Season's End

At Lafayette, Ind. last week, in Purdue's big gym, a voice kept repeating over the public-address system: "Will you please move a little closer so more people can get seats?" The crowds hunched together on the planked seats, made room for more. At halftime, underdog Purdue left the floor, one point ahead of league-leading Wisconsin. As the crowd got to its feet cheering, one of the packed bleacher-stands sagged. There was the ugly rip of splintering wood; cheers died in people's throats, and instead there were panicky cries. The stand collapsed, bringing 4,000 fans down with it. The toll: three dead, 250 injured.

The game was never finished, and the tragedy chilled off the hot Big Nine championship race. At week's end three teams--Wisconsin, Illinois and Indiana--were only a few points apart in the standing. Wisconsin was told to play out the rest of the unfinished game with Purdue. A win for Wisconsin would make it the undisputed champion.

With most of the returns in, the 1946-47 season had produced only one major unbeaten team, Duquesne (won 19), which scorned razzle-dazzle basketball. Others in the top ten: sharpshooting Navy (16-1), which finished with an easy win over Army; flashy but overadvertised Kentucky (31-2); Oregon State (25-4), the best on the West Coast; Holy Cross (22-3); and Texas (23-1).

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