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Show A year of pressure for TMM hoapstters , shooting in compiling their high scoring averages. Crosby has converted on 52.9 percent of his field goal attempts, while Smith is scoring on 52.0. Laing averages 18.1 points, while Jackson and Wittenbraker each have an average of just over nine points. Wittenbraker has the best rebound average (9.4), followed by Jackson (7.9) and Laing (7.0). If some super-sports fan and historian of the future ever goes back through the basketball seasons at Southern Utah State College, he will almost certainly label 1973-74 "The Year of the Pressure." The pressure first started when NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics) District Seven officials announced an-nounced that the 1974 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference basketball champion would host the 1974 district playoffs. As soon as SUSC's Thun-derbirds Thun-derbirds won their first four games-including two on the road-they knew that they had a shot at that championship. The chance to host the district playoff (with the accompanying home court advantage) makes the RMAC title even more appealing ap-pealing A one-point home court loss to RMAC leading Westminster (7-0) didn't pop the Thunderbird bubble; instead, it simply added to the psi (pounds per square inch) of pressure. Southern Utah State Coach Stan Jack still thinks the RMAC chase is a "shakeup." Two more early contenders slipped slightly last week when SUSC and Westminster each bopped Adams State and Western New Mexico University on the Utah courts. this week SUSC and the same pesky Parsons travel to Denver and Golden, Colorado, to challenge Regis and Colorado Mines. The most certain thing about this trip is that if either the T-birds or Parsons succumb to the pressure and lose, the other team will be right there to step into the RMAC driver's seat. There will also be at least two other teams ready to take up the slack if both Utah teams should stumble. SUSC tangles with Regis on Friday and Colorado Mines on Saturday. "Right now, we think we are a pretty good 'road team,' but we know that Regis and Mines present two pretty stern challenges," Jack said. "Colorado Mines is certainly a dangerous team for us. Because of the strong individual talent at Regis, it is easy to forget about Mines. In reality their team effort may make them the toughr of the two teams." The Thunderbirds struggled with the Orediggers early in January before winning an 89-79 verdict. And Mines shot only 38 percent from the field in that game. T-bird pessimists can find plenty of information to feed (and worry) on. Ben Kelly and Mark Lunsford, a pair of 6-5 forwards, rebounded well against the 'Birds. Kelly also scored 22 points to go along with 14 by 6-2 guard Rick Bloom. ."Mines runs its patterns extremely ex-tremely well and they play well together," Jack said. Against Regis, the problem is different. The Rangers are still struggling with an atrocious won-lost won-lost record, but they play everybody close. Great individual in-dividual talent in 6-6 Tony DuCros and 6-5 Lee Gray make Regis a constant threat. Mike Hicks, also 6-5, completes an extremely strong front line. In their first meeting, SUSC whipped the Rangers 77-69 but had to struggle. Hicks (18) and Ducros (17) scored well. Ducros, one of the area's top rebounders. also swept off 14 rebounds. Sand if the opposition plus the situation didn't create enough pressure, SUSC is also flirting with injury problems. Alan Wittenbraker, who missed a Monday non-conference game with an ankle injuiry, may or may not be able to assume his starting center position by Friday. Another starter, forward Steve Laing, may be hampered slightly with a bruised thigh. Most of the Thunderbird scoring power has come from the guard line recently, but Wittenbraker Wit-tenbraker and Rick Jackson, a 6- 4 forward, have proven in single-game single-game outbursts that they too are capable of 20-point contests. Kohn Smith (18.5 points per game) and Gary Crosby (16.3) have used excellent percentage |