The Buzzer

Eight weeks ago Pitt was one of the hottest teams in the
country, after a 6-0 start that included wins over Kentucky and
Xavier. But since suffering a heartbreaking loss to top-ranked
Connecticut on a last-second shot on Dec. 12, the Panthers had
dropped five of their last seven games through Sunday. Their
woes haven't been confined to the court, either. A few hours
before a Pitt loss last week at Villanova, freshman guard Fred
Primus was arrested on charges of grand theft and receiving
stolen property. He was kicked off the team....

George Mason, a surprising second in the Colonial Athletic
Association after going 9-18 a year ago, can thank sophomore
forward George Evans, who turns 28 on Saturday, for its
improvement. Before joining the Patriots, Evans spent more than
seven years in the Army, serving on a U.S. peacekeeping mission
in Haiti, and in the Gulf War, during which he helped take eight
armed Iraqis prisoner while he was on foot patrol. Through
Sunday he led the conference in scoring (18.4 points a game),
was tied for the lead in steals (2.2) and ranked second in
blocks (2.8) and field goal percentage (55.4), and third in
rebounding (8.6)....

While the Big Ten is clearly the best league top to bottom, the
Pac-10 is the most competitive. It's the only major conference
in which each team has won at least two league games, and in the
past three weeks 13 games have been decided in the final seconds.

--B.J. Schecter