Notes on a Scorecard - March 30, 1992

If the Pacific 10 Conference had sent more than one team to the Final Four in the past 12 years, it might be getting the respect it thinks it deserves. . . .

During the pregame show on KMPC Saturday, Jim Harrick told John Rebenstorf that UCLA wanted to win more than Indiana. . . .

The coach also said he didn’t believe there was much difference between the Indiana team his Bruins were about to play and the one they defeated, 87-72, at Springfield, Mass., in the opening game of the season. . . .

Sure could have fooled me. . . .

Indiana was as good as UCLA was bad. . . .

What made the Duke-Kentucky overtime game one of the best ever played was that the first 44 minutes and 59 seconds were nearly as special as the last second. . . .

Simply look at the shooting percentages: 65.4% for Duke, 56.9% for Kentucky. . . .

I have finally seen an NCAA tournament performance, Christian Laettner’s, that ranks with Bill Walton’s during the 1973 UCLA-Memphis State championship game. . .

Rick Pitino is a terrific coach, but, as Bob Knight pointed out, he should have put defenders in front of and behind Laettner on the final play of the game. Probably on both sides, too. . . .

When he plays in the NBA next season, Laettner had better not step on Karl Malone’s chest. . . .

An emerging superstar is Jamal Mashburn, who completed his sophomore season for Kentucky Saturday. . . .

What I meant to say in this space last week was that Cincinnati will be trying to win another NCAA title without Oscar Robertson. . . .

Two prominent Cincinnati players are products of Coach Dana Pagett’s Rancho Santiago College program--center Corie Blount and swingman Erik Martin. Reserve forward Terry Nelson is a transfer from Long Beach City College and was a teammate of UCLA guard Tyus Edney at Long Beach Poly High. . . .

Thumbs down on CBS for its self-serving halftime feature on Al McGuire, the transfer from NBC. . . .

Too bad the Indiana-UCLA game was first Saturday. That meant we got a complete analysis of the Hoosiers’ rout and not a word in retrospect on the Blue Devils’ great escape. . . .

It is difficult to remember a more appealing Final Four than Saturday’s in Minneapolis. Indiana-Duke is a classic matchup between probably the two best coaches in the sport. Young Michigan and underpublicized Cincinnati provide the surprise element. . . .

Well, maybe it would be a little more attractive if the semifinal opponents were switched. . . .

Exhibit A of an overzealous official influencing the outcome of a game was Lenny Wirtz’s unnecessary technical foul call on Massachusetts Coach John Calipari during Kentucky’s victory Thursday. . . .

A technical foul--two free throws and possession of the ball--can ruin a college team. Better is the NBA version that awards only a single free throw. . . .

The last Pac-10 representative in the Final Four was Arizona, an 86-78 loser to Oklahoma during the 1988 semifinals at Kansas City. . . .

There is no truth to the report that the Northeast Louisiana Indians are thinking about changing their nickname to the Cardinal. . . .

When the women’s Final Four is held there Saturday and Sunday, the Sports Arena will join Rupp Arena in Lexington, Ky., as the only two buildings to house both men’s and women’s NCAA basketball championships. . . .

Virginia’s 6-5 Heidi and Heather Burge from Palos Verdes truly fit the description of twin towers. . . .

Dr. Dallas Long, who gave expert testimony in the Rodney King trial Friday, is the 1964 Olympic shotput champion from USC. . . .

If you picked six winners in the Pick Six Saturday at Santa Anita, you won more than if you picked nine winners in the Pick Nine. . . .

George Foreman plans to visit Mike Tyson in prison. . . . It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out what Evander Holyfield will try to do against Larry Holmes June 19 at Caesars Palace--come out smoking and don’t give the former heavyweight champion the time or space to go into his song and dance act. . . .

Pittsburgh Penguin battler Kevin Stevens hails from Brockton, Mass., hometown of the late Rocky Marciano and Marvelous Marvin Hagler. . . . Jerry Tarkanian, who worked with Joel Meyers on SportsChannel, and Marques Johnson, who worked with Ralph Lawler on Channel 13, were easy on the ear while doing commentary on Clipper games last week. . . .

I particularly enjoyed Johnson’s imitation of Walton. . . .

So much for those who thought the Lakers wouldn’t go all out to make the playoffs and would gladly settle for a lottery pick. . . .

Fight fan Doc Rivers needs a cutman. . . .

Bob Knight might not like banquets, but it is obvious that he doesn’t miss many meals.