The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current, March 03, 1983, Image 11

Texas A&M Newspaper Collection

The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current, March 03, 1983, Image 11

Newspaper Page Text4 The Battalion Sports March 3, 1983/Page 11 f'T TT — - ii •Showdown at Barnhill DAY:T| cakes ail >. Ticket Houston, Arkansas battle tonight for share of SWC championship ill be disc fy lx [bN sitv Lu k&M I nal is still [gielandll* i Bi>\( )le. I l itjnited Press International lied for fAVF.T T’T\ tXE, Ark. — itle accompaniment of a I nll- |ted roar that would prob- )e looked upon as unheal- ly the Environmental Pro- Bjln Agency, the Southwest ^■erence will make some bas- p|ll history tonight. p.m.inffl||ever before have two bas- ^■ll teams from the SWC l riONiicled such lofty heights, with ).in.ir,'> Arkansas Razorbacks cur- fith rated No. 1 in the c ountr\ dlhe Houston Cougars hav- ^^■lade it all the way to No. 1. And tonight, in a fortress that file as one of the most impre- aile anywhere, those two ims will collide. I “1 his will be a showcase for (uthwest Conference basket- ill'Arkansas coach Eddie Sut- n s. id. "It has to be the biggest jiference game ever played in jr league. / '"V\ eare ready for the test and jr players think they can win.” J^Brkansas players should cer- jnl feel they can win since ev haven’t lost at home for two ars and have never lost to Riston in Fayetteville. But this is not an average ■ coming into Barnhill Are- ’v 1 tonight. I “Night in and night outSut- "^■^■said, “Houston is the best ■ in college basketball.” Houston (2T-2) has reached .Ini itd 6 h 0- * S P <)1 * n rankings bv lew mu ‘Hf'Hg 18 straight. The ouuars last lost on Dec. 16 in M)U t 75 JU to a Virginia team that ; ofthecr 5 P* a y‘ n g without Ralph in Ri wn at dmiss endingf ! )S()I '- ^fourteen ot arc been in those victories conference play Eddie Sutton’s team hasn’t lost to Cougars in Barnhill and if the Cougars win tonight they will capture their first SWC championship since joining the league for the 1975-76 cam- paign. Arkansas, meanwhile, has lost only once this season — that being a 15-point embarassment that was Sutton’s worst setback as the Razorbacks’ coach. But the overriding statistic in volving this game is the number of wins Houston has had in Arkansas — zero. Houston's first trip to Bar nhill came in 1976 and the Cougars suffered the worst loss in the history of their basketball program, 92-47. Since then the Cougars have lost by 11, 19, 20, 3, 15 and 1 in Fayetteville. Last year, Arkansas center Scott Hastings hit an 18-foot jump shot with five seconds to go to wape out the last of a 10- point Houston lead and give the Hogs a 67-66 triumph. “It’s just a hard place to play in,” Houston coach Guy Lewis said. “But that’s pretty evident since they haven’t lost many games in there. Coach Sutton has some great fans up there that respect and support him and his program.” But at least one of Sutton’s and Lewis’ Southwest Confer ence competitors thinks this is the year for Houston to escape Fayetteville with a victory. “I think Houston is strong enough to overcome all of that this time,” Texas Tech coach Gerald Myers said. “I just think they are so much better physical ly than they have been before. I’m going to enjoy watching it.” T he key, as usual, appears to be Houston’s ability to handle the pressure defense and the noise that goes along with it. “Arkansas scores off its de fense,” Myers said. “And if those Houston guards feel the press ure and short out, then it might be all over right there. “But if they can get the ball downcourt, they are going to be in good shape. The other way Arkansas scores is with Darrell Walker and Joe Kleine getting in close to the basket. And 1 don’t think they can score enough points inside against Houston. “I look at Akeem Olajuwon (Houston’s 7-foot center) as one of the top three or four guys in the history of college basketball as far as blocking shots. “I would rate him right along with Bill Russell and Wilt Cham berlain as far as blocking shots.” was nex!|| i destro%/a out hen** vearingoB ar shiveiiB t had V she gavcijp The play of Arkansas’ Alvin Robertson, left, and Houston’s Akeem Olajuwon, inset, will be major factors when the two teams meet tonight. UMOURS has it in Joe Route RUMOURS Bookstore Post Office Large Screen TV Blue Bell Ice Cream Dannon Yogurt Food and Drinks and Room to Relax

Texas A&M Newspaper Collection

Texas A&M Newspaper Collection

The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current, March 03, 1983, Image 11

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