Wednesday, February 8, 1934
Pag3 0
Daily Nebraskan
Huskers face "oowerfel Sooners
The Men:
Oklahoma (18-3, 5-1) at Nebraska (13 G, 3-3) Bob Devaney Sports Center, 8:10 p.m.
Pot. Oklahoma
G Tim McAlister
Jan Pannell
Wayman Tisdale
David Johnson
Calvin Pierce
Yr.
Fr.
Sr.
So.
Fr.
Sr.
Ht.
6-3
6-1
6-9
6-8
6-6
PU. Reb.
18.2 4.7
7.2 3.9
28.2 10.6
7.5 6.1
9.7 6.1
Pot.
G
G
C
F
F
Nebraska
David Ponce
Eric Williams
Dave Hoppen
John Matzke
Stan Cloudy
Yr.
Sr.
Sr.
So.
So.
Sr.
Ht.
5- 10
6- 2
6-11
6-6
6-4
Pts.
8.1
7.3
19.3
4.1
13.1
Reb.
1.5
2.3
7.1
2.3
6.5
1 i
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The Series: Oklahoma leads 71-69 after the teams
split two games last season. Nebraska won in Lin
coln 60-59; Oklahoma won at Norman 84-71.
The Game: "America's Team" in basketball enters
tonight's game ranked 10th in both wire-service
polls.
"We want to be America's Team," Oklahoma coach
Billy Tubbs said recently. The Sooners would even
year. Whoever beats Oklahoma is one leg up on the
rest of the league."
Nebraska forward Curtis Moore is questionable
for tonight's game following the death cf his grand
father in Norfolk, Va
The Women: Mm
Oklahoma (15-4, 3-3) at Nebraska (13-6, 3-3) 5:45
p.m.
Nebraska
Basketball Tonight
Poi. Oklahoma Yr. Ht. Pts. Rcb.
G Shirley Fisher So. 5-9 12.2 4.5
G Toni Eldridge So. 5-10 9.2 3.9
C Mandy Miller Fr. 6-1 10.6 5.2
F Lynn McCurdy Sr. 5-11 16.3 6.5
F Jacquetta Hurley So. 6-1 13.4 5.5
Pos. Nebraska Yr. Ht. Pts. Reb.
G Cathy Owen Jr. 5-6 10.1 4.7
G Kelli Benson Sr. 5-7 8.4 3.1
C Angie Miller Fr. 5-10 13.7 7.4
F Stacy Imming Fr. 5-9 7.7 2.5
F Debra Powell Jr. 5-10 19.5 6.9
Oklahoma Sports Information
Oklahoma center Wayman Tisdale and the
league-leading, lOth-ranked Sooners take on
the Huskers tonight at the Bob Devaney
Sports Center.
travel through the solar system to play the Univer
sity of Mars, "as long as they would return the game
at Norman," Tubbs said.
Tubbs' statements may confirm what Nebraska
Coach Moe Iba has been thinking that Billy has
changed.
"I don't know if it's his team or the car wreck that's
changed Billy," Iba said, smiling. "Billy's a nice
guy...out of season." Tubbs was seriously injured
when hit by a car while jogging last February.
Wayman Tisdale, despite scoring only 10 points in
a win against Missouri, continues to lead the Big
Eight in scoring with a 28.2 average.
"Not in a long time in the conference has a player
been as good as Tisdale," Iba said.
Highly-touted freshman Tim McAlister has met
his advance billing, averaging 18.2 points and 4.5
assists. He teams with former Southeast (Fairbury)
Community College player Jan Pannell, who aver
ages 11.2 points in league games.
Iba said he told Oklahoma assistant Coach Mike
Newell last week that if the Sooners played a little
defense, they'd be a final four team.
But Iba was serious when he said Oklahoma
mixes its defenses. One, a 1-3-1 zone, will give
Nebraska an open 12-foot shot, Iba said. "If we miss
it, however, it's all over."
Iba said Oklahoma is the most powerful team he's
seen in the Big Eight.
- "They're unbelievable on the offensive boards," he
said. 'They have the brute strength they lacked last
The Series: Nebraska leads 5-2. The teams split
games last season. Nebraska won 85-78 in Lincoln
and Oklahoma won at Norman 107-85.
The Game: With four starters averaging in double
figures, Oklahoma is sixth in the nation in team
scoring. The Sooners outscore their opponents by
an average of 18.9 points (86.3 to 67.4).
Nebraska Coach Kelly Hill said the Huskers must
stop forward Lynn McCurdy, the Sooners' leading
scorer and rebounder. The 5-foot-ll senior leads
Division 1 in free-throw shooting, converting 90 per
cent of her attempts while averaging 16.6 points.
A pair of 6-1 players, forward Jacquetta Hurley
and freshman center Mandy Miller tower three
inches taller than Nebraska counterparts Debra
Powell and Angie Miller.
"As small as we are, it's tough going out every night
and being overmatched in height," Hill said. Nebras
ka's front line, which includes Powell, Miller and
Stacy Imming, still scored 54 of the Huskers' 75
points in a loss to Kansas State Saturday.
With a win tonight, Nebraska would complete the
first half of the Big Eight schedule with a 4-3 record.
This is on target with Nebraska's plans, Hill said.
"We're in a three-way battle with Oklahoma and
Oklahoma State for fourth seed in the Big Eight
tourney and the home court in the first round," Hill
said.
"We've finally got the rotation (of games) in our
favor," she said. Nebraska plays four of its final seven
games at home.
Leonard's return to boxing rings off-key
" know Juanita wants me to
quit . . . But the best thing about
her, is that she will stick by me in
that it's my decision as to when
I'll retire, and I do have a goal of
three titles. "
Sugar Ray Leonard
May 1982
Sugar Ray Leonard has returned to
boxing. He says it's the challenge and
that he was denied history. Since he
has already earned more than $37 mil
lion in the ring, I believe Ray is making
a big mistake returning to boxing after
Co) Matthew
having molded a more than adequate
reputation as a commentator for Home
Box Office.
Sugar Ray should consider logically
the external implications of his deci
sion as well as the personal ones.
Sugar R ay has already made history,
After his knockout of Tommy "Hit
Man" Hearns and his successful revenge
match against Roberto Duran, Leo
nard certainly has nothing to prove to
anyone. He has held titles in three div
isions, and he is in the record books for
the fight against Hearns, which made
more dollars than any other fight in
history. Leonard is naive if he thinks he
can become more memorable just by
adding more laureb to his belt.
Secondly, Sugar Ray is endangering
his life. Sure, he has made it clear he
will fight no one who does not wear
thumb-less gloves. But jabs to the head
can impair health too ask Joe Fraz
ier and Muhammad AIL As a matter of
fact, Dr. Ferdie Pacheco, Ali's former
physician made it very clear: "He doesn't
need to fight any more. He's got money
in the bank and all the fame he needs.
He's not like Ali, where fighting was his
life. He's got more things going for him."
Third, Sugar Ray Leonard is writing
himself out of the history books. In the
first place, he gave his word that he
would never return to boxing for any
reason. During his farewell dinner he
said before an overflow crowd at the
Baltimore Civic Arena that he had no
regrets. He promised that, unlike Ali's,
his retirement would be final. He justi
fies this by claiming he was robbed of
history and that he made a premature
decision. Leonard's change of heart
may hurt his chances for physical as
well as intellectual immortality.
Leonard is a special boxer. His sharp
mind and articulate manner made
him the darling of America, as an
Olympian and as a professional fighter.
But Sugar Ray is tarnishing this
image an image particularly impor
tant to children who view him as a role
model. When he retired, he showed
how special he was to walk away
and seek out a new profession. Like
Joe Frazier, Ali, Joe Louis, Sugar Ray
Robinson and Jack Dempsey, here he
comes again, back to the ring.
"Now that Sugar Ray Leonard will be
boxing again, he can never be thought
of again as different. But with his
thumbless gloves, he can be an exam
ple," columnist Dave Anderson wrote.
Finally, and perhaps most impor
tantly, Sugar Ray Leonard is a family
man. This is relevant because Leonard
himself stresses this point whenever
he can. There are few articles about
Leonard in which he does not mention
his wife Juanita or his son, Ray Jr.
But since Ray was one of HBO's most
recognizable regulars for the last two
years, and since his "retirement" from
boxing probably did enable him to be
around his family more often, I seriously
doubt that Juanita's heart is really in
her professed "support." She probably
just knows he would do it anyway, and
doesn't want to create unnecessary
hostility.
And then, there is Ray Jr.
After the fight with Duran, he asked
his father to retire. After the fight with
Hearns, he asked his father to retire.
Sugar Ray Sr. should listen to his son.
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