a a THURSDAY, MARCH 9, 1972-THE SELMA TIMES-JOURNAL-11 Ohio State Turns Down NIT Invite But Trio Accepts NEW YORK (AP) Indiana, Missouri and Lafayette said yes, but Ohio State said no. The Buckeyes turned down an invitation to the National Invitation basketball Tournament Wednesday after the other three teams had accepted. Ohio State coach Fred Taylor said only that he had taken a vote of his players, and that it was as negative. The Buckeyes currently are second in the Big Ten race while Indiana is fourth. The addition of the three teams Wednesday brought the field to 11 and left five open berths in the 35-year-old post- starts March 17 at Madison Square Garden.
A few of the spots no doubt will be saved for teams in the Atlantic Coast Conference, which now is holding a playoff, and for the winner of the Missouri Valley Conference playoff game between Louisville and Memphis State Saturday. Indiana and Missouri will be making their first appearances in the nation's oldest postseason tournament. Lafayette will be in for the third time. Indiana has a 16-7 record and winds up the regular season Saturday against Purdue. Missouri, the Big Eight nerup, has a 20-5 record with a game remaining against Oklahoma Saturday night.
Coach Norm Stewart's club is led by 6-7 John Brown. Lafayette, a member of the Middle Atlantic Conference, last attended the NIT in 1956. In their first year under Coach Tom Davis, the Leopards won 20 of 25 games. Tonight Crimson Tide Cagers Host Georgia Quintet SAM EZELL Times Journal Sports Editor TUSCALOOSA Out of the Conference title picture but with an opportuni-4 ty to post the highest number of victories since the championship, team of 1956, the University of Alabama basketball team hosts dangerous Georgia tonight In the first of two home court season-ending dates. C.
M. Newton's Crimson Tide, winner of 16 games out of 24 to date, can surpass 17-win seasons of '59 and '65 by sweeping, this weekend's wrapup 1971-72 season, already the most successful in six campaigns. assists leader RAYMOND 'ODUMS On the heels of this evening's Memorial Coliseum date with Georgia--a team the Crimson Tide beat 99-91 in Athens on Feb. 14 -Alabama will close out the 71-72 season Saturday afternoon' in the SEC's regional teievision contest against Florida. The Gators beat Bama in Gainesville 79-77.
No 2 rebounder WENDELL HUDSON Alabama, very much in the SEC title chase after consecutive home court decisions over Tennessee in overtime and Kentucky after what appeared to be a damaging 111-91 loss at Vanderbilt, fell out of the picture last Saturday night by dropping an overtime decision to Mississippi State, 97-91. The Crimson Tide rebounded, however, to score a comeback victory over Ole Miss Monday night, 75-68, and will have the added advantage of an 11-0 home court record to carry to this evening's 8:00 (Selma time) tipoff. Alabama is third in the SEC behind Tennessee (14-3) and Kentucky (134), which play tonight for the SEC championship in Knoxville, with an mark and an overall record of 16-8. Georgia is tied for fourth in the SEC with Vanderbilt at 9-8 and is 14-11 overall after Tuesday night's 93-78 romp over Georgia Tech. Current SEC statistics show that Alabama is ranked.
No. 8 Starts at forward Strong off bench GLENN GARRETT PAUL ELLIS Bulls' Defense Shackles Hawks By THE ASSOCIATED The Chicago Bulls, who lead the National Basketball Association in defense, showed why Wednesday night--at least for half a game. The Bulls limited the Atlanta Hawks to 32 points in the first half-including just 12 in the second quarter- they raced to a an 18-point halftime lead, then staved off a second half Hawks rally: to win 98-96. In the only other game, Cincinnati whipped Phoenix 122-105. Dick Motta's stingy Chicago club has allowed an average of 102.9 points per game, the lowest figure in the NBA.
That detense has been a key to the Bulls' 52-22 record, third best in the league behind Milwaukee and Los Angeles. Chicago forward Chet Walker hit seven of eight field goal attempts in the first period, scorling 15 points and leading the Bulls to a 26-20 lead at the quarter. But Walker left the game early in the second period with a twisted ankle and did not return With Unique Feature Selma High Grid Slate For 1972 Is Announced By SAM EZELL Times-Journal Sports Editor Selma High athletic director and head football coach Skeebo Whitcomb announced Wednesday the Saints' 1972 varsity football schedule, with a unique feature no Montgomery opponents. Whitcomb, recently named to the top athletic post at Selma's public high school, said the '72 schedule would mark the first time in many years that Selma has not played a Montgomery team in football. There will be three new faces on the '72 schedule, plus seven returnees from the '71 lineup against which the Saints posted an overall 3-6-1 record after winning three out of its first four forward AL LEAPHEART Cougars Learn Just How Short Two Seconds Are By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS What difference does two seconds make? To the Carolina Cougars, who are battling the Floridians for the fourth and final playoff berth in the East Division of the American Basketball Association, two seconds might have meant a ball game.
contends Carolina general manager Carl Scheer, whose club lost an opportunity to move into a tie with the Floridians by dropping a 98-96 decision to the Kentucky Colonels Wednesday night. The Cougars, who trailed by as many as 20 points during the game, pulled within two points of the Colonels on a basket by George Carter with 34 seconds left, Kentucky then stalled for as long as it could, but Louie Dampier's snot missed the rim and the Colonels lost the ball on a 30-second violation. Carolina took over, but only two seconds showed on the clock. The Cougars couldn't get a shot off before the buzzer. After the game, Scheer announced he was filing a protest with the ABA commissioner's office, claiming that referee John Vanek had -changed the Cougars by two seconds, time which might have been enough to let them get off a tying- winning basket.
Scheer's contention was that since Kentucky took over the ball with 34 seconds to play, and lost the ball on a 30-second violation, the Cougars should have gotten possession with four seconds on the clock. Dan Issel had 27 points and Artis Gilmore 23 for Kentucky, while Stew Johnson 22 for Carolina. The loss left the Cougars a game back of the Floridians, who were beaten by Virginia 127-117. In the only other ABA game, Utah nipped Pittsburgh 114-113. The Floridians had the two high scorers but the Squires had the balance- and the balance won.
Larry Jones scored 34 points and Willie Long added 28 for the Floridians, but the Cougars had six players in double figures, led by Charlie Scott, who scored 27. Red Robbins tipped in a missed shot by Willie Wise at the buzzer to lift Utah past Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh's Bob Verga was the game's high scorer with 37 points. Verga sank a pair of free throws with six seconds left to put the Condors ahead 113-112, but Robbins' tap-in turned that around decisions. Newcomers all former opponents of Selma on the gridiron to the '72 schedule include Tuscaloosa, which will replace Bibb County High of Centreville Autauga County High of Prattville, filling the spot left vacant when local school officials chose not to renew its series with Robert E.
Lee of Montgomery, and Wetumpka, which moves into Central of Phenix City's slot on the seinedule. Back for another year are traditional rivals Demopolis, and Tuscaloosa County High of Northport and a recent newcomer to the Alabama prep scene, Vestavia of Birmingham. Benjamin Russell of Alexander Holt, Enterprise and W. Neal of Brewton complete the Saints' 1972 lineup. Whitcomb said the Saints would open the season Sept.
against Demopolis in Memorial Stadium and would close out the '72 grid season Nov. 3 against W. S. Neal, also in Memorial Stadium, The Wetumpka game, scheduled for Oct. 13, has been designated as homecoming at Selma High.
Other opponents the Saints' will meet in Memorial Stadium in the fall include Tuscaloosa, Sept. 22, and Holt, Oct. 20. James Street, Selma High principal, said that all home games would be played on Friday night at Memorial Stadium, with kickoff set for 7:30. Whitcomb recently was named head coach at Selma High, replacing Hub who had held the head football job for one season.
Whitcomb, a native of Selma and a graduate of Parrish (now Selma) High and Auburn University, is currently in the midst of spring football drills and has scheduled a scrimmage for Saturday. Last fall Selma High's football team got off to a flying start winning three of its first four decisions before a series of injuries and sickness began to take its toll. With almost an entire team on the way to or from or in the hospital, the Saints struggled home with only a tie to show in their last six Auburn Needs A Victory To Match Poorest In 21 OXFORD Auburn University closes out the 1971-72 ketball season here tonight against Ole Miss, the War Eagles' third consecutive road game, and will need to win to match the lowest victory total for an Auburn cage squad i in the last 21 years. Auburn will carry a 10-15 overall mark and 6-11 Southeastern Conference record against the Rebels who beat the War Eagles 69-65 in Auburn back on Jan. 3.
Not since the 9-14 run of 1948-49 has Auburn failed to win at least 11 games in a I basketball season. The Tigers have matched this total five times, and during one five-year period, from a 1959 through 1963, averaged 18 wins a year and won the SEC championship in '60. Tonight's contest, starting at 7:30 Selma time, will also mark ACC'S Second Season Begins At Greensboro GREENSBORO, N.C. (AP) The Atlantic Coast Conference, with three nationally ranked teams opened its three-day championship tournament today. The departure of South Carolina from the ACC ranks to play as an independent left the title undefended and sat up a three-game opening round instead of the customary four of the past.
The winner will represent the ACC in the semifinals of the NCAA Eastern Regional March 16 at Morgantown, W.Va. Ironically, it is possible that the ACC champion will do battle in the NCAA event with nationally ranked South Carolina. The ACC winner is paired at Morgantown with the winner of Saturday's South CarolinaTemple game, which will be played at Williamsburg, Va. Third-ranked North Carolina, a top 10 team all season under Coach Dean Smith, won regular season honors with a 9-3 league record and is 21-4 overall. Because of the seven-team structure, the Tar Heels got an unusual bonus for their No.
1 finish- a first round bye. Two afternoon games Thursday opened the tournament at the sold out Greensboro Coliseum, last March South Carolina edged North Carolina by a point in the dying seconds to win the title. Maryland rated 13th and Clemson started the excitement with No. 15 Virginia and Wake Forest following. The only night game of the first round has Duke playing North Carolina State.
North Carolina plays the Friday night opener against the State survivor and the other Thursday winners will follow. The title game is set for Saturday night. Maryland tied Virginia for second place at 84 by beating the Cavaliers 45-42 Saturday night and won second seeding in a draw Sunday. N.C. State and Duke, each 6-6 in the league, tied for fourth place and State won the seeded position in a draw.
Announces schedule. SHS' SKEEBO WHITCOMB outings, scoring but two touchdowns during this period. The complete 1972 Selma High varsity football schedule is as follows: Sept. 1 Demopolis, home Sept. 8 Tuscaloosa County High of Northport, there Sept.
15 Vestavia, there Sept. 22. Tuscaloosa, home Sept. 29 Autauga County High of Prattville, there Oct. 6 Benjamin Russell of Alexander City, there Oct.
13 home (HOMECOMING) Oct. 20 Holt, home Oct. 27 Enterprise, there Nov. 3 W. S.
Neal of Brewton, home in the league with a yield of 81.7 points per game, while Georgia is No. 4 in scoring with an average of 81.8 per game. Alabama tops the SEC in scoring with an average of 87.1 per contest. The Bulldogs' defense has given up 77.3 points per game. In 1956 Johnny Dee's "Rocket Eight" jetted to the SEC throne room on the strength of a 21-3 record (14-0 in the SEC).
Since this championship run, the best Crimson Tide cagers have been able to do was 17-8 in '58 as little Jack Kubiszyn broke most Alabama scoring records, and 17-9 in '65, the season Bob Andrews paced the Tide to a win over Kentucky. However, in the next 72 hours Alabama can run its victory total to the highest in 15 years and lay the ground work for a strong basketball future. Coach Newton is certain to stick to the same junior-dominated lineup he has gone with all season, with 6-8 center Alan House and 6-3 guard Jimmy Hollon the lone senior starters, in fact the only two of five senior squad members who ever see action. Juniors Glenn Garrett, 6-7, and Wendell Hudson, 6-6, will start at the forwards while the SEC leader in assists, Sophom*ore Ray Odum, 6-2, will open opposite Hollon at guard. Newton's two top subs, and as the five starters, are both juniors, 5-10 guard Paul Ellis forward Wendell ner.
Dale Dunn, a 6-9 sophom*ore, is the Tide's No. 8 man in playing time and will see duty anywhere in the front line. Georgia can be expected to counter with the SEC's No. 4 free throw shooter, John ley, and Gino Gianfrancesco, No. 4 in assists, at the guards, No.
4 scorer (Fraley is third) Ronnie Hogue and Dick Toth at the forwards and the SEC's No. 1 rebounder, Tim Bassett, at center. Fraley is averaging 20.6 points per game, Hogue is shooting 20.4 per outing, and Bassett has claimed 13.3 rebounds per game, .1 more than Alabama's Hudson is currently No. 2. Bratkowski Joins Bears' Grid Staff -CHICAGO (AP) Zeke Bratkowski, who made a career of being Bart Starr's backup quarterback at Green Bay, has joined the Chicago Bears' coaching staff.
Head Coach Abe Gibron announced Wednesday the signing of Bratkowski, who will "handle the passing game" and will be in charge of quarterbacks and receivers. Bratkowski, 40, is a native of Danville, and former Georgia star. He was the Bears' No. 2 draft choice in 1953 and played five seasons with Chicago. Since 1963 he has been with Green Bay.
Exhibition Baseball Wednesday's Results New York (N.) 4, Detroit 3, 12 innings Texas 6, New York (A.) 2 Minnesota 7, Pittsburgh 3 Chicago (A.) 11, Boston 7, 14 innings San Francisco 10, Chicago (N.) 8 Only games scheduled the final college game for two Auburn players, Henry Harris and Al Leaphart, lone seniors on the 1971-72 squad. While Auburn will be coming off back to back defeats' at the hands of the SEC's one-two teams, Tennessee and Kentucky, Ole Miss has gained a split in two home games, blasting LSU before blowing a big lead to fall to a rallying Alabama. Harris and Leapheart have been Auburn's most consistent performers all season, with Harturning in perhaps his best game against Tennessee before fouling out late with the Tigers ahead. With Harris on the bench, the Vols rallied for an 80-70 win. Harris, leading the Tigers in assists with 69, has averaged 11.5 points per game despite playing with a painful knee injury for the past month.
The 6-3 Boligee native is second only to Leapheart in free throw percentage and has hit 43 per cent of his field goal attempts. He is also No. 2 on the team in rehounds with an average of 6.1 per game. Leapheart, a 6-10 Lithonia. Ga.
native. is Auburn's leading free throw shooter with a .743 percentage and is second. in shooting accuracy from field with a 59 per cent figure. He has averaged 8.3 points per game. Coach Bill Lynn, reported in some quarters to be on the -ropes at Auburn, will likely open with Harris, the Tigers' captain, at one guard and heart at center.
Mike Christian, 6-1 Danville, Ind. sophom*ore, will open at the other, guard and Jim Retseck, Michigan City, Ind. junior will be at one forward. Dan Kirkland, 6-4 Columbus. Ga.
junior or Brent Sutton, 6-5 Spring- field, 0. sophom*ore, will draw the other starting job. Christian is averaging 8.3 points per game, Retseck leads the way with a 16.6 average and is also the top rebounder with nine grabs per game. Kirkland has a 13.3 scoring average, and Sutton, who has started the Tigers' last two games, is 1.4 on the season. Albert Johnson, transfer stud-1 ent from Alabama Christian College who prepped at Carver of Birmingham, came off the bench Monday night against Kentucky and had eight points and nine rebounds.
The talented 6-7 junior is the leading field goal shooter for the Tigers, hitting 62 per cent of his shots, and has averaged 4.6 points and 3.6 rebounds in his limited playing time. Ole Miss, 12-12 overall and 7- At guard HENRY HARRIS 10 in the SEC, have already improved on the 11-15 and 6-12 marks of last season despite the loss of national scoring leader Johnny Neumann to the professional ranks. Ole Miss' starting lineup will likely be Fred Cox at center, Duaine Bouncher and Coolidge Ball at the forwards and Dave Rhodes, the SECs top free throw shooter, and Tom Jordan at the guards. Big Ten Vote 8-0 For Suspension CHICAGO (AP) In a unanimous vote, the Big Ten Athletic Conference Wednesday refused to lift the suspension of two Minnesota basketball players. Ron Behagen and Corky Taylor, a pair of 6-9 Gophers, were suspended for the season by Big Ten Commissioner Wayne Duke for their part in the Jan.
25 brawl between Minnesota and Ohio State players. With Ohio State and Minnesota abstaining in the voting, Big Ten faculty representatives voted 8-0 against reinstating the players after spending three days studying transcripts, viewing evidence and hearing Behagen and Taylor. Minnesota, winning seven of its last nine games without the services of Behagen, a starter, Taylor, the team's No. 1 reserve, marched to the Big Ten basketball championship with a final 49-48 8 victory at Purdue Tuesday night. The faculty representatives concluded that the conduct of Behagan and Taylor, both of whom attacked Ohio State's Luke Witte, was and in violation of conferI ence standards." Vols, Wildcats Clash Tonight; Winner Takes SEC Cage Crown The Bulls responded by putting the lid on the Atlanta basThe Hawks could manage only 12 points in the second period and trailed 50-32 at the half, That margin was just barely enough in the second half, as Lou Hudson sparked Hawk rally.
A layup by Hudson with seven seconds left lifted the Hawks to within 97-96. But a free throw by Jerry Sloan with two seconds left made the margin two points, and Atlanta's Jim Washington missed a jumper at the final buzzer. Hudson led all scorers with 33 points while forward Bob Love topped Chicago with 28. Cincinnati outscored Phoenix 42-21 in the final period and moved within four games of Atlanta in 'the battle for second place and a playoff berth-in the NBA's Central Division. Rookie John Mengelt, who scored 27 points, hit 13 in the fourth quarter Royals rally.
Cincinnati's Nate Archibald was the game's high scorer with 35 points. Neal Walk high for Phoenix with 18 By ESCAR THOMPSON Associated Press Writer KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP Perennial champion Kentucky and Tennessee clash Thursday night for the Southeastern Conference basketball crown and a spot in the NCAA playoffs. Tennessee, with a 14-3 league record, already has clinched a share of the title. A victory by the Volunteers would give them the SEC championship and a berth in the NCAA mideast regionals at Dayton, Ohio, March 16.
Kentucky has a 13-4 SEC mark and a triumph would make the Wildcats co-champions and send them to the NCAA playoffs because of two regular conquests of the Vols. Kentucky, edged Tennessee earlier in the year. Aside from the championship the takes on added draand NCAA, tournament angles, ma because it may be the last regular season contest for Kentucky coach Adolph Rupp. The wily Wildcat mentor, has reached Kentucky's mandatory retirement age of 70. However, a campaign is under way in the Blue Grass State to keep him on the job indefinitely.
Winningest coach in the history of college basketball, the Baron of the Bluegrass has compiled an 872-189 record in 42 years of coaching since graduating from the University of Kansas, putting the South in general and Kentucky in particular on the national basketball map. In any event, the shootout is not likely to be the Baron's last as Kentucky coach because the Wildcats are likely to be invited to the National Invitational Tournament in New York should they lose to Tennessee. This will be the second time Kentucky and Tennessee have met in the season finale for the SEC title. The first meeting was in 1964 and the Wildcats prevailed, 42-38. Kentucky has won the conference crown 23 times and shared it on three occasions.
Tennessee has won it four times. "If all our boys are healthy we ought to give Kentucky a good game," said Vol coach Ray Mears. This was a reference to the fact that four Vols have been on the ailing list since Monday with a viral infection. They are Capt. Lloyd Richardson, Larry Robinson, Eddie Voelker and Wayne Tomlinson.
Mears canceled Tuesday's scheduled workout because of the players' illness. "We're counting on them being ready Thursday night," he added. Depending on the progress of the viral infection, Mears' lineup tonight should have 7-0 sophom*ore Len Kosmalski at center, Robinson and Richardson at the forwards and Mike Edwards aid John Snow at the guards. Kosmalski, called by Rupp one of the best sophom*ores he has ever seen, is averaging 19.3 points per game while Edwards, the most consistent of all the Vols, is doing even better at 19.6 per game. Rupp's starters will be Jim Andrews at center, Tom Parker and Larry Stamper at the forwards and Ronnie Lyons and Stan Key at the guards.
Andrews, rated the SEC's best big man, has the credentials to support those claims. The 6-11 pivot is the No. 2 scorer in the SEC behind Florida's Tony Miller, averaging 21.9 points per game. He tops the SEC in field goals, 216, and total points, 548. He is also No.
3 in field goal accuracy, hitting 58 per cent of his shots, and No. 5 in rebounds with an average of 11.2 per game..
