S A I N T P E T~" E R 'S C O L L E G E Special Special NIT NIT Issue PAlJ WOW Issue Volume XXXVI March 6, 1968 Number 12 St. Peter's College Receives Fourlh National Invitation Tournament Bid PEACOCl(S AND LIU PICl(ED IN DRAMATIC ANNOUNCEMENT In one of the most dramatic invitations in the 31-year history of the National Invitation Tourna­ ment, both St. Peter's College and Long Island University received bids to the NIT before 7,012 paying customers and a metropolitan television audience just before the start of the second half of the SPC­ LIU basketball game at the Jersey City Armory, Wednesday evening, February 28. The invitations were extended to the two teams by Coach John Bach of Fordham Univer­ sity, head of the NIT selection committee, who arrived at the game at halftime. Other schools invited to the tourney were Oklahoma City. Army, Fordham, Duquesne, Notre Dame, Dayton, and Mar­ shall, Wyoming, Temple and Vil­ Harry Laurie shows his picture-perfect form on this jump shot lanova. St. Peter's and LIU bring against Niagara. the number of invited teams to thirteen. The field will be in­ creased to sixteen, largest lin the tourney's history, before the first Kennedymen Break nine. The field will be increased to sixteen, largest in the tour, ney's history, before the first LIU Streak, 70-59 opening round double-header, which will be held on Thursday St. Peter's and Long Island University hooked-up in one of the evening, March 14, in the new best played and most crucial games ever in the Metropolitan area Madison Square Garden Center. last Wednesday with the Peacocks coming out on top wiith a 70-59 This year's appearance will victory to break LIU's winning streak at 20 and hand the Black­ mark the fourth time in the past birds their first loss this season. 11 years, and the second year in By virtue of the victory, St. from the locker-rooms to begin a row, that St. Peter's has ac­ Pete O'Dea drives behind the basket and sinks two points in Peter's took over first place in the second period, National In­ cepted an NIT bid. Of the first one of the Peacocks' bigger wins J!his season-against American the Metropolitan Collegiate Bas­ vitation Tournament Selection thirteen teams li.nvited the Pea­ U. earlier in the year. ketball Conference with a 6-0 Committee Chairman John Bach cocks, Marshall, and Villanova record. LIU's mark dropped to collared both coaches behind the are the only .repeaters. St. located on 49th Street and 8th sics in 1957 and '58, and again 7-1. student bleachers. Peter's record stood at 21 wins Avenue as its site. The tourney last year. Each time the Pea­ The game was televised over He asked LIU Coach Roy against only two losses prior was designed to bring top rank­ cocks were ousted in the open­ WPIX-TV and was played be­ Rubin and Peacock Coach Don to tonight's game with Fairleigh ing teams together under cham­ ing round, by Dayton, St. J os­ fore a New Jersey record crowd Kennedy if they would accept in­ Dickinson at the Teaneck pionship conditions, and to prove eph's (Pa.), and Southern Il­ of 7,012 extremely vocal fans at vitations to the 31st Annual NIT. Armory. This maxk represents that basketball was a sport with linois, respectively. the Jersey City Armory. Bach received two spontaneous the best season ever for nation<tl rather than sectional ap­ The tournament opens with a Anli-climax? "Yes!" replies. the Peacocks, who have never peal. The original field was double-header on March 14, in limited to six entrants, wiith To some people, the outcome Kennedy wanted to keep the advanced beyond the first round the Garden. Other dates for Temple University emerging as of the game was anticlimatic. invitation a secret until after the of play in the Tournament. tournament play are March 15, the victor. To those fans, the climax was game, but Rubin talked him into The National Invitational Tour­ 16, 18, 19, and 21. The finals will reached just before the second­ announcing it during halftime to nament was begun in 1938 with St. Peter's appeared in the be held on Saturday afternoon, half tip-off. remove the pressure from both the old Madison Square Garden, oldest of all the post-season clas- March 23. As the two teams came up teams. Dominic Alagia, the PA an­ nouncer, started by asking for Garden Ticket everyone's attention. However, Information the LIU scorekeeper got wind of Rev. John A. Boland S.J., the situation and passed the chairman of the Faculty Board word along to the LIU fans. Ex­ of Athletics, has announced that citement and cheers swept ticket orders for St. Peter's first through the stands like wildfire. game in the National Invitation Then they finally settled down Tournament are now being tak­ to hear the official announce­ en in his office. As soon as the ment. "We are happy to an­ pairings for the ,tourney's open­ nounce,'' said Alagia, "that the ing round are set, tickets will two teams playing here to­ go on sale at the Dineen Ticket night . ." That's all he could Booth, in Fr. Bo1and's office, say as the Armory was engulfed and at the Athletic Office in Col· in a tremendous ovation. !ins Gym bailcon.y. Rubin and Kennedy embraced Tickets prices ,ait the new in front of the scorer's table and Madison Square Garden Center players from both teams con­ range from $3.00 for seats in the gratulated each other. mezzanine to $7 .50 for the loge At the time of the invitation, locations. St. Peter's had a 19½·2 record, Fr. Boland also said that he Senior Ken Grant sinking a while LIU's ledger stood at expects a lJarge number of spec· jumper against St. Francis of 20-½. Peacock mascot cheers on the starting team during opening 1al student itickets, for seats lo· Brooklyn. Peacocks won, 97-75. (Continued on Page 2) introductions against Niagara. cated at the end promenade, Editorials SPC Top Terriers THE GREA TEStl To Clinch Met Tie St. Peter's defeated St. Francis College of Brooklyn in a waltz last Saturday night by a score of 9'1-75. The game, which was plQed at the 89th regiment Armory in Lamie himself joined the St. New York City was marked by Peter's cakewaJk as he reeled a total of 58 peraona1 fouls called oft a total of 23 palnta, Harry a1ainst both team&-M apinalt shot 9 ol 1'1 frcm the floor, and St. Peter's. Time and apin, play added five points from-.ihe foul was halted as the two teams line. from foul line foul strolled to Tom MacMahon also WU in line, in what looked like the in­ double figures for the Peacocks stant replay of an old Fred u be twisted bis WQ for nine Astaire-Ginger Rogers movie. points on four field loala and a Elnardo Webster played Terp­ Elnudo Webuu 111 fOulacl ltt' like number of foul shots. St. Francia' Ed Grant. It. sichore for the Peacocb, as he DoUI Smith and Milal Mahoney Pelu's c:Uncbed tie larr N 9t continuel1 tripped-up the Ter­ led the scorma parade for St. Caalerenw In 17-75 zrmp. riers' defenaea with a variety of Francia u they bit for 15 and abota before fouUnc out late in 12 points reapectlvely. Bob the second half. Christie and Ed Grant added 11 Pete O'Dea kept in step with apiece for the Terrien. Fabulous 5 Webster u be almoet aiqle­ 'lbe v1ctc;lry ~t Peacocks ~ed]y kept the KennedJmen ....,.. nccn to 21.z, the beat Set Records from fa1llq into their amwal recGrd ever compiled b:, a St. So far this season, several post NIT bid slump. O'Dea Peter's team. achool records have either been IICOl'ed 18 points and garnered broken or are •ithin reach of 12 rebounds. Bis last rebound, being surpassed. They are: which came wlth a minute and Most THIil Pabds (Gema) a half to play, b1'0Ulht Pete'• 123-vs. Stonehill. Broke rec­ career total to lAOO. O~ ia ord of 119 set against Stonehill the only player in the Collep' in 1963-64. -._sketball history to reach the Most Team FleJd. Goala (Game) coveted millenium' mark in re­ ~vs. Stonehill. Broke record bounds. of 49 set against LeMoyne earlier O'Dea's hustle under the this season. boards almost spelled disaster Largelt Margin of Victory for the NIT bound Peacocks. 56--vs. Biscayne. Broke record Early in the second half, the of 52 set a1ainst Toronto in 1969- senior ·captain from Teaneck 60. smashed his knee on the court Most Points (Beuon. Jndiridual)* when he dove for the ball near 568---by. Elnardo Webster. Tom the St. Francis basket. O'Dea Smith holds current record of sat out the next three minutes of 620 set m 1950-51. play, before M.ostfleldGoaJ.. game with 15:11 Mmi on (leuaa. Individual) clock. Pete's play was not vis­ 226-by Elnardo Webster. ably hampered, however, and he Broke record of 201 set by Tom brought the crowd of 2,000 to its Tom Mac:Nabaa takes bis pet• Smith in 1950-51. feet with a beautiful behind·the­ mdecl hr1llt:lng 1a'f"IIP ...... Nost Rebonnd• (Seuaa)• back assist to Harry Laurie five a pair of Tem.r cfiljaden ID 354-by Pete O'Dea.