NBA

• Clippers to sign PG Russell Westbrook
  • Westbrook still has the ability to put up good counting stats, but that’s not what matters here. The former MVP is a shell of his previous form in terms of impact, and probably won’t move the needle in a positive direction most nights for the Clippers. At the trade deadline, LA was able to finagle Mason Plumlee from Charlotte, and effectively replaced Reggie Jackson and John Wall with Westbrook and Bones Hyland. The Clippers have a decent shot of contending this spring, and if they do, Westbrook likely won’t be a big a reason why.
    Grade: B-

NCAAB

• West Virginia 85, Oklahoma State 67
  • This was the first game in nearly two weeks that West Virginia played up to its capability. At 5-10 in Big 12 play, most will likely question if the Mountaineers are deserving of an NCAA Tournament bid, but the program was 32nd in the NET coming into yesterday. Erik Stevenson is a talented shooter, and had 23 points in this contest.
  • Oklahoma State, loser of three in a row, needs Avery Anderson back.
• Duke 79, Louisville 62
  • Duke is a fine team, but this version of the program lacks the star power it usually has. Tyrese Proctor, who scored 12 points on 13 shots in this game, is an inconsistent wild card for the Blue Devils. The ACC is down yet again this season, but Duke will have resume boosting opportunities in its next three contests: vs. Virginia Tech, vs. NC State, and at North Carolina.
• Coppin State 69, Norfolk State 62
  • Norfolk State is without a doubt the top team in the MEAC, so this was a surprising result. Losing to the 7-21 Eagles isn’t a great look for the Spartans.
• Hawaii 61, Cal State Bakersfield 50
  • Hawaii, at 20-8, is quietly on its way to its sixth consecutive winning season. The Rainbow Warriors have an abundance of capable scorers and have, at the very least, an outside shot of winning the Big West Tournament next month.
• Kansas 63, TCU 58
  • For whatever reason, the advanced metrics aren’t in love with Kansas, but a case can be made that the Jayhawks are the nation’s best team. The team has played the country’s most difficult schedule, yet stands tall at 23-5. Kansas’ kryptonite could be tons of size, as the Jayhawks start the 6’7″ K.J. Adams at center, but that hasn’t really been a problem for Bill Self’s team to this point. Jalen Wilson struggled to the tune of 3-11 last night, but Gradey Dick stepped up big time, scoring 19 points. Wilson and Dick are an awesome duo.
  • I’m sure TCU was thrilled to have Mike Miles back in the lineup for this game, but the guard didn’t have the return he was probably hoping for, shooting 4-14. Nothing is easy in the country’s best conference, but TCU can potentially catch its breath for the rest of the regular season, as it faces off with Texas Tech, Texas at home, and Oklahoma.
• Illinois 78, Minnesota 69
  • Illinois will need Terrence Shannon back at some point, but the talented Matthew Mayer has risen to the occasion in the absence of the Fighting Illini’s best player. Mayer dropped 22 points in this tilt, which was more than enough to top the Big Ten’s worst team.
  • Where has this Jamison Battle been all year? The junior scored 31 points last night, but he’s been a disappointment for the Golden Gophers this season, as his scoring average has dropped nearly 5.0 points per game from a year ago.
• Cal State Fullerton 74, UC Santa Barbara 60
  • UC Santa Barbara has been a mess lately. The Gauchos started 20-4 and looked like a decent candidate to pull a First Round upset in the NCAA Tournament, but that seems like a long shot now. Ajay Mitchell was invisible last night, shooting 1-4 for 3 points.