College Basketball / Robyn Norwood : Loyola-Oklahoma Shootout Is Probable Next Season

Those who delight in imagining National Collegiate Athletic Assn. tournament games that pair sneeze-and-you’ll-miss-a-basket teams such as Loyola Marymount, Nevada Las Vegas and Oklahoma may have something to look forward to next season: a regular-season game between Loyola Marymount and Oklahoma, the top two scoring teams in the nation.

Paul Westhead, Loyola coach, has said it’s almost definite that the Lions will play a home-and-home series with the Sooners, starting in Oklahoma next season.

Loyola, ranked 18th in the Associated Press poll, has gained national attention with a scoring average of 110.7. In 27 games, Loyola has scored 100 or more points 19 times, with a season-high of 142.

The fourth-ranked Sooners’ latest conquest was of Colorado, a 134-84 victory Saturday.

Oklahoma set six Big Eight records in the game, and Colorado saw five opponent school-records fall.

Colorado’s Brent Vaughan was suitably impressed.

“They’ll run for 45 minutes in a 40-minute game,” he told reporters after the game.

Good news for Princeton: The three-point shot is popular and, in all likelihood, the distance will remain at 19 feet 9 inches, according to Ed Steitz, secretary-editor of the NCAA men’s basketball rules committee.

This must please the Tigers, who are one of only two teams in the country that are among the top 10 in both three-point shots made per game and three-point field-goal accuracy. Arizona is the other.

In comparing 1986-87 figures with 1987-88 midseason statistics, Steitz said the average game last season produced 7 successful shots out of 18.25 attempts for 38.4% accuracy. This season, teams were hitting 7.6 of 20.01 attempts (38%). Additionally, three-point shots represent a greater percentage of all field-goal attempts, up from 15.6% per game to 17.1%.

Princeton was making 49.4% of its three-point shots, and making an average of 8.1 a game through games of Feb. 22. Arizona was making 48.8%, an average of 6.6 three-pointers a game.

“The rules committee will look at the distance when it meets at the Final Four in Kansas City (April 2-4), but if the shooting percent hasn’t risen dramatically, and, in this case it’s gone down some, why change the distance?” said Steitz.

A number of teams make a lot of three-pointers but do not rank so highly in percentage. Among those: Bradley, Oklahoma, Loyola Marymount, Nevada Las Vegas and Vanderbilt.

The leader in three-point field-goal percentage? Prairie View of Prairie View, Tex., at 49.6%.

Not only is Temple the nation’s top-ranked team, but the school’s sports information department has come up with what may be the most innovative promotional gimmick of the season.

About 150 college basketball writers across the country--mostly wire-service reporters--recently received a deflated basketball in the mail, tagged “Inspected and Rejected by No. 33 (Temple’s Tim Perry).”

The balls were acquired from a dealer at a discounted price.

The idea came from assistant sports information director Mike Kaine and director of promotions Mike Felici, and its purpose is to draw attention to the accomplishments of Perry, a senior who has blocked 89 shots this season. Mark Macon, a freshman, is the Owls’ best-known player.

“We’re just trying to get him considered (for various honors),” Kaine said. “Unless somebody’s really diligent, they don’t look at every one of hundreds of pieces of paper that come in the mail.”

Underdog teams searching for that minute extra advantage at some postseason conference tournaments may not find it so easy to get.

Where is the Pacific 10 Conference tournament?

Why, Tucson of course. As if the Arizona Wildcats, who have run from rest of the Pac-10, needed help.

And where will the Western Athletic Conference tournament be?

Provo, Utah--Where else?--the home of Brigham Young, another team not to be pitied.

The Pacific Coast Athletic Assn. tournament, however, will be held at the Forum, a neutral site. Next year, however, it will move to Long Beach Arena. Bill Mulligan, UC Irvine coach, would just as soon play it in Las Vegas.

“I say let’s go to Vegas,” Mulligan said. (Nevada Las Vegas Coach Jerry) Tarkanian is going to win the damn tournament anyway.”