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Show THE HERALD, Prove, Sunday. November 18. 1979. College Preview Nation Deep In Powerhouses By FRED LIEF UFI Sporti Writer NEW YORK (UPI) Eight months ago, Jud Heathcote stood at the summit of college basketball. Now listen to him: "Naturally," I'd like to be optimistic," says the coach of defending NCAA champion Michigan State. "But realistically, I think we'll be in a dogfight for third place in the conference. "I think we'll be competitive and respectable. I don't know what you want to take that to mean, but that's where we'll be." After guiding the Spartans to their first NCAA title last season, Heathcote knows full well that last year's triumphs carry as much value as Confederate dollars on the international exchange. And the road to Inthe site of this year's dianapolis will begin for championship Heathcote with the likes of Indiana, Ohio State and the rest of the Big Ten. Heathcote, however, is not alone. If last season's powers make the mistake of coasting on past accomplishments, they are in for an unsettling ride. Across the nation the depth and balance of college basketball has never been more evident than this season. The Big Ten is perhaps the best example. Coming off a season of great success with two of its teams capturing the NCAA and NIT titles, the Big Ten returns with its arsenal loaded. Its strength is such that possibly seven of the league's 10 teams may qualify for postseason tournaments. But take a quick look around the the talent runs deep and in country many cases the old guard may be ready to give way.' In the South, the Atlantic Coast Conference is heavily stocked as always, with Virginia the young Turk of the league. In the Southeastern Conference, Louisiana State appears - ready to assume control but revitalized Kentucky will have much to say. In the East, the mantle of power will likely pass from Final Four entry Perm to Syracuse, St. John's or Iona. In the Big Eight, Missouri may be the newcomer to national prominence. In the Southwest Conference, Texas A&M may come of age. And in the Pacific-10- , UCLA the Gibralter of college basketball, may find itself on unsteady groumf thanks to Oregon State. In fact, the balance of power is so great that, of the teams that made it to the Final Four in Salt Lake City last March, only DePaul stands a reasonable chance of a return trip. It has now been six years since a school repeated as national champion. No school has a monopoly on talent anymore and it figures to stay that way for a while. The days when UCLA was able to win titles in nine of 10 years 1964-7are 3) part of college basketball's history. All of which apparently has been good for the financial health of the game. These are the best of tines for college basketball and more schools than ever want a piece of the prosperity. Attendance at major schools surpasmark last season sed the an all-tihigh; television and radio income has increased nearly tenfold in the past decade; the Michgan State-IndiaState championship attracted a viewing audience of 50 million, and Division I membership is up 35 percent over the past 10 years to 261 schools. With the swelling number of Division I entries, the NCAA has steadily expanded the size of its postseason tournament. This year is no different. The field has been extended to a record 48 teams and a conference will no longer . be limited to just two representatives. The NCAA tournament has come a long way from its inaugural game in 1939 at Northwestern's Patten Gym in Evanston, HI. Through the years, the tournament was a relatively small gathering. Even as late as 1974, only 26 teams took pail But now, six years later, the number of participating teams has nearly doubled. However, if the trend continues college basketball may be in danger of spreading itself too thin. With 48 schools going to the NCAA tourney and another 32 qualifying for the NIT, 80 schools of the 261 or nearly in Division I are eligible for postseason honors. . In Salt Lake City last year, college basketball made tie most of an extraordinary showcase featuring Earvin Johnson of Michigan State and Larry Bird of Indiana State. While there is probably no one in college now with quite the magnetic talents of those two, there is certainly no shortage of excelone-thi- rd ' lence. At guard, there is Darnell Valentine of Kansas, Kyle Macy of Kentucky, Kelvin Ransey of Ohio State, Ronnie Lester of Iowa and Andrew Toney of Southwestern LouisianaAt forward, there's Michael Brooks of La Salle, Mike Woodson of Indiana, Mike O'Koren of North Carolina, Kimberly Belton of Stanford and Ronnie Valentine of Old Dominion. At center, there's Mike Gminski of Duke, Joe Barry Carroll of Purdue, Jeff Ruland of Iona, Rudy Woods of Texas A&M and Herb Williams of Ohio - State. And if last season offered a sophomore class with impeccable credentials, this year the plaudits ' belong to the freshmen. Indiana, Ohio State and Virginia ' three of the toughest teams in the nation reaped windfall profits with their recruits: Isiah Thomas to the Hoosiers, Clark Kellogg to the Buckeyes and Ralph Sampson to the ' Cavaliers. Kentucky also figured heavily in the recruiting sweepstakes by landing Sam Bowie, Charles Hurt, Dirk Minniefield and Derrick Hord. Also scoring Impressively were Mis - r souri with Steve Stipanovich, Notre Dame with Tim Andree, Nevada-La- s Vegas with Sidney Green, Georgia with Dominique Williams North Carolina with James Worthy and Wichita State with Antoine Carr. Here's how the different regions figure to shape up this season: The East came away walking tall after last season's upsets of Duke and North Carolina in the regionals. But while Penn went to the Final Four, Syracuse, St. John's and Iona are the class teams this year. The Orangemen and Redmen are part of the new Big East Conference and look ready to take on the national powers. Syracuse, playing its last season in Manley Field House, has Roosevelt Bouie and Louis Orr. St. John's Coach Lou Carnesecca came within two points of a Final Four berth last year and comes back with Wayne McKoy and Reggie Carter. Iona, the small school turned basketball power, looks to center Jeff Ruland. S L Haw Aa tZJ 125-l- b. !Cl I I Zr I O 250 So. State, Downtown O 62nd South llfchtend v "V 'Super Star1 Bar Dell Outfit ST dorm Y Family Fun - r.-- Ride it as a sled or toboggan on snow, tow by hand or snowmobile ... on water it can be towed off the beach or from deep water. DiinnaH Dnhiathwlarta rwtHnu. tirvn in a lorn a cito tar am ' mei hjgi ui me - Nordic-Styl- i i Lets you do a variety of home exercises. Back justs to 5 positions with adjustable squat racks, arm curl with foam protectors. v. e ALMA All Wool s d Vests Reg. 60.00 fill Sweaters 6V assortment A Warm, comfortable with crew neck and contrasting Tan or Navy trim on a Natural background. S to XL U Gotten Moncrief-Brewer-Delp- S95 2for10 of styles for great your casual or ski wear. Many colors in XStoXL. Racks Platform Grip SO00 3300 New performance pole in lightweight aluminum with comfortable Platform grips, snowflake baskets. Black banded with mufti colored trim in 44, 46, 48, 50 and 52" lengths. to fit compact and standard cars. Hen's. f t hJ H I Combed Cotton with an elasticized neck for shape retention. Choose from 10 colors in S to Reg. 18.00 13"30 Women's, Wldren's In the Rockies, Brigham Young, with Danny Ainge, and Utah, with Danny Vranes, are the teams to watch in the WAC. BYU has five starters back and Frank Arnold's club may well stir matters up before the season's out. 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Penn State, following the lead of its football team, has declared itself independent. t, Western In the Southwest Conference, where football is no longer completely king, Texas A&M, with Rudy Woods, Vernon Smith and Rynn Wright, appear to have the goods. Abe Lemons, college basketball's Henny Youngman, was 22-- with Texas but has some serious work cut East Tennessee, the Southern a Barrecraflers Poles Carry your skis conveniently and securely in these popular racks with SR-7SR-1- 2, SR-1- 1, closure. SR-7- 2, Off $0 ESS Ken's Ken's tion. AAA Ran 97 Sf. 72.50 eSJ 13-1- - n adleg-lif- ,JJk ,MS Hollofil or Down-Fille- In "the Midwest, Georgetown, College, Connecticut Providence, St. John's, Seton Hall and Syracuse. The other is the Midwestern a geographical puzzle featuring City such unlikely partners as Butler, Evan-svill- e, Loyola (111.), Oklahoma City, Oral Roberts and Xavier (Ohio). In other additions around the conferences, Georgia Tech joins the ACC, Step-i- EAHECBAFTERS sworn In A Heavy Weight! well-balanc- - '222' Bindings with Leash j Louisville., with Dar-re-ll Griffith and his dunking brigade, Florida State with Murray Brown and Virginia Tech. This season you won't be able to recognize some of the conferences without a scorecard. With an eye toward assuring the best possibility for an NCAA tournament berth, several of the conferences have a new look. And in two cases, new conferences were formed from scratch. The more noteworthy of the new cona forferences is the Big East midable league composed of Boston Salomon Weight Ccnch For All Ages On Water or Snow! it's consecutive Could it be that after years, UCLA may not win the Pacific-1- 0 title? At least this year the possibility has substance. Oregon State, 0 last led by Steve Johnson, was year and its starting five is back for more. UCLA, which has a new coach in Larry Brown, lost David Greenwod, Roy Hamilton and Brad Holland which has to hurt. Arizona and Washington State are capable of confusing things even more. "It seems for the first time in 16 or 17 years UCLA may not be considered a clear cut preseason favorite," says Oregon State Coach Ralph Miller. "Omega' Boot for support, warmth Multi-Purpo- se DeWayne Scales, and Kentucky, bolstered by recruits and guard Kyle Macy, should go to the wire. Tennessee, with Reggie Johnson, Alabama, without Reggie King, and Vanderbilt, under new Coach Richard Schmidt, will all be up there. In the Metro , Nordica Expertly Mounted In the SEC, it's getting better every year. LSU, with Durand Macklin and . 150-18- handbars. The eyes of the South will be upon Virginia & Sampson. The Cavaliers have won just one ACC title in their history but that may change this year. Coach Terry Holland also has Jeff Lamp and Lee Raker to support wonder. Nothing, Sampson, his however, comes easy in the ACC. Duke has lost Jim Spanarkel but returns with Gminski and Banks; North Carolina, with O'Koren, is forever tough; Wake Forest, North Carolina State are certain to complicate matters. teresting development figures to be recruit Sidney Green at UNLV. In the Weber State, with David ' Big Sky, Johnson and Richard Smith, appears to be holding the right cards. Dynastar Star Median 0 Skis. cm Enjoy healthful body building at home with this deluxe set ot interlocking Orbatron discs in a combination of weights With telescoping chromed body bar and up to 125-b- s. strong. A team from the East has net won the NCAA title since La Salle in 1954. It probably won't happen this year but it wouldn't be ridiculous. the Big Ten is as awesome as ever. Indiana, Ohio State, Purdue ... right on down the line. Michigan State, with Johnson and Greg Kelser in the pros, should finish in the middle of the pack. 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