V
The Big Four Tournament Is
SAT., DECEMBER 5, 1831 THE CAROUKA TIKES
Just
By Bson Armstrong, Jr.
December college,
basketball tournaments
are interesting affairs
More often than not they
are held to make money
for the host team and the
competition is usually a
couple a teams that the
home, team can beat,
thus 'i giving the home
folks satisfaction all the
way around.
Make no mistake, all
December tournaments
don't fit this mold. The
Holiday Classic in New
York, the Quaker City
Classic in Philly, or the
Great Alaskan 7 Shoot
Out often produce a first
rate field and seldom, if the Big
ever, the home team wins merit is
Bis Show in Greensboro.
Despite all of it's suc
cess, national attention,
heart-stopping - games,
and memorable upsets,
Four Tourna
now just a
ihr (IV
r v
jl
t
all the marbles. memory. The last one
In December, 1971 was held in December,
some bright basketball 1980. Why has one of the
fans in piedmont North, country's richest basket
Carolina decided that ball events fallen by the
play, N.C. State, the'
defending National
Champions, were ranked .
No. 1 in the nation and
North Carolina was
ranked No. 4, most fans
envisioned a
StateCarolina final
because Duke and Wake
Forest were unheralded
and unranked. So what
A
and
State
and
& 4-
Memory
happens? Wake
Duke upset both
and Carolina
America's No. 1
teams had to play in the
consolation game.
In December, 1977, all
four teams entered the
tourney unbeaten.
With an expanded
NCAA post season tour
nament, most coaches
use this time of year to
try to get their teams m
condition to play in the
big one. Some, as State,
have opted to play a
rather soft December
schedule to try to gain
confidence for the com
ing rugged ACC battles.
At Carolina, the idea
is to schedule tough in
ter sectional opponents.
They believe this helps
their teams prepare for
post season action.
Duke and Wake
Forest are filling the Big
Four, void with" addi
tional home games.
All four institutions
(Continued on Page II)
since the ACC rivalries
were so intense, especial-,
ly when the four North
Carolina teams were in
volved (Duke, Wake
Forest, N.C. State, orth
Carolina), that the fans
would love it if they stag
ed their own tourna
ment. From the word go
the event was a smash. In
no time at all, this tour
nament held annually
in the Greensboro Col
iseum was drawing
crowds in excess of
15,000 and often the
field was stronger than
any other pre-Christmas
tournament in America
could boast.
The tournament
.became a sort of
miniature ACC Tourna
ment. The ticket scalpers
were abundartt and feel
ings reached fever pitch.
wayside?
There are several
answers to that question
and all of them valid.
First, despite it's
tremendous fan appeal,
the Big Four gradually
lost favor with most of
the coaches involved.
Dean Smith of North
Carolina was the first to
publicly want out and
shortly, the rest followed
suit.
The games in the Big
Four didn't count in
league standings but they
did affect overall won
loss ledgers. Smith and
the others realized that a
lofty national rating
could be affected by the
tourney and on top of
that it was possible to
play your hottest rivals
as much as four times a
season . Most coaches
would rather play in
tersectional games in
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Some fans who normally
weren't lucky enough to December.
see a game live, jumped In December,
at the chance to catch the the Big Four
Tate Fakes For rJaylight
1974 as
opened
NCCU junior tailbackfullback Bennie Tate fakes an
Aggie defender in the annual Eagle-Aggie classic. The
Eagles belted the Aggies 35-7 in Greensboro with Tate
rushing for 131 yards in 20 carries. It marked the first
Central win since 1976 when Eric Hines kicked a last se
cond field goal in Durham.
Heisman Trophy Candidate
NEW YORK: Southern California tailback and Heisman
Trophy candidate Marcus Allen buttons his jacket to the
cold air while visiting New York City recently. Allen ac
cumulated 2324 yards rushing and broke at least 10
NCAA records in leading Southern California to a 9-2
record in the college season. The Heisman Trophy,
presented to the "outstanding college football player in
the United States," will be awarded in New York Satur
day, December 5. UPI Photo
-A
By
me
By Joe Black
Since 1960 Black people have
had rallying cries such as: "We Shall
Overcome"; "Power to the People"; and "Nation
Time"; however, for the Black Brothers and
Sisters in the 1980's there can be but one
rallying motto and that is: "Survival Time."
The national administration is
forcefully telling us that the government
is not going to take care of us. But rather
than curse this unforeseen negative action,
we should heed the encouragement of a
Black man who suggests: "Takethe first
step, srind on your feet, there is always help
for the problems you meet."
Although they are suffering, I say
that there is help for the Black, the poor, and
. the elderly; and 1 am not talking about any
form of hand-outs. God has given to each
of us a mind for thinking and a body for
working and He helps those who help
themselves. Thus. I am reminding you that
Black survival will come through political
participation and economic growth. My
friends. Black America, with its projected
annual gross income in excess of $ 100
billion dollars, is not a poverty state-we
just have misguided priorities. Fbr example,
as we labor through the years we are content
to think that Social Security will support
us when we reach the age of 65. But why
shouldn't we think and plan to live a little
better during our golden years? We can
if we heed these words of Mr. Allen Beasley:
'No man should stay poor, begin to save;
get up ! Don't be a slave.
Let's pledge to gain economic freedom
by saving rather than spending. The task
won't be difficult - to save $10.00 each pay
day we only need to sacrifice some of our
weekly alcohol and tobacco purchases. The
Black philosopher tells us: "Don't be a slave
to strong drink, a slave to dope; even a
. slave to creditors; it's no joke. Remember,
it's not the one with the highest I.Q.. but
rather what each chooses to do."
rzri! Vice President
-S-ss- The Greyhound Corporation
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That Cigarette Smoking Is Dangerous to Your Health.
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