European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - March 20, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse Monday March 20,1989 the stars and stripes Page 25 commentary cutting a spectacle Down to size the Mcaa tournament got Down to the Sweet sixteen sunday a More manageable size and about the number of teams that had a realistic Chance to win the thing when College basketball Smarch madness began with 64 schools last thurs Day. Thirty conference champions running the spec Trum or College athletics from heavyweights like the Atlantic coast big East and big ten to half pints like the association of mid continent universities the trans America athletic and the mid Eastern athletic get automatic invitations to this show. That sometimes creates lopsided pairings especially in the first round. As Ivy league Champion Princeton prepared for its tournament opener with no. 2 Georgetown coach Pete Carris considered the Challenge an termed the matchup an example of his titanic theory. "1 mean he said in that whole big Ocean it was just the Luck of the draw that the ship and the ice found each As it turned the collision nearly sunk Georgetown which escaped with a one Point Victory. Princeton had plenty of company in the David division of this tournament of Goliath a. Other Auto Matic qualifiers included first timers like Mcneese state George Mason Siena and South Carolina state. Also headed for the big dance for at least one Waltz were Southwest Missouri state South Ala Bama and Southern As Well As Middle Tennessee slate. East Tennessee state Bucknell and Robert Morris which is a school not a player. The question then is whether the 64-Tcam inca tournament Ocean has too Many rowboats sailing around appealing Little targets for those great big icebergs. I be never liked 64 at All said John wooden who won 10 championships in 12 years with Urcla. Those Little schools have a very Small Chance of winning even one game. They be got a team my a Csc stale with 13 losses in there. In the past they be had teams that lost More than that. My 10 championship teams lost 10 games total. I Don t like letting five and six teams from a conference in. You play All season to see who the Best team is. That ought to mean something. The they bring in fifth and sixth place teams. It you let 64 in you ought to let them All wooden Means it. He has proposed a tournament that would include All division i teams who arc not on probation. It is a share the wealth plan that would parcel proceeds of this Rich event to All Eligi ble schools instead of just the Lucky 64. You Cut the season Back one week to get the time he said. In one weekend you d be Down to 64. All the Money generated would be divided int shares so that every school got one share for each game it based on the Money distributed in last year s tournament. Wooden said his formula would give half of the competing schools those eliminated after on game $51,000. If they played two games they d get twice that National Champion Kansas would have gotten $300,000, Oklahoma $250,000 and the other semifinalists $200,000 the existing plan pays All final four teams More than $1.25 million. Some of the Small schools could use that $51,000better than the big ones use that million wooden said. An invitation to the tournament is an automatic $250,000 payoff for first round losers. So the smaller schools Are More than Happy to join the party even if it Means an almost certain Early exit. And Ever now and then one Oblong shots a pings a Surprise. Indiana s 1987 National championship was sandwiched around first round Wip couts by lightly regarded Cleveland state three years ago and Rich mond last year. The same year that Cleveland state took out Indiana 14th-secded Arkansas Little Rock Kayoud no. 3 seed notre Dame. Upsets like that Are Why some observers like sex coach and current broadcaster Dick Vitale endorse the 64-team Field. It s not too Many Vitale said. It s a Good num Ber. It Means you be got to win six games. There Are no byes. In essence it s open to everyone. You have one shot to play and get in. An idealist might argue that it should be restricted to league champions. But this is the real world and 64 is Here to Vitale said the crowded Field used to bother him but that he has changed his View of it. I think 64 makes the end of the year More meaningful he said. Will you get the Quarter million it creates excitement. It lets the Mississippi Valley states Challenge the Dukes. It gives the Little Guys Hope a that dream was exactly what lightweight Lehigh Rode into the tournament in 1985. Coach Tom Schneider s team was 12-18 during the regular sea son but won the East coast tournament and an Auto Matic berth against Georgetown the defending National champions. The result was predictable Georgetown 68, la High 43. Schneider was t complaining though. It was the first time in the school s history that it got into the tournament and it was a great experience far the kids he said. Two years later Schneider took a 13-13 Penn team to the Ivy title and a first round tournament assignment against North Carolina. We were competitive for a he said. It was a one Point game at final score North Carolina 113, Penn 82. You Hope a Blowout does t Schneider said. But i still feel that getting a Chance like that epitomizes College As an example Schneider cited something Don Henderson Lehigh s 6-foot-6 Center said As the youngster prepared to match up with Georgetown s 7-foot Patrick Ewing. He was an accounting major and i remember him saying that Down the Road he d get a Job some place and make his $40,000, but he could always go to Aba games and know that he once played against Ewing. That s what College athletics is All about. It gives kids the Opportunity to achieve the most they can. To be student athletes. And at tournament time they can do that regard less of whether they go to a Goliath sized school or a David. The Alto Clatl Prtini top ranked lady vols Roll into regional semis by the associated press Bridgell Gordon had 29 Points and Daydra Charles added 18 to Lead top ranked Tennessee to a91-61 Victory Over la Salle saturday in the second round of the Mcaa women s East regional. The lady volunteers struggled for the first 12 min utes but took a 22-21 Lead with 7 27 left in the half and never again led 39-28 at half time and extended the margin to As much As 33 Points. Vols coach Pat sum Mill said the Victory was t As easy As i looked. I thought in the first half it was obvious that we had had Days off Summitt said. We were Rusty. Our defense was not like i wanted it. Give credit to la Salle. They bldg tote Gordon had Good Ball movement and they set Good Tracy in cd with 27 Points was the Only double digit scorer for 18th-Rankcd la Salle. Explorers coach John Miller said his team did thave the stamina to stay with Tennessee. I really Don t think there was anything else we could have done against Tennessee he said. If we played them tomorrow we d play the same game plan. They do Wear people Down. They would be my pick for winning the National championship Miller said. Tennessee faces the Winner of sunday s Virginia West Virginia game in the regional semifinals thurs Day at Bowling Green by. Mideast North Carolina state 75, Rutgers 73 Sharon Manning hit two free throws with is seconds left to give North Carolina state the Victory after women s Mcaa Rutgers overcame an 11-Point deficit. The Wolf pack 24-6, led 43-32 at halftime and 71-60 with 6 25 left before Rutgers tied the game with a 13-2 run Clicher Austin scored five Points in the run an Missy Lender hit both ends of a 1-and-l to tic the score at 73 with 1 38 left. Lender led the Scarlet knights 24-7, with 18 Points and Austin and Tanya Hansen added 12 Points each. Clemson 78, Georgia 65 Ramona o Neal scored eight of her 24 Points during a late 13-6 run As Clemson advanced by beating Georgia. Louise Greenwood added 19 for Clemson which avenged a 96-75 loss to Georgia during the regular season. Tammye Jenkins led Georgia 23-7, with 16 Points and 11 rebounds. West Marlund 78, bottling Green 65 Vicky bulled scored 29 Points As top seeded Mary land dumped Bowling Green. The terrapins won their 19th straight game to improve to 27-2 while snapping the Falcons 20-game winning Streak. Jackie Motycka paced the Falcons 27-4, with 16points. Stephen f. Austin 73, Washington 63 Portia Hill scored 29 Points and grabbed 16 re Bounds to Lead Stephen f. Austin past Washington. The lady jacks 30-3, will face Maryland in a Region Al semifinal thursday in Austin Texas. Connie Cole added 20 Points and 11 rebounds for the lady jacks who led 38-30 at the half and never allowed the huskies 23-10, to get closer than 10 Points in the final 20 minutes. Yvette Cole and Karen Deden led Washington with 18 Points and Amy Mickelson added 10. Texas 83, Montana 54vicki Hall scored 21 Points As Texas won its 23rd straight game and ended Montana s 22-Gamc winning Streak. The longhorns 26-4, will Host the West regional semifinals next weekend. Clarissa Davis Texas leading scorer was held to 14 Points almost 13 under her aver age. Johnna Pointer added 18 Points for the longhorns. Jean Mcnulty scored 14 Points for Montana 27-4. Nevada Las vegas 84, Colorado 74 Pauline Jordan scored 22 Points and grabbed 17 rebounds As Nevada Las vegas snapped Colorado s 20amc winning lady rebels 27-6, will meet Texas in a regional semifinal thursday at at Austin. blocked 10 shots in the first half Bridget Turner led the lady Butts with 17 Points. Midwest Stanford 105, Illinois stale 77 Katy St Ding scored 24 Points As Stanford routed Illinois Azzi added 19 Points for Stanford 27-2, while Trisha Stevens added 15 and Sonja helming a Devon Asforis each contributed lapoints. Cindy Kaufmann scored 20 Points for Illinois slate,23-8. Iowa 77, Tennessee tech 75shanda Berry scored 18 Points and Katie Abraham son came off the Bench to add a career High 16 As Iowa staved tech s last minute rally. Tennessee tech which beat no. 17 South Carolina in the first round Cut Iowa s 12-Point Lead to two in the last 55 seconds but missed a Chance to tic when Dana Scott s off balance shot hit the rim and bounced away As time Brown led Tennessee tech 22-8, with 30 Law scored 10 Points for Iowa 27-4, which won its 41st consecutive Home Hawk eyes meet Stanford thursday at Ruston la
