Breakfast Buffet: Utah State player writes heartfelt thank you letter to those who saved his life
1. Utah State forward Danny Berger, who collapsed in practice earlier this season as a result of a previously undetected heart condition, penned a blog post updating his condition and thanking those who helped save his life. "With the defibrillator in my chest, activity is limited for a while, but I have been exercising on the stationary bike and even been jogging a little," he wrote. "I am taking things slow one day at a time and know I will be back to full strength on the court again some day soon."
2. Near-perfect foul shooting helped Oregon thwart Arizona State's upset bid, remain unbeaten in Pac-12 play and earn a victory that will probably land the program a spot in the new AP Top 25 poll Monday. The Ducks made 14 of 15 free throws Sunday, including seven straight in the final minute, to eke out a 68-65 win over the much-improved Sun Devils. Now, if Oregon can avoid an upset loss at USC on Thursday, the Ducks will visit UCLA on Saturday with first place in the Pac-12 on the line.
3. Arizona State and Long Beach State landed key transfers over the weekend who will boost both programs next season. Former Michigan State guard Brandon Kearney, who played 17 minutes per game this season before leaving the Spartans, will join the Sun Devils. And ex-UCLA guard Tyler Lamb, a starter last season for the Bruins, will enroll at Long Beach State and likely be eligible to play at the start of next season.
4. Where was Butler's Rotnei Clarke the day after spraining his neck in a scary head-first crash into the basket stanchion against Dayton? It probably won't surprise anyone that he was shooting jumpers at the gym. Clarke's father told the Indianapolis Star that while his son will listen to the advice of his doctors, he thinks there's a chance the senior guard will return Saturday against Gonzaga. "If they're thinking about not letting him play Saturday," the father said, "they're going to have to take him to another county."
5. Morehead State coach Sean Woods is expected to be fine after being hospitalized this weekend as a precaution as a result of dizziness and other symptoms related to high blood pressure. Earlier this season, Woods was suspended one game by the school for shoving a player and berating him to the point of near tears.
Not only did Ohio State thwart Michigan's bid to remain unbeaten and inherit the No. 1 ranking on Monday, the Buckeyes also delivered perhaps the best dunk of the weekend. Shannon Scott feeds Sam Thompson in transition in the above video for a memorable alley-oop slam.
"This is the weirdest 14-3 that I've ever been involved with here. That doesn't mean it's awful, it's just different." -- Michigan State coach Tom Izzo on the Spartans' habit of playing down to their competition level and eking out wins that perhaps they haven't deserved based on their level of play. That happened again on Sunday when Michigan State trailed Nebraska deep into the second half before pulling away in the final three minutes for a 66-56 win. (SpartanMag.com)
• Louisville at UConn, 7 p.m. EST
• Baylor at Kansas, 9 p.m. EST
