Holy Hula Hoops!

Certainly the Silverswords outhustled and outthought the Mustangs, but, still, they might consider etching the name of the timekeeper, Tadashi Tadani, on the cornerstone of their gym. When they build one.

Read one sign directed at NBC-TV: NOBODY BEATS CHAMINADE. With the Sooners also having lost 85-76 to SMU in the first round of the Chaminade Classic, NBC's Christmas Day Oklahoma- Louisville matchup became a de facto consolation game. But the two teams played so hard that Sooner star Wayman Tisdale complained afterward of cutting his elbow on the rim. The injury probably occurred on a back-to-the-basket, alley-oop Christmas stocking stuffer off a lob from Tim McCalister. Tisdale scored 28 as Oklahoma bodysurfed, 90-72.

Louisville guard Milt Wagner, who looked on while nursing his broken left foot, ticked off the names of the other Cardinals who were hors de combat: Kevin Walls, knee surgery; Jeff Hall, dislocated fibula; "and Manuel [Forrest]," Wagner said, getting into the islandy swim of things, "hurt his Antilles keel."

Before Maryland's opening Rainbow game against Iowa and Raveling, who had once been a Terp assistant, Driesell said, "I'll feel bad if we win and bad if we lose. With George, I hope we hit a 50-footer at the buzzer." When Maryland guard Jeff Adkins dropped a 12-footer at the overtime buzzer for a 70-68 win, Driesell didn't look at all discomforted.

North Carolina may not have had as giddy a holiday as Chaminade, but the Tar Heels certainly had a longer one. They left Japan, where they'd beaten Wichita State and Arizona State in the Suntory Ball, at 10 p.m. Christmas night, and arrived in Honolulu at 9 a.m. Christmas morning. That gave them 37 hours of Christmas—another thing Smith had promised his recruits.

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 26

You can't expect much from a team that can't help but see its mascot being ceremoniously devoured nightly at every Waikiki hotel. That dispiriting ritual may have contributed to the plight of the Arkansas Razorbacks, who became a luau feast themselves for Georgia Tech in their Rainbow Classic opener. The Hogs surrendered 18 straight points on their way to a 72-52 slaughter. Coach Eddie Sutton has never suffered a worse defeat in his 11 seasons at Fayetteville, and it could have been even uglier if Tech hadn't missed 17 times from the foul line.

Meanwhile, Tech coach Bobby Cremins issued a no-moped dictum after 7-foot backup center Antoine Ford gashed his knee falling off one. Injuries had left Tech with only eight players, and the Yellow Jackets were employing a student manager and a graduate assistant coach for practices.

Someone asked Christian Welp, Washington's 7-foot center from West Germany, whether he had sampled any local food. "Hamburger," the Teutonic sonic replied. "And pizza."

1984 All-Christmas, All-Island, All-Jones Team