Dave Stallworth
Jerry Harkness
Nate Thurmond
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- Cincinnati (19-0) went to Wichita State with a 37-games winning streak. But the last time the Bearcats were there, they lost by a point.
Few took Shockers coach Ralph Miller seriously when he proclaimed, We have the balance and manpower to beat them. After all, Cincy had thumped Wichita 63-50 earlier in the season. The visitors seemed to have the game well in hand when they led by six with 3:30 to play despite 39 points by Wichita's Dave Stallworth. Then Tom Thacker fouled out, and Tony Yates and Ron Bonham each had four fouls. Perhaps trying to be too careful, Cincy's impeccable defense fell apart. Seven straight points by Stallworth put the home team ahead 66-64, and there went the winning streak.
- Loyola of Chicago, undefeated in their first 20 games, was coping with the loss of two strong bench players to scholastic requirements. The Ramblers edged Marquette 92-90 on Jerry Harkness's two baskets in OT. Then Bowling Green stopped Loyola's fast break with a withering full court press. Howie Kornives shot over the Ramblers for 32 points while 6'11" Nate Thurmond controlled both boards and scored 24. The Falcons won 92-75.
- Ohio State (15-3) vaulted into a first-place tie in the Big Ten by beating Michigan 75-68. The other team at the top was Illinois, which lost to Wisconsin 84-77. Dave Downey scored 53 points for the Illini, but it wasn't enough to take down Indiana, which won 103-100 to stay on the heels of the league leaders.
- Down South, nothing pleases Mississippi State coach Babe McCarthy than beating Kentucky's Adolph Rupp. The Maroons upended the Wildcats 56-52 in Starkville to seemingly clinch another SEC title. Then MSU (17-5) traveled to Gainesville and fell to Florida 73-52 as the Gators made 39 of 45 FTs. Meanwhile, Auburn (16-2), running instead of shuffling, defeated Florida 88-59 and LSU 82-57 to tie State for the SEC lead. Georgia Tech, a 78-73 loser to Louisville in a non-conference game, stayed a game behind.
- Duke managed to avoid the upset wave rippling across the land. The Blue Devils fought off determined Virginia 79-74, then turned their attention to Wake Forest. Coach Bones McKinney tried everything, including the "Lonesome George" offense - one player in the back court and the other four at the end line - but it wasn't enough. Duke (19-2) won 73-60 behind Art Heyman's 26 points.
- In the East, NYU (13-2) continued its strong season. The Violets overwhelmed Temple 77-59 and Holy Cross 102-71 behind the scoring/rebounding tandem of Happy Hairston and Barry Kramer.
- The Southwest Conference, usually the most topsy-turvy in the country, was just about the most stable league. The leader, Texas, trampled TCU 75-59 and stampeded Texas Tech 90-76. Meanwhile, Rice, once a challenger, fell to SMU 89-79.
- Out West, Oregon State, confounded by an Oregon zone that collapsed around 7' Mel Counts, lost to the Ducks 54-50. But the second night of the two-game series, the Beavers (14-6) turned the tables 67-57. In the Western Athletic Conference, Arizona State turned Joe Caldwell and Art Becker loose in wins over Utah 83-78 and Brigham Young 104-87. Caldwell threw in 63 in the two games while Becker dominated the boards.
Reference: Sports Illustrated, February 25, 1963
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