Upsetters Upset

"I don't know how we got here," said Bradley Basketball Coach Forddy Anderson, in Kansas City for the final of the National Collegiate championship last week. Not even the tournament directors were quite sure how Bradley had reached the final. During the regular season, the Bradley team had a mediocre record of 15 victories, twelve defeats. The "Pride of Peoria" had been a last-minute choice to round out the tournament field of 24 teams, had marched ahead in a succession of upsets. The Eastern finalist in the tournament of upsets was considerably more imposing: Philadelphia's La Salle College, sparked by All-America Tom Gola, and possessor of a regular season record of 21 victories, four defeats.

At halftime, Bradley's big Braves held a 43-42 lead, seemed on the trail of another upset. But during a dressing-room dressing-down, La Salle Coach Ken Loeffler gave Gola & Co. new tactics: switch from man-to-man defense to a zone defense. The switch worked wonders. Bradley, which had been sinking 37% of its shots, suddenly could not find the range. Meanwhile, Gola & Co. went on a scoring spree--30 points in ten minutes--and won by an easy 92-76.

For Bradley, disappointment was no stranger. The Braves reached the final of both the National Collegiate and National Invitation tournaments in 1950, only to lose in both to C.C.N.Y.'s "Cinderella Team." Later, as it turned out, both teams were dishonored by the fix scandals. Last season, after a Bradley Boosters Club had been too free with its money favors to Bradley players, the Braves were suspended from tournament play by the N.C.A.A. La Salle, on the other hand, won college basketball's top trophy the very first time it had ever qualified for the tournament.

In the national A.A.U. basketball final, another Peoria team had better luck. The Peoria Caterpillars won their third straight title, beating San Diego 63-55.

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