The Daily Independent

Fans Favor Carolina, Generals Devils And Terrors To Be Big Guns In The 1937 Tournament

Sixteenth Annual Southern Conference Tourney Is Set for March 4-6

By FRED DIXON

Raleigh, Feb. 9.-With the sixteenth annual Southern Conference basketball tournament just a month off, basketball fans throughout the conference already are naming the winner of the annual event.

Dates for the tourney have been set as March 4, 5, and 6, and the games— seven in all— will be run off in Raleigh's Memorial Auditorium.

The Generals of Washington and Lee at the present have the strongest backing with the White Phantoms of the University of North Carolina, the Red Terrors of North Carolina State, and the Blue Devils of Duke University pushing them for fan favoritism.

Most fans are of the opinion that as long as Coach Cy Young has Bob Spessard around to jump center Washington and Lee will be the team to beat for the tournament title. Spessard, six feet, seven inches tall, is the tallest center in the conference and last year as a sophomore got most votes for the No. 1 center post on the all-tournament team.

Coach Young is one of the most popular of the conference coaches and his teams always develop a strong tournament following. Last year the club fought its way to the finals where it was beaten by North Carolina. The same thing happened in 1935, but in 1934 the Generals of that year were not to be denied -they beat Duke in the finals to win the tourney title.

Besides Spessard, Young has such stars as Norman Iler and Fielden Woodward, senior guards; Earl Carson, junior forward, and William Borries, six feet four inch sophomore forward.

North Carolina, winner of the title six times since the first tourney in 1922, got away to a poor start this winter, but has hit a winner streak and today ranks as one of the most powerful teams in the Conference. Included among its wins are two over N. C. State.

Captain Earl Ruth, guard, and Andy Bershak, forward, are the Carolina stars.

State's Red Terrors, with but two monogram men on the team, appear better than last year. The team has been paced by a brilliant guard in Captain Neil Dalrymple whose play has been one of the features of the season.

Connie Mac Berry, high scorer in the conference last winter, is still jumping center, and Dr. R. R. Sermon has discovered a high scoring forward in Bill Mann, a sophomore.

Duke's Blue Devils are much stronger than the 1936 team which Maryland eliminated in the first round last winter. Their only loss in the Conference has been to N. C. State. Captain Ken Podger, guard, is the ace of the Blue Devils.

Two teams that must be watched are Wake Forest and Richmond University, new members of the Conference. They have powerful teams. Wake Forest is paced by Jim Waller, sophomore forward, and one of the best shots in the game. Richmond boasts a fine guard in Pete Jacobs.

Maryland appears to have one of the best teams in the loop, but has met with more defeats than wins. Many of the losses were by one or two points. The Old Liners hope for better luck in their next few conference games and if they get in the tourney they will cause trouble. Only eight of the Conference teams will be selected to compete in the tourney.