ose five wins have been by an average of 30.8 points. This year, Wyomings defense has been giving up 30.3 points per g | Forum

If you dropped UCLAs squad at a random pickup game on a Saturday, TJ Leaf might get picked last. Nike Air Max Plus Wholesale .He doesnt look like a baller. And he doesnt rise above the rim like some of his teammates or steer college basketballs new Showtime act on fast breaks. Thats Lonzo Balls job.Leafs only sin is playing efficient, productive basketball without the flair others on the UCLA roster boast.And thats why the potential lottery pick is also one of the games most overlooked players.Ball, arguably the front-runner for the Wooden Award, turns every player on the court into Ethan Hawke in Training Day, an overshadowed best supporting actor. Ball has a presence now. Hell always speak on the postgame dais. Win or lose, observers will scrutinize his statistics. College basketball fans want to know what hes thinking or plotting.Hes not a player. Hes the player right now.So within the games annals, Leafs contributions might get lost if this UCLA revival continues. He is, however, a critical element in Steve Alfords operation.He has made 48.8 percent of his jump shots, per hoop-math.com. The Bruins have made 45.6 percent of their shots inside the arc with Leaf on the floor, compared with 37.5 percent when hes on the bench, according to hooplens.com. Hes ranked 41st with a 134.2 offensive rating on KenPom.com. And Leaf was two assists shy of a triple-double in a win over UC Santa Barbara (25 points, 10 rebounds, 8 assists) last week, a good day for the freshman.Hes certainly on the NBAs radar.Hes skilled, knows how to play and has a feel for the game, said one NBA scout. Plays with urgency. Limited athletic ability but good enough to rebound and finish. ... His stock is on the rise because of his overall production.Added another NBA scout: I think hes good. Should be a solid NBA player.With 16 minutes, 44 seconds to play in his teams win over Ohio State on Saturday, Leaf stood on the left block, called for the ball, caught the pass, turned and scored on a hook shot in a seamless sequence straight from the Kevin McHale handbook. Nothing fancy about it.But it was an effective move.The?Lonzo Ball shadow, however, is wide. And if the most gifted collegiate passer since Chris Paul at Wake Forest continues to evolve, well hear even more about Ball and maybe less about his peers.But dont forget about Leaf.Pay attention to these overlooked players, too.Charlie Moore, California Golden Bears: Ranked 61st in the 2016 class by ESPN.com, the Chicagoan is averaging 17.1 PPG and shooting 80 percent from the free throw line and 45 percent from the 3-point line. Hes a tough defender (1.5 steals per game) who leads Cuonzo Martins most impressive defense at Cal (No. 8 in KenPom.coms adjusted defensive efficiency ratings). He picked off a pass and finished a smooth fast break in the first half of his teams win over Cal Poly on Saturday. Early in the second, Moore trailed on a fast break, found space in the corner where Grant Mullins found him for the 3-pointer. Hes versatile, and hes evolving. Hes a young talent, but hes also a building block for a program that will likely lose Ivan Rabb after this season. Hes also a young leader of a team that leaned on his production as Rabb and Jabari Bird dealt with injuries earlier this season.Ethan Happ, Wisconsin Badgers: Wisconsin, Purdue and Indiana seem destined for a three-way fight in the Big Ten race, which will start soon. To win the conference title, Greg Gard will need Bronson Koenig, Nigel Hayes and Happ to battle every night. He has maintained the momentum he accrued with his 24-point, 13-rebound effort in his teams win over Syracuse in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. The 6-foot-10 sophomore keeps it simple. He uses his size and underrated strength to muscle into the post and get easy buckets. Nearly 90 percent of Happs shots have been attempted at the rim, per hoop-math.com. He has made 72.2 percent of them.Justin Patton, Creighton Bluejays: Greg McDermott has a team with the talent to reach heights that the squads his son Doug once led did not achieve. Marcus Foster anchors one of the nations strongest backcourts. He has veterans around him. Patton is 7 feet tall, but hes agile and fluid, which allows his guards to run a lot of pick-and-roll action with the big man and create matchup problems for any team that overcommits, which Oral Roberts did multiple times in its recent loss to Creighton. Patton has made 79.7 percent of his shots inside the arc, the fifth-best mark in America. Lineups that feature Patton allow just .91 points per possession on defense. Creighton has better athletes and more refined talents. By seasons end, however, Patton could mature into the most significant player on the Bluejays roster.Jordan Mathews, Gonzaga Bulldogs: Mathews deserved a spot on this list last season when he played next to Jaylen Brown, Ivan Rabb and Tyrone Wallace at Cal. Now, hes assisting a Gonzaga squad with as much potential as any team Mark Few has assembled in recent years. Hes not putting up SportsCenter-worthy numbers, but hes avoiding the mistakes and errors that could hurt his team. Yes, he has made just 25 percent of his shots inside the arc, but he has connected on 86 percent of his free throws and 39.7 percent of his 3-pointers. He has recorded nine assists and committed just two turnovers in the past five games. Hes the perfect veteran for this West Coast Conference powerhouse.Jordan McLaughlin, USC Trojans: After Andy Enfield led USC to the 2016 NCAA tournament, the schools first berth since 2011, everything seemed to crumble. Julian Jacobs and Nikola Jovanovic turned pro. Four other players transferred. But Enfield kept McLaughlin, who has improved from last season in every category but 3-point shooting (numbers through Sunday night), including offensive rating (125.4 on KenPom.com), assist rate (26.1 percent), free throws (77 percent) and shots inside the arc (66 percent). Enfield asked McLaughlin to lead after this offseasons turmoil. He has answered that call and helped a USC team that should enter Pac-12 play undefeated.Yante Maten, Georgia Bulldogs: The biggest issue right now for Matens hype is he plays for a Georgia squad that looks like a team that will again struggle to reach the NCAA tournament. Still, the 6-8 forward dropped 30 points and snatched 13 rebounds against Kansas. He had 24 points and four blocks against Marquette. According to hooplens.com, lineups that feature Maten average 1.12 points per possession. When hes off the floor, Georgia records just 0.96 PPP. Thats a dramatic decline that showcases Matens importance.Historic game organized by Frank Martin and Orlando Antigua for second consecutive seasonMartin and Antigua have faced challenges this season. Antigua leads a South Florida squad thats 5-4 and recently parted with the coachs brother and assistant after an NCAA investigation surrounding allegations of academic fraud. Martins South Carolina squad hasnt had the same fire since the coach suspended star Sindarius Thornwell, who was arrested in May.But their troubles were secondary to the significance of their matchup in Orlando, Florida, on Saturday. The game featured two of Division Is three Hispanic-American coaches (Miamis Jim Larranaga is the third). Both coaches have worked hard to enhance the pipeline and help other Hispanic coaches emerge and find a path in college basketball.And Saturdays game, much like last seasons matchup, is a pivotal component of that effort.20th anniversary of a perfect season at the free throw lineDuring the 1996-97 season, Division II star Paul Cluxton established an NCAA mark that might last forever. The Northern Kentucky standout made all 94 of his free throw attempts, an NCAA record at all levels. How hard is that? Oklahoma States Phil Forte made 42 of his first 43 free throws this season. Appalachian States Donald Sims missed just eight of his 170 free throw attempts during the 2009-10 season. But perfection? Seems impossible. Cluxton, however, shattered that idea two decades ago. Air Max Plus Cheap Outlet . Barcelonas entertaining victory ensured the defending Spanish champions retained their share of the league lead with Atletico Madrid two rounds ahead of their meeting in the capital. Real Madrid needed a late goal by substitute Jese Rodriguez to earn a 3-2 victory at Valencia to stay in third place and three points behind its title rivals. Discount Nike Air Max Plus . Neymar curled home a free kick from just outside the area to put the 2014 World Cup host ahead in the 44th minute. Three minutes after the break, a simple through pass from Paulinho freed Oscar and the Chelsea star rounded goalkeeper Jung Sung-ryong to extend Brazils lead. http://www.airmaxplusoutlet.com/ . "We have always prided ourselves on the way we play defence. Having two big pieces back is going to be a key for us moving forward for years to come," said Knighthawks head coach Mike Hasen. Boise State and Wyoming are two programs looking up.When the two teams meet Saturday in Laramie, No. 13 Boise State (7-0, 3-0 Mountain West) will be looking to continue its rise in the AP Top 25 poll , while Wyoming (5-2, 3-0) is looking to continue its ascent from 2-10 finish last year.While first place in the Mountain Division is at stake, the Broncos have their sights set on cracking the Top 10 in hopes of earning a spot in the College Football Playoff. To do that, they need to remain undefeated.This game has big implications not only with the Mountain West Conference but nationally, Wyoming coach Craig Bohl noted.But Broncos coach Bryan Harsin has other more immediate concerns on his mind -- turnovers chief among them.Weve gotten three this year and given up 11, Harsin said. That is not a good ratio for us in the turnover category. Were certainly aware of that, but it needs to change.Boise State has never lost to Wyoming in the 10 meetings between the two teams. The Broncos won easily last year 34-14 .But Harsin said Wyoming is a program on the rise under Bohl, who over the last three years has brought a style of blue-collar, disciplined football that proved successful on the FCS level at North Dakota State.Certainly no surprise that Wyoming has developed this season and is having the success theyre having, Harsin said.Wyoming is led offensively by running back Brian Hill, who is second in the nation in rushing, averaging 144.3 yards. Hill ran for 289 yards last week in a win at Nevada.They are running the football and they are doing it effectively, Harsin said.Bohl said he knew before the season started that the Cowboys were much improved but he said the program is on a good trajectory and maybe a little bit ahead of where Id thought we would be at this point.The Cowboys have recorded their best start in the Mountain West Conference since joining the conference in 1999. They are one wwin away from becoming bowl eligible. Nike Air Max Plus Buy Online. . The Cowboys were last in a bowl game in 2011.We didnt get here by chance and now its going to be important that we continue to play well, Bohl said. But were certainly in a different place than where we had been and its not by happenstance.Wyomings improvement this year has raised the stakes with Boise State coming to Laramie -- something Cowboys fans havent had at War Memorial Stadium in years.Some things to watch for in Saturdays game:BRINGING THE OFFENSE: Entering the game, Wyoming has averaged 34.4 points a game this season, and the Broncos 34.3. Both team feature dynamic running backs: Wyomings Brian Hill, who is second in the nation in rushing, and Boise States Jeremy McNichols, who is No. 6 with a per-game average of 130.7 yards on the ground.Wyoming quarterback Josh Allen is No. 3 in the Mountain West in total offense, averaging 231 yards a game. Broncos quarterback Brett Rypien is No. 1 in the league in passing, averaging 294.9 a game. However, Wyoming learned this week that its starting right tackle, Ryan Cummings, will be lost for the season because of a foot injury.WYOMING VERSUS TOP 25 TEAMS IN LARAMIE: Wyoming last beat a Top 25 opponent on Oct. 26, 2002, when it topped No. 22 Air Force 34-26 in Laramie. The highest ranked team Wyoming has ever defeated at home (or on the road) was No. 11 Arizona State in 1972, by a score of 45-43.BOISE IN LARAMIE -- Boise State has beaten Wyoming in all five games between the two teams at Laramie. Those five wins have been by an average of 30.8 points. This year, Wyomings defense has been giving up 30.3 points per game, but it has also recorded four defensive touchdowns and forced 15 turnovers this season.---AP college football website: www.collegefootball.ap.org ' ' '