two inches best 1000 yard run; Bob Mills in
selves out of serious contention for I.in the Big Ten ranking, but it is; the 880; and Bill Bolster in the
the Big Ten Championship this NIGHT EDITOR: a sure thing Adams, the defending! mile. Farmer also feels pole
weekend at Michigan State. CLARKE COGSDILL indoor champion, will have a little vaulters Terry Hart and Ed
Things looked better after last extra saved for this meet. Mike Kukla may be primed for a big
season when Michigan placed sec- i tLantry is ranked sixth, and could breakthrough.
ond in both the indoor and the vidual stars. Coach Dixon Farmer move in for some points. The weekend after the Big Ten
rrkdcommented:Michigan State has the top rank- Championships the tracksters will
the only individual hard to replace ndiana will win it without a ed mile relay prior to the ,meet, journey to Detroit for the NCAA
through graduation was Godfrey question. Illinois will probably fin- but they also did last year . when Indoor Championships at Cobo Hall.
grra.Buatine ash odfreyhish second and we'll battle it out Michigan took home the blue rib- Last. year with a second by Kim
Murray. But since then Michigan for third with Wisconsin and Mich- bons. Another big showdown will Rowe, a third by Godfrey Murray
has list some key individuals in igan State." be in the 600 yard run. Dave Wil and a fifth by the mile-relay team,
the high jump, hurdles, and two-
mile when they dropped out of Kim Rowe is the best bet for liams of Michigan owns the fastest ithe Wolverines managed to tie for
school. .To compound this fresh- the Maize and Blue. The Jamai- time. But it will be very difficult eighth place in the nation. Should
man Ken Delor who was expected can co-captain will have some to upset MSU's defending champion Dave Williams and Steve Adams
to plug the hle in the sprints stiff competition in the 440 yard Bob Casselman on his own stomp- come up with some good perfor-
was denied eligibility e dash, however, as William Wal- ing grounds. Gerald Smith of mances, along with Rowe and the
e lace of Indiana has registered a Northwestern also looks strong in! mile relay, Michigan should be
More recently, members of 48.0. Wallace had the best time that event. able to maintain or improve on
the distance team-Jon Cross, in the conference last year until Other Wolverines may not be last year's performance.
Keith Brown, Bill Bolster, and -
Bob Mills-have had their abil-
ity impaired by the nefarious
flu bug. Cross-country standout M u
Brown won't even make the trip
fl bgCrs-onrstdot g i iron aide iln
this weekend. Add all this to
the practice facility difficulties
and it's easy to see why the f
track team looks forward to sun-
nier days and better perfor- is nam edI coach
mances in the outdoor season.
Joustt likein swimminrIndianaBy MARC FELDMAN with the WFL club's draft selec-
looks to be a sure bet for a chain- ti
pionship with the rest of the con- Popular George Mans, Mich- Lions some weeks ago and one _
ference left to battle it out for the igan's ends coach for the past Detroit Free Press columnist had x
runner-up slot. The Hoosiers com- eight years and the lone holdver speculated that Mans would fol-
bine depth with outstanding indi- from Bump Elliott's staff of low Boisture to the Wheels.
Sassistants, was named head foot- When asked if he thought the
ball coach at neighboring Eastern exodus of himself, Young, and
Michigan University yesterday. Maloney, Michigan's top three
R ussell voted " Reached for comment at his assistants will hurt the Michigan Y z .
WEEKEND SPECIA L
on BACH BE ER also
8 pCk. 16 oz. N.R. P EPSI-$1.19
Complete ine of Beers and
DR IVE T HR U or 114 E. William
WE D E LIVE R 66-7191
e onferene'I
best of week
CHICAGO UP) - Campy Russell,
Michigan's leading scorer, has
been named the Big Ten Player
of the Week by the Associated
Press,
Russell, a 6-foot-8, junior for-
ward, helped the Wolverines to a
pair of victories over the week-
end to keep their title hopes alive
in the Big Ten.
After Michigan had crushed
Purdue 111-84 with Campy scoring
18, Purdue coach Fred Schaus
called Russell "the best basket-
ball player I've seen in two years
in the Big Ten."
The Pontiac native followed that'
performance with a 36-point game
Monday night to lead Michigan to!
a 79-75 victory at Wisconsin. I
Russell beat out a flock of candi-
dates for the award this week in-
cluding Michigan State's Mike Rob-
inson who put together a pair of
27-point performances and scored
the winning points against North-
western last Saturday.
Detroit homeblast night, Mans
had nothing but praise for the
Michigan football program and
its architect, Bo Schembechler.
"MICHIGAN HAS been very
good to me and I've seen a lot
of good football in my years
here. Coach Schembechler and
Don Canham were of great help
to me in obtaining the job. I owe
a debt of gratitude to both of
them," Mans said.
Mans, a 1962 graduate of the
University of Michigan and cap-
tain of the Wolverine football
team in his senior year, became
the third member of Schem-
bechler's staff to leave for a
head coaching job in the past 12
months. Mans follows the lead
of Jim Young, who directed the
football fortunes of Arizona this
past fall and Frank Maloney,
who recently assumed the head
job at Syracuse University.
Mans, an assistant at EMU
back in the mid-sixties, succeeds
Danny Boisture at the Ypsilanti
school. Boisture had vacated the
post earlier this month when he
accepted the head coaching job
with the fledgling Detroit WheelsI
of the World Football League.
MANS HAD helped Boisture
football p r o g r a m, Mans re-
sponded:
"The assistants are only as
good as the head coach. Bo is
a fine judge of coaches and I'm
sure he'll bring in some fine re-
placements. When other schools
reach into your program for
coaches, it's a definite reflection
on the head coach."
...
s coIts
I
i-=6
....
NBA
Capital 104, Seattle 100
Buffalo 122, Boston 104
KC-Oklahoma 85, Atlanta 76
Los Angeles 110, Milwaukee 10,"
NHL
Pittsburgh 4, Los Angeles 1
New York 4, Vancouver 2
Chicago 3, Minnesota 1
College Basketball
Maryland 77, Wake Forest 68
Marquette 61, Toledo 58
South Carolina 67, Pittsburgh 50
Wayne St. 75, Oakland U. 71
Rutgers 90, St. Bonaventure 85
West Va. 101, Manhattan 100, (2 ot)
Hope 78, Albion 76
Lake Superior St. 81, Mich. Tech 70
Clemson 74, Duke 68
Calvin 79, Alma 71, (2 ot)
Kalamazoo 107, Adrian 78
Virginia 84, Va. Techa70
Tenn. St. 60, UT-Chattanooga 50
George Mans
FLYING BRIDGE
RESTAURANT
Falmouth, Massachusetts
Summer Employment
STARTING MAY 8
Representatives will
be on campus
THURSDAY, MARCH 21
8:30 A.M. to 5 P.M.
OPENINGS:
Dishwashers-I8 plus
Line Cook-18 plus
Waiters-18 plus
Waitresses-] 8 plus
Bartenders-]8 plus
Register with
Summer Placement Office
763-4117
adnesday & Thursday, Feb. 27, 28 -
DIANA ROSS in
c/
'M' Basketball Statistics
N. M. Van Gelder
Neurological Sciences Group of the
G FG-FGA Pet. FT-FTA Pet. Rb. Av. A PPG
Russell
Kupec
22
22
196-424 46.2
130-274 41.4
110-140 78.6 10.4 82 22.8
44-65
67.8
12.3 70
13.8
11