3-Pointers

Pretty good weekend in college and for the three-point shot.

The much-hyped PAC-10 match-up of #4 Washington State and #5 UCLA got some life at the end, when the Cougars made seven threes in the final 90 seconds to come up just short and lose 81-74. In a head-t0-head of potential PAC-10 POYs Kevin Love's win and 27-and-14 got the nod over Derrick Low's six threes and 24 points. But more than anything, Low and the Cougars came as close as anybody has come to Jason Williams' "Miracle Minute" at Maryland in '01.

In the Midwest, Bradley University broke a six-game losing streak on the shoulders of Jeremy Crouch, who scored 20 of Bradley's last 26 to inch by Northern Iowa. Crouch matched Low with six threes of his own en route to a season-high 28 and a nice W.

But nothing topped this line: "0:06, 72-69, Roy Hibbert made Three Point Jumper."

In a back-and-forth game against a very good UConn team, Big Roy sealed the deal with his second career three-pointer from the top of the key with time winding down. Coach John Thompson III said it was not a "fluke" and I bet the Sixers, Kings, Clippers, and Bucks hope he is right. Either way, this was a statement game for the iffy Hoyas because UConn is better than advertised and the Huskies played a superb game on the road.

After the Chargers' upset in Indy, I watched most of Indiana-Illinois on CBS. As an Illinois fan, this game was a big deal because the Illini stink and really needed a "turning point" game to salvage the season. If any game offered that opportunity, it was this: against Eric Gordon and the #10 Hoosiers.

Motivation for a W was huge given the Illini's struggles, Indiana's success, and Eric Gordon's much-documented recruiting flip-flop. Illinois jumped out tp a 13-4 lead after starting 6-for-6 from the field, and again led by as many as nine the second half, but still managed to lose by four.

If they can't win this one, they are in serious trouble. What's the motivation at Minnesota or Penn State in the dead of winter? 4-12 in the Big Ten?

I think both teams will come back to this game as a sign of their opposite trajectories: the Illini falling to 0-4 in the Conference and heading toward a post-season snub, and the Hoosiers seizing first place in the Big Ten and rolling towards a top-3 seed in the Tourney.

I actually think that Indiana makes the Final Four. They have a great core with DJ White, Gordon, Armon Basset, JaMarcus Ellis and Jordan Crawford. Kelvin Sampson is a good coach and puts them over the hump against similar teams.

Furthermore, this game served as a prime example of Illinois' slow plummet since 2005. Nobody wants to play for Bruce Webber--not Gordon and not even in-state talents like Jon Scheyer, Patrick Beverly, and Derrick Rose--and he has slowly grounded this once high-flying program that competed for titles in '01, '02, and '05.