Seen and heard in Boise: Buffalo's 'Naked Guy,' Rawle Alkins' dunk (still), and Gonzaga's change of scenery
BOISE, Idaho -- The Buffalo Bulls have a 'Naked Guy' — OK, so he wears a cape, too — while Rawle Alkins' dunk is still resonating in the Pac-12. Plus, Gonzaga coach Mark Few let us in on the possibility of some not-so-secret conference changes. Here's the best from a day of practice ahead of the NCAA Tournament's first round in Boise, Idaho.
By Justin Spears / Arizona Daily Star
Rawle Alkins’ dunk earns Pac-12 honor
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Rawle Alkins puts USC's Elijah Stewart on a poster in the Pac-12 Tournament championship.
According to Urban Dictionary, baptized is a word to describe a basketball player dunking over an opponent in posterizing fashion. That’s exactly what Rawle Alkins did to USC guard Elijah Stewart last Saturday in the Pac-12 Tournament championship. Alkins caught a pass from Deandre Ayton in the lane, rose up and viciously dunked over Stewart. Alkins’ teammates are still in awe. Freshman star Deandre Ayton said he had never seen a dunk like that before in person.
On Wednesday, Pac-12 Networks agreed. The station announced that Alkins’ dunk was the conference’s play of the year. It also came in at No. 3 on ESPN’s top plays of the season.
UB Naked Guy
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Buffalo fans are some of the craziest people you’ll ever come across. The city’s NFL fans jump off the top of cars onto tables during tailgates. Buffalo Bulls basketball fans on the other hand, have a super fan that shows up to every home game wearing nothing but a blue speedo.
OK, “UB Naked Guy” also wears a cape.
“He shows personality to our fans and the stuff and we appreciate him,” Buffalo guard CJ Massinburg said.
“UB Naked Guy” could be a distraction for UA players in Thursday’s game, though the Wildcats have proven to be a focused bunch this year. ASU’s Curtain of Distraction didn’t seem to bother them, and the Sun Devils’ section featured a real-life UFC fighter — Ryan Bader — dressed as a wrestler.
Change of scenery
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Four other teams that aren’t in Arizona’s bracket will play Thursday in Boise — No. 4 Gonzaga, No. 13 UNC Greensboro, No. 5 Ohio State and No. 13 South Dakota State. Gonzaga, looking to return to the Final Four in consecutive seasons, could potentially leave the West Coast Conference and join the Mountain West, the same conference as Boise State. Reports of a possible move began circulating during last week’s conference tournament.
Coach Mark Few conceded Wednesday that the program has been “talking to a lot of people, and this was the one that I guess leaked out.”
“I’ve said all along we’re going to do what’s best for Gonzaga and the program moving forward,” he said. “So whatever that means, it’s not something we’re going to spend a lot of thought on this week or hopefully for a while. After the dust settles down, (athletic director Mike Roth) and I and (Gonzaga president Thayne) McCulloh will figure out what’s best for Gonzaga and go from there.”
The Zags have been members of the WCC since 1979, winning 21 league titles. A Mountain West Conference featuring Gonzaga, San Diego State, Nevada, New Mexico, UNLV and others would be great for basketball. Football? Not so much. The Zags last fielded a team in 1941.
Happy anniversary
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This week marks the 10-year anniversary of Stephen Curry’s leap into national consciousness. In 2008, Curry led 10th-seeded Davidson past No. 7 Gonzaga in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. Curry dropped 40 points on 8 of 10 shooting and added five steals.
The Golden State Warriors superstar led the Wildcats to an Elite Eight, and was selected seventh overall in the NBA draft the following year. Now, the two-time champion and two-time MVP makes $34.7 million per year, an NBA record.
Dónde está Taco Bell?
UpdatedThe Arizona Wildcats will call this place home for at least until the end of tomorrow. #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/Zw5TAXixg8
— The Wildcaster (@TheWildcaster) March 14, 2018
Boise’s Taco Bell Arena doesn’t have a Taco Bell inside, which must be some kind of crime. It does, however, feature a Pizza Hut and a Chick-fil-A. So no, there won’t be any tacos or nacho fries served during the games, just good ol’ fashioned potatoes. When in Idaho …
The big number
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183,000
And counting. The number of times the hashtag “#MarchMadness” has been used over the last seven days on Twitter. The March Madness Twitter account’s mentions also had a 300 percent spike with interactions since Selection Sunday.
He said it
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Kentucky coach John Calipari talks to the media in his sunroom on Selection Sunday after his team was named to the NCAA Tournament.
“You can’t ask me those kind of questions. People get mad. Vice presidents get killed. They spell the thing wrong. Don’t ask me; I’m here to play basketball.”
— Kentucky coach John Calipari, after he was asked if a potato is a fruit or a vegetable. (Nice Dan Quayle reference, coach.)
