It's a Mata-Matta world -- in that order -- at the top of the regular season's final Power Rankings.
| NCAA Basketball Power Rankings |
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A change in over-earband model Lorenzo Mata over the past two weeks makes UCLA increasingly formidable: He's hitting free throws. Mata shot 9-of-30 (30 percent) in his first 13 Pac-10 games but has suddenly morphed into the A.J. Graves of the West Coast. He hit 2-of-2 at Arizona on Feb. 17 and 8-of-9 against Cal on Feb. 22, after which he warned future opponents (via the L.A. Times): "I'm making them. Don't foul me anymore." Stanford -- those suckers! -- heeded his advice, neglecting to send Mata to the line once in 33 minutes on Saturday. Now he just has to hope that Monday's head X-ray (we're not making that up) didn't wipe out his temporary superpowers.
Next games: 3/1 at Washington State, Pac-10 tournament. |
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A prime example of how the experience of covering a game can differ greatly from watching it on TV: I was on the floor of Value City Arena after the No. 1-vs.-No. 1 duel on Sunday, running various column ideas through my head; Conley's true value, Oden's farewell to Columbus; the Buckeyes' title chances, etc. I stuck with my first choice, Conley, confident that he was the day's most important storyline. Yet when I called a few friends afterward to get their impressions, the first thing they asked was, "Did you see Matta pick up his gum off the court?" The clip of OSU coach Thad Matta losing his gum while yelling at a ref, then retrieving it from the floor and putting it back in his mouth has spread like wildfire on YouTube, but I'm pretty sure none of the writers there had any clue that it happened. Had I known Matta's gum was all anyone cared about, I would have written a different column.
Next games: 3/3 at Michigan, Big Ten tournament. |
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If PETA has its way, the Jayhawks will no longer have to worry about live chickens being tossed in their direction when they visit Kansas State. The animal-rights group recently complained about K-State students' practice of unleashing the birds -- meant to mock KU's mascot -- before the game, saying that he chickens were subjected to "deafening noise, bright lights, terror, abusive handling, likely death for the sake of amusement." (PETA: You forgot Bob Huggins!) The Jayhawks' real concern at this point is the Kevin Durant show coming to town, which should be a real test of whether the their incredible efficiency tear is legit.
Next games: 3/3 vs. Texas, Big 12 tournament. |
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If you don't think the loss of Brian Butch matters that much to the Badgers -- perhaps because you're hung up on the Polar Bear's aesthetics rather than his stats -- here are a couple of things to consider:
• Butch was the best defensive rebounder in the Big Ten, grabbing 25.1 percent of his team's available boards.
• Just for context, Butch's defensive rebounding rate was higher than far-more lauded players such as Florida's Joakim Noah (24.3 percent) and LSU's Glen Davis (21.2).
• Wisconsin's swing offense is only at its best when its big men are hitting threes, and the threat of Butch's outside shot stretched opposing defenses. Jason Chappell, Joe Krabbenhoft and Greg Stiemsma, who are likely to see their minutes increase in Butch's absence, are not feared perimeter shooters.
Next games: 3/3 vs. Michigan State, Big Ten tournament. |
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To what extent did the Salukis dominate the Missouri Valley Conference this season? Enough that four of their five starters were named first-team all-something. Senior guard Jamaal Tatum won the league MVP award (the Larry Bird Player of the Year) and was also an academic All-America (with a 3.64 GPA). Junior forward Randal Falker -- the team's resident graphic designer/bike racer -- finished third in the Larry Legend vote but was named Valley's defensive MVP. Guards Tony Young and Bryan Mullins, meanwhile, were first-team all-defense, and the only starter left out of the party, Matt Shaw, is SIU's third-leading scorer and second-leading rebounder. So yeah, this team is slightly dangerous.
Next games: Missouri Valley tournament. |
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