Holy Cross Favored To Bounce Crimson

Bill Barclay's quintet draws its stiffest assignment of the year tonight when it lines up in the Arena at 7:45 p.m. against Holy Cross, the team that brought big-time basketball to New England. Boston University and Boston College, which beat Harvard on a last-second field goal before the vacation, provide the entertainment in the nightcap.

Naturally, the Crusaders are favored. They belong among the top five teams in the nation and their only losses so far this winter have been two-pointers to Kentucky and Tulane, and a six-point yielding to the number one team, Easy Ed Macauley and/or St. Louis. But generally, the Cross has to work up a good sweat to dispose of the Crimson.

Four Years Against Harvard

Three of the five Crusaders who will play tonight, George Kaftan, Joe Mullaney, and Dermie O'Connell, will be starting against Harvard for the fourth straight season. They helped hand Wyndol Gray's NCAA team its only regulation defeat in 1945-46, flogged Saul Mariaschin's 1946-47 group 61-40, and outlasted George Hauptfuhrer & Co. last year 48-42.

Mullaney, out earlier this season after an operation, is now back in shape to renew his play-making duties.

Kaftan, an all-American center last season, still fluffs in a lot of rebounds. But the fair-haired boy now is all-American Bob Cousy, a junior.

"Gently, Sir"

Cousy is the chief magician in Holy Cross' crowd-pleasing give-and-go, behind-the-back pass system. And his soft, tantalizing push shot is the most dangerous single weapon in the Crusader arsenal. It helped the Cross win the NCAA title two years ago, and just missed upsetting Kentucky in the same tourney last winter.

For the Crimson, Coach Barclay will send out center Bill Prior and Johnny Rockwell together up front along with Pete Petrillo. Chip Gannon and Dick Covey will start at the guards. "Prior will cover Kaftan," Barclay hopefully reported yesterday, "and either Gannon or Covey will guard Cousy."