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27, 1996 • T he P ortland O bserver
Final Four Showdown Set
RIEFS
NIT Semifinals
In New York
Four days before the NCAA
Final Four comes to the New
York area, the semifinals of the
National Invitation Tournament
take place at Madison Square
Garden. Tulane (21-9), a school
that felt it was snubbed by the
NCAA Tournament, makes its
first ever-trip to the semifinal
round of a post-season tourna­
ment when it play s Nebraska (19-
14) at 7 p.m. EST Tuesday. Ala­
bam a (1 9 -1 1 ) o p p o se s St.
Joseph’so f Pennsylvania! 18-12)
in the second game. The champi­
onship game is Thursday night
Abdul-Rauf
Returns
D enver g u ard M ahm oud
Abdul-Rauf plays his first home
game Tuesday since the NBA
suspended him for refusing the
stand during the national anthem.
Abdul-Rauf, a Muslim, was sus­
pended March 12th, but the sus­
pension was lifted after one game
when he agreed to stand and pray
during the anthem. Abdul-Rauf
refused to stand for the anthem
because he said if conflicted with
his religious beliefs.
Advertise
Rick Pitino doesn’t want to hear
any talk that the Kentucky-Massa­
chusetts game in the Final Four is the
true championship.
"W ho's to say that Massachusetts
or Kentucky is better than Syracuse
or Mississippi State?" the Kentucky
coach said Monday. You don’t know
that."
The M assachusetts-K entucky
showdown is the headline attraction
at Saturday’s semifinals in New Jer­
sey, with the Syracuse-Mississippi
State game commanding less atten­
tion.
Mississippi State, a fifth seed,
upset Connecticut and Cincinnati to
win the Southeast Regional while
Syracuse upset top-seeded Kansas to
come out of the West.
Going into it you would say Con­
necticut and Cincinnati would have
been there, or Kansas would have
been there," Pitino said during a news
conference. But you don’t know.
That’s w hat makes the game so unbe­
lievable.
Because Mississippi State or Syra­
cuse could play the best ball, I hope
not, from The Meadowlands.”
And that’s why Pitino is not in
favor of seeding teams after they
reach the Final Four.
I think what makes college bas­
ketball so great is that it’s unpredict­
able,’’ he said. I know we have our
hands full with any of those oppo­
nents.”
During the season, Kentucky lost
92-82 to Massachusetts and split
against Mississippi State, winning
74-56 and losing 84-73.
While Kentucky is favored to win
the national title, Pitino isn't sure his
Wildcats should be in that role.
1 think th e y 'v e been in
Margaritaville too long," Pitino said
of the oddsmakers. M aybe they
should concentrate on other areas
because tw oof the three teams in this
Final Four beat us.
I don' t care what you factor in, I’m
from the old school when it conies to
this. Forget the rhetoric, forget w ho’s
upand who sdown. who’s afraid and
who s not alraid. the game is won or
lost on the court.
I won’t say Mississippi State is
better than us because we beat them
once.
But they beat us late in the year
when it counts more. And Massachu­
setts beat us. So, 1 can’t speak for
Syracuse, but you definitely have to
make Mississippi State and Massa­
chusetts big favorites," he said with a
laugh.
Kentucky has steamrolled into the
Final Four, winning by an average
margin ol 28.3 points. The closest
game was the 83-63 victory over
Wake Forest in the Midwest final.
Pitino isn’t making too much of
the wide margins because of his
team ’s up-tempo game.
"They can play it because that’s
their style or they can play like Wake
Forest, a different style,” he said.
Then eventually if your style starts to
win, now they’re forced to play that
Miss State Goes Ballistic
I he usually quiet country roads of Starkville have been anything but
during Mississippi State’s unprecedented run in the NCAA tournament.
Many of the university's 14,(XX) students have celebrated each victory
by joyriding around campus, blowing horns and setting off firecrackers.
"It's been bedlam. I have never seen anything like it," athletic director
Larry Templeton said Monday. “I ’ve dreamed of having this kind of
experience. Having grown up here, to be here firsthand is almost unex­
plainable.”
A crowd of about 5,(XX) people packed the small Golden Triangle
Regional Airport Sunday to greet the Bulldogs, who earlier in the day beat
Cincinnati 73-63 in the Southeast Regional final to earn a spot in the Final
Four.
"Cars were backed up from the airport to the highway. It was an
unbelievable crowd," said Jim Ellis, a 1969 Mississippi State graduate in
his 18th season as color analyst on Bulldog radio broadcasts.
“It’s the biggest thing that has happened, certainly in basketball and
probably in Mississippi State sports.” Ellis said his trip from the airport
back to campus took 90 minutes, compared to the usual 15. There he ran
into another crowd - “ 100 or so students” already in line, and ready to stay
overnight in rainy weather, wailing for the chance to buy Final Four
tickets. By midday Monday, the 250 student tiekets were gone. The rest
ol the school s allotment of 2,500 tickets were being offered on a priority
basis to season ticket holders and Bulldog Club members
Oral Roberts Talks To Parker
Oral Roberts University reportedly is trying to recruit former New York
prep star Richie Parker, who pleaded guilty to first degree sexual abuse last
year. According to today’s New York Post, Oral Roberts coach Bill Self is
speaking to Parker about playing for the Golden Eagles next season. Parker
is currently attending Mesa (Arizona) Community College as a freshman and
is not allowed to play on the basketball team. “Yes, there have been
conversations,” Self told the Post.
Sfuari Scoff provides viewers with the latest spin on highlights and news from the NBA on ESPN's new
sports program NBA 2night.
Gil Undergoes
Surgery
Texas Rangers shortstop Benji
Gil will undergo surgery for a
herniated disc in his lower back
that will sideline him six to eight
weeks. Gil underwent an MRI bv
the club’s spine consultant Doc­
tor Drew Dossett in Dallas Mon­
day. The exam revealed a herni­
ated disc that is causing irritation
to the nerve in his left leg.
Guyton Waived
The New E ngland Patriots
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i
style. And that’s when you see lop­
sided victories.
It’s not because you’re that much
better than that team. It’s just that
your style takes over and then sud­
denly it goes the other way with the
big numbers.”
K entucky, if it w ins the title , is
on course to break the 23.75 sc o r­
ing m argin set by U C L A ’s na­
tional cham pions in four gam es
in 1967. Since the field w as e x ­
p an d e d to 64 team s in 1985,
U N L V ’s national cham ps in 1990
have the biggest m argin at 18.67
points.
"N C A A -w ise ,” P itin o sa id ,
"we relax very w ell and play with
great co n fidence in our a b ility
and we play good d e fe n se .”
waived safety Myron Guyton and
linebacker Vincent Brown Tues­
day. Guyton had five intercep­
tions in 30 games since joining
the Patriots as an unrestricted free
agent prior to the 1994 season.
G uyton assumed the starting