ALL-TIME TOURNEY RECAP: '45 A&M 57, '49 A&M 42

It has been a tourney of blowouts, and unfortunately this would be along the same lines.

Kurland would block '49's first 3 shot attempts, and after Joe Bradley sank a three pointer to cut the lead to 6-3, Iba's 1949 squad would hit just one other shot from behind the arc the rest of the game.

With the "younger" Aggies struggling from outside, the '45 Aggies sagged on defense, basically cutting off any avenue to the basket.

On the offensive end, Kurland had his way, taking full advantage of the extra 5 inches he had on Bob Harris. To his credit, Harris held Kurland to 6 FG's, but that was mostly the result of double teams and fouls, sending the big man to the line 6 times in the first half alone.

The score at the break was 32-16 in favor of 1945.

Harris would pick up his 4th foul 20 seconds into the 2nd half on a traditional 3pt play for Kurland. The old ball coach decided to leave Harris in, which resulted in his 5th foul a few minutes later, similar to the 1949 championship game against Kentucky and Alex Groza. With Harris on the bench, 1945 would take only 5 more shots from OUTSIDE the paint, continuously feeding the ball to Kurland for short jump hooks or dump offs to Hankins or Parrack for uncontested layups and short jumpers. A late layup, steal, and three pointer would make the final margin look much closer than it actually was.

As expected, Kurland and Hankins led the way for the '45 Aggies. Kurland would finish with 28 points on 10-15 shooting from the floor, 8-15 from the line, 15 rebounds, and 6 blocks. He would also contribute 7 assists. Cecil Hankins was the only other player in double figures for A&M, posting 15 points on 6-8 shooting and 3-5 from the line. He would also log 4 steals and 8 assists. Doyle Parrack only tossed in 8 points, but he added 2 blocks, 10 rebounds, and 3 steals.

1949 was led by Bradley's 15 points and JL Parks 12 points. The '49 squad was outrebounded 35-22.

Astonishingly, 1945 didn't attempt a single 3pt shot. Iba had clearly decided to focus on their known advantage in the middle.

That advantage disappears in the Final Four, with the 1995 Cowboys and Bryant Reeves awaiting for what could be a match up for the ages.