COLORADO CONNECTION
Kaipo Sabas, Colorado State, Sr., guard. Talk about perseverance. After graduating from Rocky Mountain High School in Fort Collins, the 5-foot-11 Sabas played two years of junior college ball up the road at Laramie County (Wyo.) CC in Cheyenne, where he averaged eight points. Failing to attract desirable offers, Sabas walked on at CSU last year (his father, Barry Sabas, played for the Rams in the mid-1970s) and saw action in only three games during the 2010-11 season. Sabas has excelled as a senior. He was placed on scholarship in January and has made 10 starts. He entered the weekend averaging 5.0 points while logging 21.8 minutes per game and is one of the team’s best 3-point shooters (.458).
SEED GAMES
Projecting the top 16 teams in the NCAA Tournament
No. 1 seeds: Kentucky, Syracuse, Kansas, Ohio State
No. 2 seeds: Missouri, Michigan State, Duke, North Carolina
No. 3 seeds: Baylor, Georgetown, Marquette, Michigan
No. 4 seeds: Louisville, Wisconsin, New Mexico, Florida
ON THE BUBBLE
Mississippi State If the Bulldogs could find a way to finish games, they’d be in good shape. MSU dropped to 19-7 and 6-5 in the SEC after back-to-back OT losses to LSU and Georgia, two bottom-tier teams in the conference. While MSU’s overall record is solid, the Bulldogs entered the weekend with an estimated RPI computer power ranking of 49. That’s slipped from 32 in 10 days. The Bulldogs had better not lose in the first round of the SEC Tournament.
ON THE RISE
New Mexico Don’t look now, but the Lobos have a two-game lead in the MWC by virtue of their stunning 77-67 win Wednesday at No. 13 San Diego State and a home win Saturday over No. 11 UNLV. Senior Drew Gordon pushed around the Aztecs, getting 44 points and 37 rebounds in the two games. “You know, people have been talking about San Diego State and UNLV going at it, so this is a nice win to put us solidly in first place,” Gordon said after the win over SDSU. New Mexico, which got 21 points from sophomore guard Kendall Williams against the Aztecs, took a six-game winning streak and an estimated 29 RPI into Saturday’s game. Two weeks ago, the Lobos’ RPI was 44.
