Daily Nebraskan
Monday, March 14, 1983
:
CAA
By Tim Woods
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Nebraska's hopes for a bid to
the NCAA tournament suffered a major blow Friday
when the Cornhuskers lost to Missouri, 69-63, in the semi
finals of the Big Eight Conference post-season tourney.
A win over Big Eight regular season champion Missouri,
coupled with a victory Sunday in the conference tourna
ment final, would have given the Huskers an automatic
bid to the NCAA meet, which opens play Thursday.
But Nebraska, according to Coach Moe Iba, played a
poorly organized game and was never able to catch up
to Mizzou.
"We were very poor getting back on defense," Iba said.
"Everything we did was out ot sync.
Adding to the Huskers' miseries was the first technical
foul to be called on Iba since he was named acting head
coach during the 1980-81 season.
Referee Woody Mayfield whistled Iba nearly three
minutes into the game, after a scramble lor a loose ball
resulted in a layup by Missouri's Greg Cavener, giving the
Tigers an 8-2 lead.
"I haven't had a technical in the Big Eight in four
years," Iba said. "I was in my bench area, and he called
a technical. That's all there was to it. I didn't say a word
to him. I just looked at him."
Mayfield, however, told the Kansas City Times that
Iba had left the bench area, claiming that Cavener had
knocked over a Nebraska player during the scramble.
"He came down the sideline, and he was protesting,"
Mayfield said. "I motioned him back to the bench and he
kicked the floor. All I saw was the back of his foot."
And with Missouri's All-Big Eight stalwarts, Steve
Stipanovcih and Jon Sundvold, performing their custom
ary magic, Nebraska eventually succumbed to the Tigers
for the third time this reason.
In last month's 54-51 loss to the Tigers in Lincoln,
Nebraska took a 9-point lead twice in the second half
before Mizzou rallied.
Friday, however, Missouri - aided by the technical
foul on Iba - jumped out to an 11-2 lead. And while the
Huskers twice closed to within one point, Stipanovich
or Sundvold answered for Mizzou each time.
"In the four years I've been here, Nebraska's been the
toughest against us," Sundvold said. "They're always in
the game. You ve got to come up with the big play, or
else they'll be right on top of you."
Forward Claude Renfro gave Mizzou fits in the first
half, hitting all five of his field goal attempts and keeping
Nebraska within reach of the ligers at intermission,
31-27.
But even Renfro, who has been the Huskers' most
consistent player this season, had his troubles in the
second half, making only 1-5 from the free throw line.
"They all felt good when they left my hand," Renfro
said. "But I just didn't get the roll. That's basketball."
For the game, Nebraska made 53 percent of its field
goal tries, and 60 percent from the free throw line. Iba
said that breakdowns in their offense cost the Huskers
dearly.
"Missouri is too good of a team that if you don't
execute both offensively and defensively, they'll hurt
you," he said. "When we pulled up, we got impatient and
took some questionable shots.
"When you'ie not organized and don't play well, 'the
coach has to take the blame," Iba said.
Stipanovich scored 26 points and Sundvold added
17 for Missouri, who enters the NCAA tournament 26-7
after being defeated by 26-6 and playing Oklahoma State
Sunday.
Nebraska center Dave Hoppen said that Mizzou stands
of good chance of going far in the NCAA's because of its
more balanced scoring.
"They're playing pretty good right now," Hoppen
said. "With Bridges scoring now, they've got more people
to look for instead of just a couple of players."
Nebraska, which fell to 19-9, should be one of the
first teams selected for the National Invitation Tourna
ment if it is not awarded in at-large NCAA bid.
"We have a better record than most of the teams that
will be considered (for the NIT)," he said. "We draw well
at home, and they should want some of Nebraska's
money."
NIT bids are to be announced Sunday night.
NU wrestles for 8th place
By Randy YVymore
The University of Nebraska wrestling
team lost its bid to finish in the top five
teams in the country over the weekend,
finishing sixth in the NCAA tournament
in Oklahoma City.
Iowa won the title with 155 points
followed by Oklahoma State with 102.
Iowa State ended up third with 94
and Oklahoma fourth with 64'i.
Lehigh edged the Huskers for the fifth
spot with 49, three points ahead of Nebras
ka. The Cornhuskers' Al Freeman, at 142
pounds, failed in his attempt to become
the first national champion for Nebraska
in 20 years when he was forced to forfeit
his championship match due to the
aggravation of a chronic rib injury.
The forfeit came against Lehigh's Darryl
Burley. If Freeman would have continued
and won the match, the Huskers would
have won the fifth-place spot.
"There was no way he could continue
with any degree of success at all," Nebras
ka Coach Bob Fehrs said. " He hurt them a
while back. He must have just aggravated
them ajiain."
In other matches involving Nebraska
wrestlers, Ray Oliver at 167 pounds
finished fourth after being beaten 8-3 by
North Carolina's Jan Michaels.
Bill Scherr decisioned Oregon State's
Jim Baumgardner, 10-2.
The NCAA appearances were the third
for Oliver and the second for Scherr.
Everyone who places in the top eight
automatically gains AU-American status.
Scherr and Freeman were Ail-Americans
last year along with Gary Albright and Jim
Scherr.
Before the' tournament opened, the
Huskers were shooting for a fourth-place
finish. After the first round, Nebraska was
struggling in eighth with only four of 10
team members still in competition.
"This has been a lackluster tourna
ment," said Fehrs. "The fact that we ended
up sixth is good because after the first day
I thought total disaster had struck."
Nebraska had spent most of the year
rated fifth, according to the Amateur
Wrestling News poll. Toward the end of
the year, a loss to Michigan State caused
the Huskers to fall to the seventh spot.
At tournament time, they had worked
their way back into the number six spot.
111 '
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Staff photo by Dave Bentz
Nebraska wrestler Ray Oliver anticipates his next move in a match earlier in the year.
Oliver finished fourth in the 167-pound division of the NCAA championships in
Oklahoma City Thursday through Saturday. Oliver is an All-American.
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