Not sure which is bigger.
Colorado beating No. 16 Baylor, which snapped the Pac-12’s 12-game winless streak against ranked opponents, or UCLA winning an appeal with the NCAA that allows star freshman Shabazz Muhammad to play immediately.
Both are reasons to celebrate for Pac-12 fans if you subscribe to the rising tide lifts all boats theory. With Muhammad, who many believe will be a NBA lottery pick in next year’s draft, No. 13 UCLA (3-0) figures to be a national title contender while the Buffaloes look as if they’ll return to the NCAA tournament.
That’s good news for the Pac-12, which is 27-4 in non-conference games this season.
FRIDAY NIGHT LINKS:
— Here’s our story on Nigel Williams-Goss who joined Darin Johnson and signed with Washington. The positive recruiting news has taken some of the sting out of Tuesday’s loss to Albany.
— Muhammad will be available Monday for UCLA’s game against Georgetown at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., as part of the Legends Classic.
— UCLA and UNLV were the favorites, but star recruit Isaac Hamilton surprised nearly everyone and chose UTEP during a nationally televised recruiting show on ESPNU. The 6-4 shooting guard also considered Washington, San Diego State and Baylor.
— Despite connecting on just 4 of 18 free throws, including several untimely missed in the final minutes, Colorado (3-0) somehow hung on to knock off Baylor 60-58, which avenged a loss in last season’s NCAA tournament. Askia Booker scored a game-high 19 points and Spencer Dinwiddie added 11.
— Devon Collier, who grew up in the Bronx, made his New York homecoming a memorable one. The Oregon State junior finished with 27 points and 12 rebounds – both career highs – to lead the Beavers (3-1) to a 66-58 win over Purdue in the third-place game in the 2K Sports Classic at Madison Square Garden.
— California’s Allen Crabbe followed a career-best 33-point outing earlier this week with a modest game-high 20 points in the Golden Bears’ 72-61 victory at Denver. Crabbe will be given Pac-12 Player of the Week considerations. Justin Cobb added 17 points and David Kravish had 11. Cal is 3-0.
— It didn’t receive as much attention as the Muhammad story, but Oregon forward Arsalan Kazemi received his eligibility after the NCAA approved his waiver request. The 6-foot-7 senior from Iran, averaged 12.6 points and 10.1 rebounds in three season at Rice. He had five points and seven rebounds in Friday’s 74-48 win over Vanderbilt. E.J. Singler led Oregon (3-0) with 22 points while Tony Woods and Damyean Dotson each had 10..
— Washington State went to Pepperdine and gave the Waves their first win, a 58-56 overtime victory. Brock Motum had a tough night shooting from the field. He missed nine of 13 shots, but managed to finish with a team-high 15 points because he made 7 of 8 at the line. WSU fell to 2-1.
— You almost wanted to believe in Utah after the Utes destroyed Division III opponent Willamette 104-47 in the season opener. But Utah (1-1) stumbled at home against a Division I foe and lost 74-71 to Sacramento State. Former Rainier Beach High star Glen Dean scored a team-high 16 points.
— Here’s USA Today’s top 25 high school boy’s basketball rankings. Nigel Williams-Goss’ team Findlay Prep is No. 2. Aaron Gordon’s Archbishop Mitty is No. 12 and Seattle’s Rainier Beach with 2014 prospect Shaqquan Aaron, a 6-8 forward, is 22.
— Saint Louis coach Rick Majerus, who is having treatment for a serious heart condition, will not return. Washington plays SLU on Nov. 28.