The importance of being able to take up the slack for Adam Morrison was never lost on Gonzaga, but the Bulldogs were pleased at how they fared in a midseason test just the same.
On Feb. 6, St. Mary’s hacked and hounded Morrison into 20 points on 7-of-20 shooting on a day when the Bulldogs could have used a more productive effort.
They won anyway – 62-61.
Center J.P. Batista scored 21 points and grabbed 11 rebounds. Forward Sean Mallon scored 10 points and had five rebounds and four assists. And Mallon played star for a day, hitting the winning free throw with 0.3 of a second left.
The point? Heroes are good. But heroes with capable help are better.
This NCAA Tournament has been about the stars – Morrison, J.J. Redick, Rudy Gay, Glen Davis, Brandon Roy. And for good reason. They are the engines that make their teams go. But sometimes they need help steering.
As the final 16 teams get set to take the next step in the tournament, here are five players who will play a big yet understated role.
Texas guard Kenton Paulino
Longhorns coach Rick Barnes challenges anyone to look back and be surprised. Senior guard Kenton Paulino is overshadowed by P.J. Tucker, Daniel Gibson and LaMarcus Aldridge, but Paulino’s contributions have Texas two games from the Final Four.
“He is not the guy everybody talks about,” Barnes said. “He’s just kind of glued it all together. He’s very quiet the way he goes about his business. But we need him to play well. People will be surprised how many big shots he’s made for us when we needed them.”
Gonzaga center J.P. Batista
Morrison bristles at the notion Gonzaga is a one-man band. He will quickly point out that others contribute to the Bulldogs’ success.
Coach Mark Few doesn’t bristle, but he’ll say more often than not that Batista holds Gonzaga’s fate in his hands.
“A lot of times games are harder for us when teams key in and take him away than they are when they try to key in on Adam,” Few said. “He’s just been remarkably consistent all year. He’s just so solid and steady.”
Duke guard Greg Paulus, forward Josh McRoberts
Redick? Shelden Williams? Sure, they’re great. But Duke is at its best when freshmen Greg Paulus and Josh McRoberts are at the top of their games.
“They’re very competitive kids, and they have such good game personalities,” Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said. “When they allow themselves to show it, then we’re just better.”
LSU forward Tyrus Thomas
This freshman burst onto the scene with incredible length, athleticism and an uncanny ability to block shots from all over. Glen “Big Baby” Davis does the heavy lifting with the scoring and rebounding, but Thomas has anchored LSU’s defense, helping to give the Tigers a measure of toughness and intimidation that has gotten them to the Sweet 16.
“His impact – we need Tyrus to be successful to do some big things here,” Davis said. “He’s big; he contributes to our team in a lot of ways.”
Staff writer Chris Dempsey can be reached at 303-820-5455 or cdempsey@denverpost.com.
