University of South Carolina Libraries
?r I By MATT VVAKI) Gamecock Staff Writer As collegiate football comes to an end, the only thing still undecided is what teams will go to what bowls and which team will finish as the best in the nation. But collegiate basketball is approaching, and once again the Gamecock sports staff, along with Carolina basketball coaches Frank McGuire and Ben Jobe, have selected the top 20 teams for the 1977-78 season. Last year the Gamecock poll correctly predicted Marquette would win the NCAA title with North Carolina in the runner-up spot. THIS YEAR'S number one choice is Kentucky. The Wildcats, who received 213 points with six firct.nlapo i/nloc r?fnrr? fill nf Ihnii O starters, with the exception of guard Larry Johnson. Returning for the Wildcats will be 6-10 seniors Hick Hobey and Mike Phillips. Robey and Phillips will provide the necessary rebounding if the outside shooting suffers. This appears unlikely because Kentucky lias two of the best outside shooters in Jackie Givens and Kyle Macy, a transfer from Purdue. To make things even worse for the opposition this year, "[tennis! BALLS CHEAP Why waste time and effort searching for balls on sale? Jeff / ^ Price Tennis. Millwood Avenue 1 and New Shop, || Boozer Shopping I Center always has a I top grade ball for | only 1 $ O "1 Ch per I Immm # ^ uttii Play with the best such as Wilson, ProPenn, Dunlop, Tretorn, and Slazenger. Limit 4 cans mis oner win continue in- I definitely. No need 1 to stock up. 1 OUR I I BALLS I ARE | IFKESH and cheap too! S^rrrxrxTTC ;'?j 3127 Millwood Shopping B C*nt?r Kentucky the Wildcats appear to have solidified themselves in every position. As Street and Smith said in its annual basketball magazine, "Look for Kentucky to be close when the NCAA trophy is handed out in March." RIGHT KKIIIND the Wildcats are the Tar Heels of North Carolina with 206 points and five first place votes. North Carolina came within one game of winning the national cnampionsnip, even with most of its experienced players injured in 1977. The Tar Heels were helped enormously by their freshman and sophomores, most notably Mike O'Koren and Rich Yonakor. With the kind of poise they showed in the ACC and NCAA tournaments, one can only believe UNC will try for the national title this year. And to make things even worse for its opponents, Dean Smith has All-America guard Phil Ford for one more year. THEItK CAN only be sadness when a team which wins the national championship loses a coach with the flair of A1 McGuire. However, Marquette, this year's number three pick, will have the services of All-America guard Butch Lee and center Jerome Whitehead. Replacing McGuire as head coach is Hank Raymonds. Although the Warriors were not invincible, losing seven games during the regular season, they showed their ability to win the big games when they defeated three North Carolina schools during the NCAA tournament. But with McGuire gone it will be interesting C.> see if Raymonds &in get the most out of the Warriors the way McGuire did. TIIF Nt'MBEH four position is held by the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame. For head coach Digger 8 You A r WIN1 December 2 Q Y\ W-> f o paii. ji Invitations w\ j in Rm. 209 o, presented at t .. *i ..I.* L inwiaiion c Wine and ch: Go Spor< rrs /r* / +r/tr*'rf*r-<rrsr/'S*Wrf-<r/'<'r r ^yr mecock top 20 poll ? f picked nui the NC return center 1 TOP TWENTY IN COLLEGIATE WinfOH BASKETBALL lor 1977 78 season of talk f 1. Kentucky (6) 313 7. North Carolina (5) 206 all thcil 3. Marquette 173 and Srr 4. Notre Dame 170 "Thn 5. San Francisco (1) 169 1 nc 6. UCLA 144 South ] 7. Minnesota 140 UCLA 8. Michigan 117 . 9. Cincinnati 103 redhot 10. Louisville 97 finishec " ?ukLe c , To Interna 12. Wake Forest 79 ., ? 13. Purdue 78 the Doi 14. Mai viand 77 (head 15. Nevada at Las Vegas 73 wnrlc t 16. Alabama 63 . 17. Arkansas 62 right II 18. Syracuse *7 top tea 19. Providence 41 FOI 1 20. St. Jolin's *0 . , in the s formei basketl Phelps, this may be the year the Head c insn mane me nnai lour in tne iasiye< NCAA tournament. Phelps had an John above average recruiting year, Cunnin and according to Street and Smith, season the Irish recruits ranked second in collegi the nation to Ohio State. Notre Marqu< Dame, the lop rebounding team in temptii the national last year, lost Toby Pacific Knifjhi till! Hui/n Rntfnn an/i imrxrnti ? ? i I ig-,11 v , MUV l^UHUII UtIU UI Ut C IIUJ/IV* Flowers will return. Also retur- playerj ning will be center Bill Laimbeer, junior who sat out the last year and a half guards with academic troubles. Townsc Phelps was fortunate in signing IUGI 1/nllir tvtlminbn ama ik/v ivv.ii j a i ipuvivu, unc ui uic ucdi annuls: high school players in the nation has g last last year. In the backcourt will becaus be senior Duck Williams and Rich cerninj Branning a sophomore who showed Micha? a lot of talent and poise as a fresh- will de< man. soon T IN THE NUMBER FIVE SPOT probat are the Dons of San Francisco who portan received one first place vote and line-up 169 points. The Dons were the talk meet tl of collegiate basketball last year Thomp when they won 29 straight games rely uj before being defeated by Notre their p Dame and Nevada-Las Vegas in depth ? e Cordially Invited to ANNUAL m~nr? HAmr I JiiKT UK1V1 Russe Ba' ,11 be available on JSIovt f Russell House. These 'he door. Come by and because attendance is li ampagne will be served IHpn Snnr T,ivp htinrl 1VIV11 VAX X-JX f vy MU?I1U? moved by Special Programs fiber 1 \A. tournament. USF will two possible All-Americas, 3ill Cartwright and forward i Boynes. There was plenty rom San Francisco's critics ; Dons were not as good as * victories last year. Street lith thought differently. Dons lost to Notre Dame in Send, a place where even regularly loses, and to a Las Vegas team which 1 third in the NCAA finals. 1 problems likely hampered is more than anything. If coach) Bob Gaillard can hose out, USF should be i there among the nation's ms." .OWING SAN FRANCISCO ixth position is the nation's king of collegiate >all, the UCLA Bruins, oach Gene Bartow resiened ir and was replaced with exWooden assistant Gary gham. UCLA, playing this without last year's ate player of the year js Johnson, will be atig to win their 12th stragith Eight title in a vastly ed conference. Returning ? for the Bruins will be David Greenwood and Hoy Hamilton and Hay ;nd. IT BKIIIM) UCLA are the ota Gophers. Minnesota Dtten a lot of publicity e of the controversy con? the eligibility of center ;1 Thompson. The NCAA :*ide within a few weeks how hompson will be taken off ion. It is extremely im[ that Thompson is in the for the Gophers when they leir Big Ten rivals. Without son the Gophers will have to >on steadv nlav from all <>f layers and Minnesota lacks it the guard position with the the AT XjLJLJ 11 House ilroom > /wi J-v /l/vt Y >y H irtuvi 1 / | must be get your mited. I by the ^ ^1? I-* russet! house 5 a " 1 loss of Ray Williams. Street and Smith said Thompson and Phil Ford of North Carolina would be this year's collegiate players of the year. It's easy lo see how important Thompson's presence will affect Minnesota basketball this year. the i\i i c ki i <; a n WOLVERINES are ranked eighth, but the big question head coach Johnnv Orr must ancwop whether or not Matt Robinson, brother of Michigan star John Robinson, will be able to play center. Robinson can fit into Orr's plan of playing center while lie uses All-America Phil Hubbard at the forward spot. But can Robinson fit into Michigan's running game with his 6-10 size and 260 pounds? "Hubbard would help the team if Robinson is good enough lo play center," Orr said in Street and Smith. "Robinson will be a great one before he leaves. The thing is, he has to run, too." Michigan will also have to find replacements for All-America guard Rickey Green and Steve Clrote before thov /-an seriously think about contending for the Big Ten title. CINCINNATI is ranked number nine, and if head coach Gale Catlett can get the same performance he received from his team last year, the Bearcats should be making their fifth straight appearance in post-season play. Returning for Cincinnati is center Bob Miller, the team's most ~1 * * vdiuuuiu pwjci nit; |j<im iwu yeais. Mike Jones is back et forward and 6-4 guard Steve Collier will also be back while sophomore Eddie Lee is expected to provide more of offensive attack. IN TI1E NUMBER TEN POSITION are the Louisville Cardinals. Denny Crum has lost his superstar Wesley Cox, and three of his players, Rickey Gallon, 1 Rick Wilson, and forward I^irry Williams, all are in scholastic trouble. If Louisville isn't able to use these players when its season starts, the Cardinals may be in for a long season since they are in the same conference as Cincinnati. T1IE NUMBER 11 and 12 positions are held by two ACC schools, Duke and Wake Forest, respectively. Duke recruited proDaoiy me uesi mgn school player in the country. Gene Banks. Duke coach Bill Foster will also have returning (>-11 sophomore Mike Gminski and 6-6 forward Jim Spanarkel. With the addition of Banks, Duke appears ready to battle North Carolina for ACC supremacy. The Deacons of Wake Forest will also be in contention in the ACC. Wake Forest had the Player of the Year in the ACC last year, Rod Griffin. Griffin is back this year and he has the talent to be a first team All-America. T1IK I'DRDUK KOI 1.KitMAKKItS are in the 13th position. Only center Tom Schleffler is gone from last year's team which finished third in the Big Ten. TIIK TKHRAIMNS OF MAItYLANI) occupy the 14th spot, and Lefty Driesell has again been successful by recruiting another top basketball olaver. Albert Kine. King, younger brother of Bernard, a former star at Tennessee, will be counted on to help bring Ihe Terrapins back to head the ACC. Maryland, which lost guard Brad Davis, will be strong on the front line with King, 6-10 Mike Davis, Larry Gibson and 6-H I*?wrence | See TOP 20. page 8