Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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UCLA (Continued from Page 1) Rojas, and the sophs, Marc Palmer and Brian Heublin. It's a shame that the Bruins and the Trojans can't meet in the national title game because that's the way it should have been last season and it looks like a repeat this time around. Bibby returns to Coach John Wooden but he won't be the big man. The soph is king around UCLA this year, one of the reasons the Bruins won't win the national title, or Maryland. Marquette's Al McGuire put it aptley. "You don't win national titles with sophomores unless they are the Alcindor Lew, now Kareem Jabbar type." That leaves a little room for Wooden and for Lefty Driesell at Maryland. Both have sophs they think can be the next Alcindor. The man at UCLA is skinny, red haired 6-11 Bill Walton. Walton led the Bruins, who along with Maryland claimed the- top frosh teams in the nation, to a fabulous freshman year, despite a relatively 'low' 18.1 scoring mark. But, he hit 68.3 per cent from the floor. But the unbeaten freshman hit for 104.7 points a game so someone had to be scoring. Enter, stage right, Keith Wilkes, a 20 point per game shooter last season, 6-4 guard Greg Lee, Gary Franklin, Vince Carson and Harry Babcock. And varsity redshirt Larry Far mer, the top freshman two years ago along with other redshirts Swen Nater, 6-10, and guards Tommy Curtis, Marvin Vitatoe and Bob Webb will be available. And Wooden, like Driesell, has lined up a patsy schedule until his boys can get accustomed to the big time. It might be the right start toward a sixth straight national title. Coach Frank McGuire may have gotten out of the ACC just in time. As tough as Maryland seems to be they probably won't make it into the NCAA playoffs, unless they upset NORTH CAROLINA in the 'russian-roulette' tourney that is held at the end of the season to line the money ecffers. The Tar Heels, defending NIT champs, are loaded to the gills. The five on the court will be im pressive, but, as was the case last season, Dean Smith can go to his bench without losing a iota of talent. Four talented starters return from last season's 26-6 team that was beaten by one-point in the finals of the ACC tournament. Add several reserves and some gifted newcomers and you have national title material. Only 6-10 Lee Dedmond is gone. Back come na tional leader in field goal percentage, Dennis Wuyclk, All-ACC, Bill Chamberlain, the NIT's Most Valuable Player and guardis George Karl, second-team all-conference, and Steve Previs, a hustling go-get-em defensive star. The loss of Dedmond should be easily filled with the likes of 6-9 Bobby Jones up from the freshman North Carol picked THE GAMECOCK PRE 1. UCLA 2. Southern California X 3. North Carolina 4. Ohio State 5. Maryland X.:-06. Kansas 7. Jacksonville 8. Michigan 9 Marquette 10. USC All-America junior college player at Vincinnes. If Smith can get McAdoo to blend into his style of unselfish teamwork and Wuycik is fully recovered from torn knee ligaments then the rest of the ACC, including Drisell, may be playing for second place. For depth Smith can call on Kim Huband, Donn Johnson, Craig Corson and soph John O'Donnell. Smith, picked to finish back in the ACC last season, says, "We've lost the element of surprise." He may not need it. OHIO STATE AND Michigan should really have a ding-dong of a battle in the Big 10, where Ohio State ruled last season. The Buckeyes may make OSU fans forget about not beating the Wolverines in football. Fred Taylor returns for his 14th year as head coach and he has 7 footer Luke Whitt, and guard Allan Hornyak back from the team that snapped Marquette's win string and fought Western Kentucky to the wire in the NCAA's Mid-East regionals. Waddell Jackson, a 6-7 soph, is the top newcomer. McMillen is the big gun at MARYLAND but there are others. Returnees Jim O'Brien, Howard White, Sparky Still, Charlie Blank and Bob Bodell should see action Mast UCLA's John Woodenr ina, Marylam to win SEASON TOP TWENTY 11. Long Beach State 12. Villanova 13. Kentucky 14. Houston 15. St. John's 16. Florida State 17. Pennslyvania 18. Brigham Young 19. St. Bonaventure 20. Harvard . . . . . . . . . . . . with O'Brien and White playing plenty. Sophs Len Elmore, Mark Cartwright, Jap Trimble and Rich Porac make Drisell smile with anticipation. And Driesell did his job, lining up one of the weakest schedules in the nation over the first month of action, plenty of time for the sophs to get meshed. All-America candidate Bud Stallworth will make another contender out of KANSAS, despite the loss of Dave Robisch and Roger Brown. Aubrey Nash and 6-9 Randy Canfield may help Ted Owens' forget about his losses. With 7-2 Artis Gilmore gone it seems that JACKSONVILLE should sink lower than the NCAA playoff squad that lost to a fan-, tastic Western Kentucky comeback last season. Not the case. Harold Fox, the only prep player to ever be named all Washington D. C. three years running, heads the team that also boasts Ernie Fleming and two ex Miami stars, Kevin O'Riordan and Bob Nylin. Also JC All-America Abe Stewart is ready for use. New York bred Henry Wilmore is the big gun for MICHIGAN. He's already being compared to former Wolverine Cazzie Russell. 3rmind at wo lots strategy en route to natilot I head ACC . sixth s Michigan also has 6-10 Ken Brady and 6-6 Wayne Grabiec. "I expect us to be pretty good," Coach Johnny Orr said. "Ohio State has to be the favorite but nobody can count us out." MARQUETTE has one of the top big men in the nation in Jim Chones.Allie McGuire also gives his father, head coach Al, a potent outside weapon. The only problem may be depth. USC is full of that ingredient. Frank McGuire's main problem is finding enough playing time to keep everyone happy and func tioning to full capability. Joining Tom Riker in the forecourt is 7-0 Danny Traylor, who failed to get as much playing time as he needed last season but who has looked good in preseason drills for the Gamecocks. Co captains Bob Carver and Rick Aydlett are back with 6-3 swingman Kevin Joyce and soph hopefuls Brian Winters, Ed Peterson and Rick Mousa available. LONG BEACH STATE lost to UCLA by two points last season and should be able to improve on the overall record. All-America candidate Ed Ratleff is the big gun that also features 6-6 Chuck Terry, former JC Player of the Year in California. Those people that think VILLANOVA has had it since losing Howard Porter had better take another look. Hank Siemiontkowski will bring looks of sorrow to both defensive players and sports writers. Siemion tkowski had a tremendous NCAA tourney and should get the ball plenty from the pin-point passing of Chris Ford. Tom Inglesby also returns and Ed Hastings looms as the best newcomer. KENTUCKY'S Baron Adolph Rupp, the kingpin of college coaching, likes his chances in the Southeast Conference race. "I ial title last season. traight think our chances are as good or better than last year," Rupp said. Six-Eleven Jim Andrews and 6-7 All-SEC performer Tom Parker are the big guns. Things look rosey for Guy Lewis at HOUSTON, whose biggest problem may be finding more red polka-dot towels to cry into. Leaping Dwight Davis, nicknamed Double Danger, heads an im pressive cast that also has 6-7 Steve Newsome and 6-4 Jerry Ronney back. Sophomore Mel Davis and eight others are back from last year's NIT ST. JOHN'S squad. Davis, 6-7, averaged 20.7 points a game and 17.8 rebounds. Bill Schaffer, Greg Cluess and Bill Phillipo are also available to Coach Frank Mulzoff, who has a problem in what to do with 6-11 newcomer Bill Bozeat. Four starters are back from FLORIDIA STATE'S 17-9 team of last season as the Seminoles lock to get back into NCAA playoffs after three years of probation for illegal recruiting practices. The four will be joined by a pair of hot-shot sophs, 6-11 Lawrence McCray who had 22.2 rebounds a game and 18.6 points for yearlings and 6-2 Otis Cole who scored at a 23.3 rate. Back are 6-10 Reggie Royals, Ron King a 22.7 shooter, 6 6 Rowland Garrett and 5-7 playmaker Otto Perry. BRIGHAM YOUNG returns 6-11 Yugoslavian Kresimir Cosic and that is a good starting point. Also transfer guard Bernie Fryer and Jay Bunker lend helping hands. BYU also gets 7-0 rising soph Steve Lackey and several other talented newcomers. ST. BONAVENTURE finished third in the NIT last season posting a 21-6 record. And that was sup posed to be a season of rebuilding. And Matt Gantt, a 6-5 super leaper, missed several games with a heart infection. Gantt is back and Coach Larry Weise also has sophomore Glenn Price who hit at a 28.0 clip as a frosh. Add 6-4 Carl Jackson and the forecourt is strong. Rick Murray, a 6-2 soph, and Paul Hoffman, a 15.4 shooter last year, should get the nod in the back court. PENN showed everyone last season that the Ivy League plays good basketball. This season, however, it'll be HARVARD, who won 11 of last 13 last season. James Brown heads the backcourt and Floyd Lewis the front line. Also, there is 6-7 high school All America Tony Jenkins to go with Lewis and Brown, who were also prep All-Americas. And another All-America winner, 6-1 Jim Fitzsimomons, will be ready after a year's ineligibility. The final four in the NCAA tourney could be any one of the twenty mentioned or it could be a darkhorse like Jacksonville was two years ago. Others that have outside chances may be Utah State, New Mexico State, Oklahoma. Colorado. Tennessee. N: C., State, Princeton, and vnigimaL. But the best bets are the top five teams. The Southern Cal-UCLA survivor seems to have the best shot although, as has been proven, anything can happen in tour nament play.