NCAA MEN’S FINAL FOUR : Notes : Everything Going Like Clockwork

The management of Reunion Arena is taking no chances. The $2-million arena scoreboard is sporting a $3,000 backup.

Atop each auxiliary scoreboard at the arena’s ends there sits a second scoreboard, a sentinel against what the NCAA would consider a disaster.

“We’ve talked about it for some time,” Reunion Arena Manager Jack Beckman said. “After what happened up in Kansas City, we decided to go ahead and put the backup in.”

In the Midwest Regional semifinal pitting Kansas against Michigan State, the Kemper Arena clock froze, sparking a raucous outburst from Spartan Coach Jud Heathcote.

But that won’t happen in Dallas. In addition to the backup scoreboard, arena personnel have a backup control panel and, if all else fails, a small clock at courtside to keep the time.

“In most facilities, after five or six years everything begins to get tired,” Beckman said. “But now, if something happens to the main scoreboard, in 30 seconds we can be hooked up to the backups and going again.”

Heathcote, discussing the relative merits of the Final Four participants, mentioned that LSU was “here by the grace of God.”

Wyoming Coach Jim Brandenburg shot back: “If some guys had done a little bit better coaching, their teams might be here, too.”

Heathcote nodded in agreement.

Heathcote, on the Duke-Kansas game: “I just think Duke is a little more solid at every position. Duke’s got two great guards (Johnny Dawkins and Tommy Amaker) and all that experience. They’re possibly a little weak at center, but nobody has a real dominant center.”

If the Jayhawks remind their fans of the Kansas teams of 30 years ago, it’s intended.

Some team members agreed that, should Kansas advance to the Final Four, they would get flat-top haircuts. Friday, the Jayhawks showed off the new look at a public workout in Reunion Arena.

Kansas center Greg Dreiling, newly shorn of his golden locks, looks more than a little like Clyde Lovellette, who guided Kansas to the 1952 national title.

“I thought it might help me in the upcoming draft,” Dreiling said. “Somebody forgot to tell me it would be the military draft, though.”

The Duke-Kansas semifinal matchup today will take on added meaning at the Dole household in Washington.

Sen. Robert Dole is a graduate of Kansas, while Secretary of Transportation Elizabeth Dole has a diploma from Duke.

The Blue Devils’ Dole told the Wichita (Kan.) Eagle Beacon that she and the Senate majority leader have a bet.

“Whoever loses has to take the late shift in walking Leader, our schnauzer, for the month of April, and that’s tough duty.”

There’s more than a warm feeling that goes with winning the award as the NCAA Final Four’s Most Valuable Player. This year’s winner, if he’s a senior, will receive an $1,800 mink jacket from a Dallas furrier. If the winner is an undergraduate and cannot by NCAA rules receive such gifts, the company will donate a scholarship worth $1,800 to the player’s school.

LSU Coach Dale Brown passed a message to the throngs of media covering the Final Four: “Imelda Marcos says hello.”

Duke Coach Mike Krzyzewski, a disciple of Bob Knight, is an advocate of the man-to-man defense.

“I’m afraid to go zone because Knight would kill me,” Krzyzewski said. “Actually, I use it because I believe in the system.”

More than 5,000 people, many in business suits having left early from their downtown offices, spent Friday afternoon watching the Tigers, Cardinals, Blue Devils and Jayhawks in their public workouts.

However, there was almost as much action outside the arena, where the sun was out and the mercury was climbing well into the 70s.

Souvenir tents were up, and doing a brisk business and prominent all around the building were people with tickets in their hands.

“Who wants lower-deck seats,” cried out a fellow in a Memphis State T-shirt.

There were people selling tickets and there were people calling out that they wanted to buy them. But those two groups didn’t seem to be getting together very often.

One sale came close to being completed, but after a bit of haggling over price, the would-be buyer walked away and said:

“That’s just too much. See you later.”

Friday’s market value for prime seats appeared to be leveling off in the $600-to-$700 range.

Around Dallas, the hotels and restaurants were filling up, and before the extravaganza is over the fans will have pumped more than $7 million into the local economy.

Each of the four schools left in the tournament was allotted 1,700 tickets. In the case of Duke, only 170 went to students.