L
Page 8
The Battalion
Tuesday, March 1,1994
Remaining SWC schools
look toward realignment
The Associated Press
DALLAS — Southwest Con
ference members Rice University,
Southern Methodist University
and Texas Christian University
met Monday with schools inter
ested in joining them in a new
alignment.
The three private schools are
looking at Tulsa, Tulane and
Memphis State — and possibly
others — now that Texas, Baylor,
Texas Tech and Texas A&M have
announced they're moving in two
years to the Big Eight Conference.
Officials from Louisville,
Cincinnati and Louisiana Tech
also have expressed interest in the
possible new league.
SWC commissioner Steve
Hatchell termed the meeting a
preliminary deal.
"There will be nothing (imme
diate) out of it," Hatchell said.
"We're going to look at some
things and see where we go from
here."
Hatchell said the plan is to ex
plore whether there are television
opportunities with new align
ments for 1996.
Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech
and Baylor on Friday officially ac
cepted an offer to join the Big
Eight, effective in 1996. Houston
officials said Saturday they aren't
interested in pursuing future op
portunities with the three SWC
private schools that took part in
Monday's meeting.
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Baylor
Continued from Page 7
tonight guarantees the Aggies of
finishing no worse than second in
the final SWC standings. In their
first meeting this season Feb.2 in
Waco, A&M defeated the Bears 90-
74.
Baylor (14-10 overall, 5-7 in the
SWC) has lost three games in a
row, including a 93-91 heartbreaker
to Rice Wednesday in Waco. De
spite their recent skid, Barone said
he expects a tough game from the
Bears.
"I don't like one day to prepare
for anybody let alone a team as
athletic as Baylor," Barone said.
The Bears have the nation's sec
ond leading rebounder in 6-foot-8
forward Jerome Lambert, who av
erages 16.1 ppg and 14.6 rpg.
Baylor also possesses two of the
SWC's top freshman in former
Temple High School star Jerode
Banks and 6-foot-10 giant Doug
Brandt.
In addition to these three play
ers, Barone said his team has
tremendous respect for shooting
guard Aundre Branch, fifth in the
SWC scoring, averaging 19.4 ppg.
Harding returns to
warm welcome,
possible charges
The Associated Press
PORTLAND, Ore. — Tonya
Harding is coming home from
the Olympics to the warm wel
come of her die-hard fans and
the cold reality that she could
face criminal charges in the at
tack on Nancy Kerrigan.
As Harding flew from Nor
way on Monday after her eighth-
place finish in last week's figure
skating competition, her fan club
prepared a big reception for her
at Portland International Airport.
"We're going out with bal
loons and banners and roses to
just show her our continued un
wavering love, support and be
lief," fan club president Elaine
Stamm said.
She said the club plans an ap
preciation dinner for Harding in
April.
A grand jury in Portland con
tinues to consider whether Hard
ing should be indicted for her
role in the Jan. 6 attack on rival
Nancy Kerrigan.
A Portland television station,
KGW-TV, reported that Hard
ing's attorneys were trying to
reach a deal with prosecutors.
In response to that report.
Norm Frink, Multnomah County
chief deputy district attorney,
said he has been in almost daily
contact with Harding's attorney.
Bob Weaver, "but I'm not going
to comment on what we're talk
ing about."
Asked if it could be assumed
from the daily talks that the two
sides were trying to cut a deal,
Frink said, "I don't think you
should read that into it at all."
Weaver did not return tele
phone calls to his office.
Frink was upset with a
Newsweek report that quoted an
unidentified FBI source as saying
there was plenty of evidence to
charge Harding, but Oregon
prosecutors wanted to wait until
after the Olympics for political
reasons.
"It's obviously a comment by
an unnamed person who doesn't
really know what's going on,"
Frink said. "Other than that, I
don't think I need to dignify it
with any further response."
A parting shot . . .
Roger llsielt/Tut M ATI align
Bernado Martinez, left, and Blake Arrant congratulate each
other after their double's victory on Friday. The A&M men's
team will play this weekend at the Corpus Christi Invitational.
Classic
Continued from Page 7
Pepper SWC Classic.
Since the 20 win barrier is un
attainable, A&M has to win the
SWC tournament to get the au
tomatic bid to the NCAA tour
nament.
In a season of remarkable
comebacks and gutsy play, a
few bad games could mean the
difference between A&M's first
NCAA bid since 1987 and a sea
son that might have been.
With losses on the road to
Northern Illinois (currently 10-
15) and at home against North
western (12-11) and Siena (20-6),
the Aggies have put themselves
in a situation in which they
have to win the tournament in
order to enjoy March Madness.
The loss to Siena is not so im
portant. Siena is a very under
rated basketball program. They
obviously have a good team to
already have 20 wins.
But Northern Illinois, North
western an SMU are not distin
guished programs. The NCAA
knows that they are not. Hence,
no invitation for A&M.
Now, I'm not taking away
from anything the guys have
done this year. Even if A&M
does not win another game this
year, they will finish seven
games ahead of their 10-17
record in 1992-93.
Coach Tony Barone has taken
a basketball program that was
bogged down in scandal and
brought it back to life.
The move of A&M, Texas,
Texas Tech and Baylor to the
Big Eight will only increase the
level of competition on the bas
ketball court and further im
prove A&M's basketball pro
gram.
But A&M making the NCAA
tournament would be the
crowning achievement of spec
tacular season.
If the Aggies could have the
SMU game back and win
against Baylor and Tech at G.
Rollie next week, then the
chances of getting a tournament
bid would be good.
But, instead of shooting out
the lights, A&M shot themselves
in the foot. The Aggies could
only manage a paltry .362 shoot
ing in Dallas Sunday.
I hope the SMU loss is not the
curse of the SWC. I remember
when I was a young Ag and
Arkansas decided the SWC was
not good enough and left for the
greener pastures of the South
eastern Conference.
Well, during Arkansas' last
year as a SWC member, they
could not win at anything. A
once powerful Razorback foot
ball program lost to everyone
but SMU (which was recovering
from the death penalty).
Could it be the curse of the
SWC that all who leave will
meet with misfortune?
We'll know when we see
whether A&M's Cinderella team
is invited to the dance.
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Alexander
Shtarkman,
Russian pianist
Performs works by
Beethoven, Brahms,
Tchaikovsky and Stravinsky
8 P.M.
TUESDAY, MARCH 1,1994
RUDDERTHEATRE
Adults $8, Students & Senior Citizens $5
, University
Chamber
Concerts
Funded in part by
Texas Commission on the Arts