Basketball's Week

The game was the same but many of the faces were new as the college basketball season exploded with a roar that left some of the nation's most stalwart contenders for national honors shaken and gasping for breath. Kentucky, Louisville, North Carolina State, St. John's, Kansas State and Marquette were among those who stumbled—and there will be others in the weeks ahead.

THE EAST

Long-suffering New York fans, handed a glimmer of hope when St. John's won the NIT last March, got another lift, this time from NYU (see page 46). Coach Lou Rossini's resourceful Violets ran with Marquette's rapid pass-flickers and finally beat the Hilltoppers 70-69 on Al Filardi's hook shot with 45 seconds to play. Although beaten off the boards by Marquette's Don Kojis (who scored 31 points) and Walt Mangham, leapers extraordinary, NYU's Tom Sanders pushed in 22 points and kept the Violets together. Two nights later, the ambitious Sanders again took charge with 21 points and NYU whipped Georgetown 70-48.

However, jittery St. John's blew a 13-point half-time lead and lost to St. Louis 76-67. The Redmen panicked when St. Louis hit them with a full-court press and not even superb Jump-shooter Tony Jackson's 21 points could bail them out.

Meanwhile, Navy, Villanova, Seton Hall, St. Joseph's, Manhattan and Dartmouth, all highly regarded in the East, got by early tests.

THE SOUTH

Georgia Tech, prematurely written off as a contender, suddenly raised eyebrows in the Southeastern Conference. Warming up against nonleague foes, Coach John (Whack) Hyder's Yellow Jackets first startled Duke 59-49, then manhandled Furman 91-63 and ended a fruitful week by downing high-rated Louisville 68-56 on the sharpshooting of Roger Kaiser. Not even Hyder was sure just how far Tech would go, but it might be far enough to cause all sorts of fits in the SEC.

While Kentucky was off learning the facts of life in the West (see page 12), defending champion Mississippi State scored over Southwest Louisiana 83-65 and Troy State 66-50. Auburn lost to the Phillips Oilers 73-65 in overtime; Vanderbilt bowed to Minnesota 72-59.

North Carolina, bursting with talent, hardly missed academically ailing Doug Moe and physically ailing Dick Kepley as it smothered South Carolina 93-56 in an Atlantic Coast opener. Bulky Lee Shaffer led the surge with 25 points and had help from Ray Stanley, York Larese and Harvey Salz. Duke recovered from its Georgia Tech stumble, beat Clemson 68-59; Wake Forest, getting board control from sophomores Billy Packer and Len Chappell, outhustled North Carolina State 73-59.

With deadpan All-America Jerry West sweeping the boards clean, leading the fast break, driving, playmaking, blocking shots and doing the things that come so naturally to him, West Virginia rolled over Tennessee 93-78, The Citadel 98-76 and Furman 96-63 and stretched its Southern Conference streak to 52 straight. William & Mary started almost as fast, beating Virginia 82-70, VMI 79-78 and Tennessee 77-71 while Virginia Tech's sophomores of last year, grown to maturity, beat George Washington 75-52.