Notes on a Scorecard - March 26, 1990

Nevada Las Vegas showed just how impossible Loyola Marymount’s dream was. . . . But if the dream had to end, maybe this was the best way. No controversy. No heartbreak. No excuses. No second-guessing. Just an old-fashioned whipping by a superior team playing at the top of its game. . . .

Easing the pain for fans of the Lions was CBS, which kept the score a secret most of the afternoon. Only after every three or four baskets would Brent Musburger or a graphic tell us the margin of the Runnin’ Rebels’ lead. That all-important statistic, time of possession, got about as much attention as the score, even when Loyola Marymount was rallying in the first half. . . .

None of the other networks are much better about showing the score. It’s a pet peeve, but is it really too much to ask of multimillion-dollar operations?. . . .

Final Four forecast: UNLV 93, Georgia Tech 85; Arkansas 78, Duke 75. . . .

Final Two: UNLV 87, Arkansas 82, as Tark the Shark slam dunks the NCAA. . . .

Duke would have a much better chance if the Final Four were played in the Meadowlands instead of Denver. . . .

Do you suppose Alabama Coach Wimp Sanderson is having second thoughts about his players passing up all those two-on-one opportunities against Loyola Marymount Friday? . . .

And I wonder if Musburger and Billy Packer, who couldn’t stop talking about Sanderson’s great tactics in the first half, realize yet that Loyola Marymount led at the intermission. . . .

After Bo Kimble made his first free throw left-handed Sunday, Musburger told us to mark it down as a turning point. It was. For Nevada Las Vegas. . . .

Larry Johnson, who insists he’ll be back at Las Vegas next season, is the next Charles Barkley. . . .

If you think Jerry Tarkanian’s tight man-to-man defense can be effective, you should have seen his zone when he was coaching Cal State Long Beach. . . .

This has been a tournament full of upsets and buzzer-beating finishes, but there’s nothing terribly surprising about any of the four finalists making it to Denver. . . .

I miss Dick Vitale. . . .

CBS did a good job switching games in the regionals, but the old split-screen might have been an effective technique Friday during the Georgia Tech-Michigan State and Nevada Las Vegas-Ball State games. We hardly saw any of the second half in Oakland when Ball State made a good run. . . .

Kenny Anderson, the Georgia Tech freshman guard, could make any roster in the NBA next season, but his defense needs a lot of work and he should play at least one more year of college ball. . . .

Instant replay wouldn’t have helped at the end of regulation in the Georgia Tech-Michigan State game. It took CBS technicians several minutes to get the sound and picture that showed Anderson’s shot was delivered a fraction of a second after the buzzer, and nobody would have waited around for that. . . .

One of the reasons Jim Valvano didn’t sign with UCLA two years ago is that he would have had to buy out the remainder of his North Carolina State contract under an agreement that works both ways. . . .

Among the underrated players in the nation this season was Michigan State guard Steve Smith. . . .

Who’s this Yukon the basketball announcers kept talking about? . . .

The UCLA-Duke game seems a million years ago, but I do recall that it was over-officiated. . . .

Nicest postgame scene was that of Duke’s Alaa Abdelnaby hugging Connecticut’s Tate George. . . .

However, the postgame handshake between coaches shouldn’t be mandatory. Too many of them look phony. . . .

Like the Lakers’ Pat Riley, Jerry Tarkanian rarely argues with officials. . . .

Best-dressed-and-named band in the land is Alabama’s Plaid Players. . . .

Mike Francesa is a pleasant addition to the CBS basketball and football studios. He’s knowledgeable, doesn’t play favorites, and isn’t carried away with himself. . . .

There was a rare, super-charged atmosphere to the Louisiana Tech-Texas women’s tournament game televised in Austin by ESPN Saturday. . . .

Jeannie Buss and Michael Weiss of the Forum were in Oakland lobbying to bring the 1993 West Regional to Inglewood. Loyola Marymount would be the host school. . . .

I’ve changed my mind about the NCAA three-point shot. It’s cheap, but the most important thing is that it makes for exciting finishes. . . .

In case you haven’t heard, Pedro Guerrero arrived late for spring training with the St. Louis Cardinals. . . .

After that contract Jim Kelly signed with Buffalo, the Rams’ Jim Everett already seems terribly underpaid. . . .

Vlade Divac’s English is getting so good that he said “you know” the other day.