West Under East

"Now it's obvious that a college basket-ball team has no more place in a professional sports arena like Madison Square Garden than a Jew in Hitler's bathtub." Despite this caustic comment by the Nation's occasional sportswriter, "Left Wing," 18,000 spectators sardined into Garden seats to watch New York University play Purdue.

N. Y. U. had won 40 of its last 41 contests, earned a mythical No. i rating in the East. Fortnight ago it throttled. 41-to-26, the University of California, which by next week will have junketed 6,000 miles to display its talent. Purdue had an equally good record. Winner of three Big Ten championships since 1930, co-champion last year, this year's quintet had also toppled California, trounced Notre Dame. Added incentive to action was the announcement that, for the first time, the U. S. will pick an Olympic team to vie with Uruguayans, Bulgarians, Turks and other basketeers next summer. Best explanation for the enthusiasm was the loud-mouthed rivalry between the Midwest's zone defense and wide-open play, the East's man-for-man defense and more cautious offense.

First five to show its skill was Purdue. Breaking fast and shooting with sure accuracy, it piled up a lead of nine points in two minutes as snippy Coach Ward ("Piggy") Lambert smiled on the bench, confident that his scouting in Manhattan the week before had uncovered N. Y. U.'s weaknesses. His smile was premature. Gradually gaining momentum, N. Y. U. bunched up on their opponents, slowly whittled the gap between them. At halftime, they were six points behind. Then they opened up. Netting the ball from every angle on the floor, they tied the count, pushed ahead. With four minutes left, they had a margin of 11 points. Purdue woke up. Led by Captain Bob Kessler, crack left-handed forward, they snipped off the lead, drew up to one point behind. With 30 seconds to play, Purdue's forward, Jewell Young, had an easy lay-up shot. The ball rimmed the hoop three times, slithered off. A few seconds later, N. Y. U. sank a free try to win, 43-to-41.

That Eastern collegiate basketball is superior, the game decidedly did not prove. What it did prove was that on occasions basketball can be as rough as its winter brother, hockey; that both Purdue and N. Y. U. are powerful contenders for the Olympic eliminations in April; that the game will not long be immune to professionalism and overemphasis.

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