Breakfast Buffet: Cal’s upset at Arizona throws Pac-12 race into chaos
1. Arizona's loss to California on Sunday not only knocked the Wildcats out of the 'Who's No. 1?' debate but also tightened the Pac-12 standings considerably. Would you believe that Arizona, UCLA and Oregon are all tied for the conference lead and that seven Pac-12 teams are within two games of first place? The Ducks still have the advantage of being done with the Bruins and Wildcats, but they need Dominic Artis back to have realistic hope of a Pac-12 title.
2. Former Duke point guard Jay Williams was seemingly on his way to a promising NBA career before a motorcycle crash ended his career prematurely. Greg Bishop of the New York Times shares the inspiring tale of how the ex-Chicago Bulls draft pick rebounded from that crushing disappointment and carved out a new career as an excellent analyst for ESPN.
3. One of the obvious questions that emerged when Larry Brown accepted SMU's head coaching job last spring was why would a hall of fame NBA coach want to spearhead the rebuilding process at seldom-relevant program. This excellent Grantland piece seeks the answer that question and produced a nuanced theory as to why Brown continually jumps from one job to the next every few years.
4. The game of the weekend – and heck, maybe the regular season – was Notre Dame's thrilling five overtime victory over Louisville on Saturday night. Here are my two favorite deadline pieces to emerge from that game, one a well-written game story from the Chicago Tribune's Brian Hamilton and the other a column from ESPN.com's Eamonn Brennan that puts the game into context while also making you feel like you were there.
5. Team I wouldn't want to draw if I were a top four seed in the NCAA tournament: Montana, one of the nation's most dangerous mid-majors from the perimeter. Since getting star guard Will Cherry back in time for the start of league play, the Griz have been on a tear, winning their first four Big Sky games. That gives them a Big Sky record 25-game win streak in league play when including the 11 in a row Montana won at the end of last season.
Had NC State fallen at Clemson on Sunday, the Wolfpack would have lost their fourth straight game and dropped below .500 in ACC play. Instead Scott Wood came to the rescue, burying a corner 3-pointer with one second remaining to give NC State a badly needed 58-57 road victory. Huge shot, not that you'd know it from the monotone call in the above video.
"I'll tell you what, Victor Oladipo is like a baby’s bottom: Smooth and sometimes explosive," -- CBS analyst Clark Kellogg with one of the lines of the year during Sunday's game between Indiana and Ohio State. Oladipo scored a career high 26 points to lead the Hoosiers to an 81-68 victory. (Big Ten Network)
• Marquette at Georgetown, 7 p.m. EST
• Kansas State at Kansas, 9 p.m. EST
